Time capsule (digital message to the future)
A digital time capsule is a message to the future: you write it today, set an opening date, and only then does it become visible.
What is a digital time capsule?
The classic time capsule is a container that is buried or walled in and only opened after years. Digitally the idea works in a similar way: you write a message, sometimes with a photo, and decide on which day it should open. Until then it is locked. The recipient can be yourself – as a letter to your future self – or another person, for example for a birthday, an anniversary or New Year's Eve.
What it is good for
Time capsules live on anticipation and hindsight. You record what moves you today, which plans you have or what you wish for, and read it later with some distance. A capsule to another person can be a surprise that only opens at the right moment. Because nothing is visible straight away, there is no pressure to reply at once.
“Sealed” does not mean “encrypted”
With many services, “sealed” only means that the app does not show the content until the opening date. It is still stored on the provider's server. That is something different from end-to-end encryption, where only sender and recipient can read the content. So do not put anything in that you would not entrust to the service. Also keep in mind that services can change over the years; anything truly irreplaceable is better backed up by yourself as well.
On Friendstime
You find the time capsule in the browser menu and in the Android app. In the browser you write up to 5,000 characters, optionally attach a photo of up to 5 MB (for JPG, PNG and WebP, location and other image metadata are removed) and choose an opening date, at most 50 years in the future. The recipient is yourself or a confirmed friend; capsules to strangers are not possible, and within 24 hours you can seal at most 10 capsules. Until the opening date Friendstime does not deliver the content – not even to you as the sender. On sending, the recipient gets a notification without content: from whom a capsule is on its way and when it opens. The app creates capsules for yourself, without a photo, and shows and opens capsules you receive. You can cancel a capsule that is still sealed in the browser. Time capsules are not end-to-end encrypted.
Frequently asked questions
Can I read my capsule beforehand?
No. Until the opening date Friendstime delivers the content neither in the browser nor in the app, not even to you as the sender. You can cancel a capsule that is still sealed in the browser instead.
Who can send me a time capsule?
On Friendstime only your confirmed friends. You then get a notification without content that a capsule is on its way and when it opens.
Is a time capsule end-to-end encrypted?
No. Friendstime holds the content back until the opening date and does not show it beforehand, but it is not end-to-end encrypted and is stored on the server. Do not put anything in that you would not want to store there.
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