A few things worth doing right now.

Four small, real improvements you can finish in the next few minutes, drawn from the same work we do with clients. There is no account, nothing to download, and no one asking who you are.

So we are clear

Everything on this page is free.

There is nothing to buy here.

We do not ask for your email.

We cannot see whether you did any of it, and nobody will follow up.

Pick one.

Doing one of these today beats planning to do all four. Come back for another whenever you like.

Three minutes · Apple and Google

Name the person who could reach your photos

If something happened to you, the photos and messages in your accounts would stay sealed. Apple and Google both let you name a person now who could reach them later. The person you name sees nothing while you are living, and nothing changes for you today.

On an iPhone

1.Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap Sign-In & Security.
2.Tap Legacy Contact, then Add Legacy Contact, and confirm with Face ID or your passcode.
3.Pick the person from your contacts.
4.Apple creates an access key for them. Sending it in Messages saves it on their phone; Print Access Key gives you a copy to keep with your important papers.
5.Tell the person what you did. To use the key later they would also need a death certificate, so it only works when it should.

For a Google account

1.Go to myaccount.google.com/inactive and sign in. Google calls this the Inactive Account Manager.
2.Choose how long Google should wait before treating your account as inactive. Three months is a fine answer.
3.Add the person you trust and choose what they would be able to see.
4.Decide whether the account should delete itself afterward, then save your plan.

You're done. Someone you trust holds the key, and it only works when it should.

Two minutes · any phone

Turn on automatic updates

Most software updates deliver fixes for problems that have already been found. With automatic updates on, your phone installs them by itself, usually overnight while it charges, and needs no further attention from you.

On an iPhone

1.Open Settings, tap General, then Software Update.
2.Tap Automatic Updates and turn everything on.

On an Android phone

1.Open the Play Store app, tap your profile picture in the top corner, then tap Settings.
2.Tap Network preferences, then Auto-update apps, and pick either Wi-Fi option.
3.Then open your phone’s Settings and search for software update. The wording varies by manufacturer; if that screen has an automatic download or install switch, turn it on.

You're done. The fixes now arrive on their own.

Five minutes · any phone

Check what your lock screen gives away

Lock your phone and have someone text you. If the words of the message show on the locked screen, so would a sign-in code texted by your bank, readable by anyone holding the phone. One setting decides this, and it takes a minute to change.

On an iPhone

1.Open Settings, tap Notifications, then Show Previews.
2.Choose When Unlocked. Message contents now appear only after the phone recognizes you.

On an Android phone

1.Open Settings, tap Notifications, and look for Notifications on lock screen. On some phones it lives under Lock screen instead.
2.Choose the option that hides content. The exact words vary: on some phones it is Hide content, on others a Sensitive notifications switch. If you cannot find it, search the Settings app for “lock screen”.

You're done. Messages and sign-in codes now wait until the phone knows it's you.

Five minutes · your main email

Make sure you could get back into your email

If you were ever locked out of your email, the recovery phone number and backup email on the account are the road back in. Most people set them once, years ago. If an old number is still listed, the road back in points at a phone you no longer carry.

For a Google or Gmail account

1.Go to myaccount.google.com, sign in, and open the Security tab.
2.Find Recovery phone and Recovery email. If you do not see them, type “recovery” in the search box at the top.
3.Check both. If either is out of date, update it now; the change takes effect immediately.

For an Apple account

1.Open Settings, tap your name at the top, then tap Sign-In & Security.
2.Look at the phone numbers listed there and make sure every one is a number you still use.

Other email providers keep the same thing under account or security settings. Look for the words recovery phone.

You're done. If you are ever locked out, the road back in reaches you and no one else.

That is the whole idea.

Everything we do with clients has this shape: specific, unhurried changes that make your digital life easier to recover and harder to lose. These four are yours to keep. If you would like this done across everything you own, and for the people who depend on you, that is the work.

See how we work →