Nothing you enter into the app, ever leaves your device.
Family Ark is local-only encryption software. Most planning apps like this one live in the cloud — Family Ark doesn’t. Everything you enter is encrypted and stored only on the device where it’s installed, with no account, no server, and no company that could be breached, subpoenaed, or sold.
Bank-level encryption, explained simply
Every record is stored in a database encrypted with AES-256 — the same encryption standard banks and governments rely on. In practice: even if someone got their hands on the raw file, it would be unreadable without the key.
Your data is tied to your device
The encryption key itself is bound to the device it was created on. Copy the database file onto a USB drive or another computer, and it still can’t be opened — the key that unlocks it never leaves the original device. That protects against the most common real-world risk: someone finding a copied file on a lost laptop or a stolen drive.
PIN protection, with a safety net
Each profile is locked with its own PIN. Forget it, and a one-time recovery code — generated when you set up the profile — gets you back in. Store that recovery code somewhere safe; it’s the only way back in if the PIN is lost.
Emergency Access, without compromising everything else
A button on the login screen opens an Emergency Card — a one-page medical summary with your photo, blood type, allergies, chronic conditions, current medications, and emergency contacts. It can be viewed or printed without entering a PIN, for a first responder or caregiver in a moment that matters. It’s off by default, and turning it on only exposes that one medical summary — not the rest of your vault.
How Family Ark compares
| Family Ark | Typical cloud-based planner | |
| Where your data lives | Only on your device | On the company’s servers |
| Account required? | No | Yes |
| Works without internet? | Yes | No |
| Who can open your vault? | Only someone with your PIN or recovery code, on your device | Anyone with valid account credentials, from any device |