Is the free tier actually useful?
Yes. The free tier includes one emergency contact, 5-minute recording limit, basic GPS tracking, Silent Alert mode, Full Recording mode (where law permits), safe word detection, fake incoming call, check-in timer, Safely Home notifications, Loud Alarm, on-device processing, evidence-grade encryption, and all-party consent state detection. This is not a trial. It is the protection that everyone deserves at zero cost. Paid tiers exist for users who need more contacts, longer recordings, cloud backup, family coordination, route monitoring, or campus deployment. They do not exist to gate basic safety.
Why is the free tier so generous?
Federal funding for women’s safety services is being cut. Title IX coverage has been rolled back. The institutions that should protect women are stepping back. Lonia AI made a deliberate decision to keep the core safety features — recording, evidence chain, alerts, transcription, GPS, fake call, check-in timer, safe word, Walk Safely, Safely Home, Loud Alarm — free for everyone, forever. Paid tiers extend the features (unlimited recording, more contacts, family dashboard, route monitoring) but the core safety net is always free.
What happens to my recordings?
By default, recordings are processed and stored on your device only. If you enable cloud backup (Personal tier and above), recordings are end-to-end encrypted before leaving your device. You can delete your data at any time, and auto-delete enforces your chosen retention period.
Is recording legal in my state?
Soteria is aware of recording consent laws. In one-party consent states, Full Recording mode is available. In all-party consent states (fourteen of them as of May 2026), Soteria automatically operates in Silent Alert mode (GPS and alerts only, no recording). You always maintain control over which mode is active.
Do I need to give Soteria my password?
No. Soteria uses OAuth sign-in (Google or Microsoft) only. We never store passwords. There is no password field, no password reset flow, and no credential database. Your authentication is handled by the identity provider you already trust.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. No contracts, no cancellation fees. Downgrade to the free tier at any time and keep using Soteria's core safety features.
Is my data sold or shared?
No. Your data is never sold, never shared with third parties, and never used for advertising. Lonia AI is a trust-first company. If we violate that trust, we have no product.
Can I hide Soteria on my phone?
Yes. Soteria can be installed as a disguised app — Calculator, Weather, or Notes — with a different icon and app name. Triple-tap anywhere in Soteria to instantly switch to a fake calculator view, complete with working math. For survivors and anyone whose phone might be checked, Soteria also includes duress protection: a phrase you set that, when entered to "delete" a session under coercion, preserves the recording in a hidden recovery vault while showing the abuser an identical deletion experience.
Is my evidence really admissible in court?
Yes. Soteria preserves every recording with per-segment SHA-256 cryptographic hashing, GPS coordinates timestamped at capture, device fingerprinting, and a chain-of-custody log. The evidence package is self-authenticating under Federal Rules of Evidence 902(13) and 902(14) — the same standard used by law enforcement digital forensics. Your evidence belongs to you, can be exported as a tamper-evident JSON bundle, and stands up in court without requiring expert witness testimony to authenticate.