Moving a life from a computer to a phone requires its full save. A keepsake or same-start invitation cannot restore midway progress. Forked Lives provides local JSON backups, temporary transfer codes and a personal pass for different needs.
Local saving is the default; JSON is an independent backup
The game saves in the current browser. Clearing site data, ending a private session, switching browsers or changing domains can make those records unavailable. Export important lives to JSON and keep that file privately.
JSON can include the complete record and private notes. Exports also include locally held credentials for withdrawing your public publications. Treat it as a private backup, not a public score image. Imports validate the save structure and do not invent missing historical checkpoints from event text.
Use a transfer code for a one-time move
Open save transfer and explicitly agree before creating a code. Your browser encrypts the save with AES-GCM; the server stores ciphertext. The full code also carries the decryption key, so keep it private and enter it only on your own destination device.
The plaintext limit is 750KB. A code expires after 24 hours, and successful retrieval and decryption deletes the temporary server record. It is neither an account login nor a challenge code to give friends.
Use the personal pass for manual cloud storage
The personal pass is free during beta. Keep its complete code and use it on your other devices to read and restore the encrypted save. After making more progress, click Save to the cloud again. There is no automatic background synchronization.
The plaintext limit is 1.2MB. Each manual save renews storage for 31 days; reading does not renew it. The server cannot decrypt your records or recover a lost code. Keep a separate JSON backup rather than relying on one code as your only recovery method.
Publishing a memorial is a separate choice
An encrypted save does not become a public publication. After a life ends, choose Publish this life, inspect the preview and explicitly consent. Only the allowed simulated summary and the text you enter are submitted; full logs, private notes and wishes are excluded.
Withdrawing a publication requires its locally held management credentials. Deleting a cloud save and withdrawing a memorial are different actions. Removing a local record does not automatically withdraw something you previously published.
Keep two recovery routes for important lives
Before switching devices, export JSON, create a transfer code or save the personal pass, then check the character, age and journal on the destination device. Verify restoration before deciding whether to clear the original browser.
Expired records become unreadable and are removed by scheduled cleanup. Cloudflare manages short-term recovery backups, so application deletion cannot promise immediate physical removal from every platform backup. Images, albums and films are keepsakes; a full save is what lets you continue playing.