Scope RPG

Recovery Codes ​

Because Scope uses end-to-end encryption, losing access to your encryption key means losing access to your encrypted data. Recovery codes are how you protect yourself from that outcome.

Recovery code written down

Why Recovery Codes Exist ​

Your encryption key lives on your device. If you:

  • Lose the device.
  • Uninstall the app and reinstall.
  • Sign in on a brand-new device.
  • Hit any of a dozen other edge cases.

...without a recovery code, your encrypted data is permanently unreadable. Even if you sign into the same Scope account, the new device will download the ciphertext from our servers - but without your key, the ciphertext is just noise.

The recovery code is your escape hatch.

Generating Your Codes ​

From Settings, you can generate a recovery code at any time. The code is:

  • A long string of characters - formatted in chunks so it's copyable and less error-prone to type.
  • Generated from your current encryption key using a one-way derivation. The code can regenerate the key; the key can't directly reveal the code.
  • Rotatable - you can generate a new code whenever you want, which invalidates all previous codes. Useful if you think an old code has been compromised.

The app shows you the code once, clearly, with a copy button. You're responsible for saving it somewhere safe before you close the screen.

Storing Them Safely ​

Good places to save a recovery code:

  • A password manager (1Password, Bitwarden, etc.) - best option.
  • Printed and stored somewhere physical - safe deposit box, a locked drawer.
  • An encrypted file on a cloud service you trust (as long as that service isn't using your Scope account for login).

Bad places:

  • A plaintext note in your notes app that syncs to servers you don't control.
  • An email to yourself - email is not meaningfully secure.
  • A screenshot kept in your phone's camera roll - often auto-uploaded to cloud storage.

Treat the code like you'd treat the master password of a password manager - valuable, losable, and worth protecting carefully.

Using a Code to Recover Access ​

When you sign in on a new device (or reinstall the app), you can choose "Recover encryption" and paste in the recovery code. The flow:

  1. App confirms the code is valid by regenerating the key.
  2. Key is installed on the new device.
  3. Ciphertext downloads from the server.
  4. Encrypted data decrypts and becomes readable.

After recovery, the new device has the same key as your other devices, and your encrypted content is available everywhere.

Transferring a Key via QR Code ​

An alternative to writing down a recovery code: direct device-to-device transfer.

If you have both devices in front of you and one is already logged in:

  1. On the source device, open Settings → Encryption → Transfer Key.
  2. A QR code and a short PIN appear on the source device.
  3. On the target device, choose "Transfer from another device" during setup.
  4. Scan the QR with the target device's camera and enter the PIN.
  5. The key transfers directly between the devices.

This is often the easiest option when you're upgrading phones - no code writing needed.

What If You Lose Access With No Recovery ​

If you lose access to your key and don't have a recovery code:

  • We can't recover it. Our servers don't hold your key. Support can tell you what to try, but we fundamentally don't have a way to decrypt your data.
  • Your encrypted content is permanently unreadable. Your habits, tasks, goals, journals, projects, and wishlist items are still on the server as ciphertext - but with no key, they're just noise.
  • Your public data is intact - level, XP, achievements, leaderboard rank all survive since they were never encrypted.

You can start fresh by resetting your encryption key, which creates a new key and accepts that the old encrypted content is lost. This is a destructive action with a confirmation modal; think carefully before confirming.

This is the trade-off of real E2EE

Services with a backdoor (which most cloud apps have) can help you recover lost data because they hold your key themselves. That's also why they can be subpoenaed or breached. Scope's no-backdoor design means real privacy - and real consequences for losing your key. The recovery code is how you opt out of those consequences.