Manila – Emergency Binder · iOS 17+
Emergency binder: everything your family needs if something happens to you
Manila is an iPhone app that walks you through 11 short chapters, from who to call to where the will is kept, and turns the answers into a printable PDF for your family. No account, no cloud, no passwords inside.
Why families get stuck when something happens
- The person who knew where everything was is the one who is not there. Where is the will? Which bank? Is there life insurance at all?
- Everything lives in one head and one phone. The phone is locked, the mail is full of subscriptions nobody can cancel, and the insurer's letter is somewhere in a pile.
- A paper template from the internet gets filled in once, in 2019, and never updated. The accounts in it are closed and the new ones are missing.
- Services that promise to keep it all in the cloud want a yearly subscription. Stop paying and the family loses access exactly when they need it.
How Manila turns that into one folder
11 chapters instead of a blank page
People to call, documents and where they are, banks and money, insurance, contracts and subscriptions, health, home and car, digital life, dependents and pets, work and pensions, wishes. Each chapter is a short questionnaire; you answer what you know and skip the rest.
A printed binder, not another app to open
Manila generates a clean PDF with index tabs for every chapter and a note for your family at the front: what this folder is, where the originals are, and what to do first. Print it, put it in a drawer, tell one person where it is.
No passwords inside, on purpose
The binder never stores a password. The digital chapter records where passwords are kept (a password manager, an envelope in the safe, a trusted person) and who can help. A found binder is not a found bank account.
Photos of documents, kept on the phone
Attach a photo of an insurance policy or a passport page to its card. Photos stay in the app's storage on your iPhone and can be included in the PDF or left out.
Offline, Face ID, no account
Manila makes no network requests except the App Store purchase. There is no sign-up and no cloud. The binder can be locked with Face ID, and the files are protected by iOS file encryption.
Several binders and a reminder to revise
With Pro you can keep one binder about yourself, one about a parent and one about a partner, get a review reminder every 3, 6 or 12 months and a warning a month before a document expires. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show how complete the binder is and the emergency contact.
Pricing
Manila is free to download. The free version includes one binder, all 11 chapters, photos of documents, Face ID lock, a PDF preview with a SAMPLE watermark and one review reminder after a month. Manila Pro is a one-time purchase of $2.99, no subscription, and unlocks PDF export and printing, a password-protected PDF you can hand to one person, several binders (yourself, a parent, a partner), Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, review reminders every 3, 6 or 12 months and warnings about expiring documents. The app is available in English, Russian, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Polish.
App StoreComing soon to the App StoreFrequently asked questions
What is an emergency binder?
A single folder, on paper or as a file, that tells your family what to do if you die or are suddenly unable to act: who to call, where the documents are, which banks and insurers to contact, what subscriptions to cancel, who looks after the children and pets, and what you want. It is sometimes called a legacy drawer, an in-case-of-death binder or, in German-speaking countries, a Notfallordner.
Does Manila store my passwords?
No, and it never asks for them. The digital-life chapter records where your passwords live, for example a password manager, a sealed envelope or a specific person, and who can help get in. That way a lost phone or a found printout does not give anyone access to your accounts.
Where should I keep the printed binder?
Somewhere your family can reach without you: a desk drawer, a home safe they know the code to, or with a trusted person. The point of the binder is to be findable, so tell one or two people where it is. Originals of wills and powers of attorney stay where they are legally kept; the binder only says where that is.
How do I hand over the PDF safely?
With Pro, Manila can export the PDF with a password. Send the file to one person by AirDrop or any channel you trust and tell them the password separately, in person or by phone. Without the password the file cannot be opened.
I have set up an Apple Legacy Contact. Isn't that enough?
It covers only your Apple Account data: photos, messages, notes, files and backups. It does not include iCloud Keychain passwords, purchased media, your bank accounts, insurance policies, subscriptions or paper documents. An emergency binder covers the rest and tells your family that the Legacy Contact exists.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. Manila has no server and no account. Binders and photos are stored in the app's container on your iPhone with iOS file protection. The only network traffic is Apple's StoreKit for the Pro purchase.
How much does it cost?
The app is free with one binder, all chapters, photos, Face ID and a watermarked PDF preview. Manila Pro is $2.99 once, forever, with no subscription: PDF export and printing, password-protected PDF, several binders, widgets and review reminders.
How often should I update the binder?
Every 6 to 12 months and after big events: moving, marriage or divorce, a new bank account, a new insurance policy, a change of job. Manila Pro reminds you on the schedule you pick (every 3, 6 or 12 months) and a month before a document in the binder expires.
Guides and articles
What to put in an emergency binder
An emergency binder should answer eleven questions for your family: who to call, where the documents are, where the money is, what is insured, what to cancel, your health, your home and car, your digital life, who depends on you, your work and pension, and what you want. Here is the checklist, chapter by chapter.
Read →In case of death binder: where to keep it and who gets it
Keep the in-case-of-death binder as a printed copy in a place one or two trusted people know about, and if you also share it as a file, protect it with a password and tell the recipient the password separately. Never put passwords inside the binder itself.
Read →Legacy drawer checklist: the digital-life chapter
Apple Legacy Contact gives one person access to your Apple Account photos, messages, notes and backups after your death, but not to iCloud Keychain passwords, purchased media or anything outside Apple. A complete legacy drawer adds a map to your password manager, email, finances and social accounts, without writing down a single password.
Read →More apps
Nightkit
CPAP replacement reminders on the Medicare schedule
Wink
Days left on your contact lenses, with timely reminders
PoolDose
Test numbers in, exact chlorine and pH doses out
Siphon Aqua
Days since your last water change, and a reminder for the next
iSimpleLoop
Pocket loop station: 8 tracks, guitar, keys, pads, MIDI export
Sin Tracker
Seven sins, one calendar, zero motivational quotes