Help & FAQ

How do I actually share my card with someone?

Sharing takes one tap: generate a QR code someone scans, a link you can send any way you like, an NFC tap between two phones, or hand it off through your phone's own share sheet.

However it's sent, it points to the same live card — accept it once, and the connection stays live from then on: whenever the sender updates their card, you see the change automatically, with nothing to re-share or re-send.

Sharing only goes one way by default: accepting someone's card doesn't give them access to yours unless they share back.

What does the other person see when I share my card?

Shares are one-directional: sharing your card with someone lets them see your information, but doesn't give you access to theirs unless they share back.

By default, the fields you share follow your card's overall visibility settings. You can also fine-tune what a specific person sees, independent of your default settings — hide your address from one contact without hiding it from everyone, for example.

Custom overrides only affect that one share; your card settings stay the default for everyone else.

How do I stop sharing my card with someone?

Sharing is just as easy to undo as it is to start: find the person under Who has my card in Settings and choose Revoke access.

Once revoked, they immediately lose the ability to see your contact information — this can't be undone from their side, but you can always share with them again later if you choose.

What expires — my share link, or the other person's access?

They're two different things. A share link or QR code is an invitation: it can be used once, and it stays valid for 48 hours. After it's used — or after the 48 hours pass — the link itself stops working. That only limits how long the invitation can be picked up; it doesn't affect anyone who already has your card.

Once someone accepts your share, their access doesn't expire by default — they can see your card until you choose to revoke it.

With the Vault plan, you can also set access to expire automatically when you share it (anywhere from 7 days to a full year). When that date passes, the person loses access exactly as if you'd revoked it yourself — and you can extend or remove that expiration whenever you like.

Do the people I share my card with need to have Atesto installed?

Opening a share link in a browser (instead of tapping it on a phone with Atesto installed) shows a personalized prompt with the sender's name and a link to download the app — the card itself only opens once you have Atesto installed, since that's what keeps it live and lets you save or reshare it properly.

The one exception is a Vault-plan permanent public link: those can include a "save without the app" option, letting anyone download the card as a standard contact file with no account or install required.

Either way, receiving a share never requires the other person to sign up for anything, unless they want the live, always-current version.

Why do my Atesto contacts sometimes show up on my other Apple devices?

Atesto writes each connection's name and photo to your phone's contacts, so when they call or text you, your phone can show who it is.

It writes to whichever contacts account your iPhone treats as the default — Apple doesn't give apps a way to specify an on-device-only location. If iCloud Contacts is your default (the most common setup), this entry syncs through iCloud like any other contact you add and shows up on your other Apple devices too.

Atesto is still the authoritative source for your card and connections — your phone's native address book is just a copy used for caller ID, not a place you manage your contacts. It never syncs to Google Contacts.

If you turn sync off, Atesto removes the entries it created, wherever they ended up. Logging out does not remove them — only turning off sync (or deleting your account) does. If you delete the app without turning sync off first, those entries stay on your phone — uninstalling gives us no way to clean them up. Turn sync off (or delete your account) before uninstalling if you want them removed.

Why does Atesto ask for access to my contacts?

Atesto only writes to your phone's contacts — it never reads or uploads your existing address book.

When you turn on contact sync, Atesto adds an entry to your phone's native contacts for each person who has shared their card with you, so their name and photo show up on incoming calls and texts.

If you turn sync off, Atesto removes the entries it created; your own personal contacts are never touched.

I got a new phone, or lost my recovery codes — how do I sign back in?

When you sign in to Atesto on a new device, we ask one of your existing trusted devices to approve the new sign-in with a push notification.

If you don't have another trusted device on hand, you can verify a different way instead — with a recovery email or a saved recovery code.

If neither a trusted device, recovery email, nor a recovery code is available, your account can't be recovered — you'll need to create a new account with the same phone number.

You can set up recovery email and codes, and see all your trusted devices, any time from your account settings.

What do I get with each plan?

Every plan includes your own shareable contact card (QR code, link, or NFC tap), one-tap call/text/email, native contacts sync, and the full account security stack (trusted devices, biometric lock, recovery codes).

Core (Free) — your card, sharing, and security, at no cost.

Lens ($0.99/mo) — adds: choose exactly what each person can see, and a searchable list of everyone you've shared your card with ("Who has my card").

Signal ($1.99/mo) — adds: verified checkmark badges on your phone and email, and contact groups with group sharing presets.

Vault ($4.99/mo) — adds: multiple card profiles (Personal, Business, Other), shares that expire automatically — or never, via a permanent public link with a downloadable QR code — letting people without Atesto save your info from that link, up to 10 trusted devices, and a custom auto-lock timer.

You can change or cancel your plan any time — nothing is ever deleted. If you resubscribe, you'll pick up right where you left off.

How do I manage or cancel my subscription?

Atesto subscriptions are billed through Stripe, our payment processor — Atesto does not store your card details directly.

Managing your subscription — changing plans, updating your payment method, or canceling — happens through your billing portal, accessible any time from Settings. No phone calls or support tickets required.

Downgrades and cancellations take effect at the end of your current billing period; you'll keep access to your current plan's features until then.

How do I export or delete my data?

You can download a copy of your own contact card at any time as a standard vCard (.vcf) file — the same format every phone and contacts app already understands — so your information is never locked inside Atesto.

You can also permanently delete your account and all associated data whenever you choose, directly from the app. That action is immediate and cannot be undone — but the option is always there, with no support request required.

Is my data ever sold or shared with advertisers?

No. Atesto doesn't sell personal data, run ads, or share your information with data brokers or advertisers — that's not the business model.

Your contact information is only visible to people you've explicitly chosen to share it with, for the fields and duration you've set. Akwatri LLC, the company behind Atesto, only uses your data to operate the service itself — for example, to send you a sign-in code, deliver a share, or process a subscription payment.

What happens to my card and connections if I stop using Atesto?

Nothing happens automatically. Uninstalling the app or letting a subscription lapse doesn't delete anything — your card, connections, and account are exactly as you left them whenever you come back, and a lapsed subscription simply drops to the free Core tier's features.

The only way your data is actually removed is if you choose to delete your account yourself. That's permanent and immediate — your card, your connections, and everyone's access to what you'd shared with them are gone for good. It's always your choice, and always available.

Which devices and OS versions does Atesto support?

Atesto works on iPhones running iOS 16.4 or later and Android phones running Android 10 or later. If your phone is on an older version, you may not be able to install or update Atesto from the App Store or Google Play.

These minimum versions can move forward over time. When Apple or Google stops supporting an older OS version, Atesto has to move forward too, so the app stays secure.

To stay supported, keep your phone updated to the newest OS version it can run.