Frequently asked questions

Kept is an app for the greeting cards you can't bring yourself to throw away. Photograph a card with your phone and Kept straightens it, keeps the message written inside, and files it by date and by who sent it — so a shoebox of cards becomes a collection you'll actually open.

Kept is free to download, and free to use for an archive of up to 20 cards — with everything included: scanning, search, sharing, export and handwriting transcription. If your collection outgrows that, Kept Unlimited is $19.99 a year and removes the limit.

Open the Scan tab and tap Take Photos. Lay the card on a flat surface — a plain, darker background helps the edges stand out — and photograph the front and the inside. Kept finds the edges and crops each one clean. You can also choose photos you've already taken.

That's the whole point. The front is nice, but the handwritten message is what matters. Kept stores the front and the inside together, so the note is never separated from the card.

A Google account or an Apple ID. Kept has no passwords of its own — you sign in with one of those, and your cards are tied to that account.

Yes. A Google account isn't the same as a Gmail address — you can create a Google account using any email you already have (a work address, Outlook, Yahoo, and so on). Likewise, an Apple ID can use any email. Sign in with whichever one is tied to your email.

If someone plans to share cards with you, choose Share My Email instead. Sharing is matched by email address, so a hidden (relay) address won't match the invitation sent to your real one. If you've already signed in with a hidden email, Kept shows you the address to give the person sharing.

In Settings, open Shared with and enter the email address of the person you want to share with. That grants them permission. Then tap the share icon to send them an invitation message with a link to the app. Once they sign in with that exact email, your cards appear for them.

No — Kept never sends email on your behalf. Entering their address only grants access. You send the invitation yourself (by text, email, or however you like) using the share icon, which opens your phone's share options with the message ready to go.

To see your cards inside Kept, they need to sign in with a Google account or Apple ID that uses the email you invited. If they have neither, they can create a Google account with their existing email address in a couple of minutes. Alternatively, invite an email they already use with Google or Apple. Anyone can also open a backup file you send them in the web viewer, no account needed.

Download Kept and sign in with the same email address they invited. Their cards will be waiting. If you'd rather not install the app, you can view a backup file they send you at kept.cards/viewer.html.

Yes. In Shared with, tap Remove next to their email. They lose access immediately.

Only you, and anyone you've explicitly shared with. There's no feed, no followers, no public profiles, and no strangers. Kept doesn't sell your data or show ads.

Your scans are stored securely in the cloud so they're safe if you lose your phone and available on any device you sign in to. Only your account (and people you share with) can access them. See the Privacy Policy for details.

In Settings, tap Export all cards. Kept packages your whole archive into a file you can save to Files, AirDrop, or keep anywhere you like. You can import it later, and anyone can open it in the web viewer. Your cards are never locked in.

Deleting your account permanently removes your cards and your account. Kept asks you to export a backup first so nothing is lost by accident. If people had access to your cards, they lose it. Deleting your account does not remove cards that others shared with you — those belong to their owners.

The iPhone app is on the App Store. You can also use Kept in a web browser on Android or a computer at kept.cards — sign in with the same account and your cards are there.

Yes. Sign in with the same account on any device and your collection is the same everywhere.