Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about CustodyComms
General Questions
What is CustodyComms?
CustodyComms is a desktop application that helps family law pros and parents analyze co-parent communications and generate evidence-ready documents. It consolidates messages from multiple sources (texts, emails, co-parenting apps), uses algorithms and AI to detect incidents, gives them titles / descriptions, and exports professional PDF reports for attorney review.
Who is CustodyComms for?
CustodyComms serves two primary audiences:
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Family law attorneys who need to organize client communications, detect incidents, and prepare court evidence efficiently
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Parents in custody cases who want to document communications, present their truth clearly, and provide organized evidence to their attorneys
How is this different from manually organizing messages?
Manual organization typically takes 20-40 hours per case. CustodyComms uses AI to analyze thousands of messages in minutes, automatically detecting patterns, incidents, and violations that humans might miss. It also generates evidence packages with proper formatting, chain of custody, and integrity verification built in.
Legal Compliance & Admissibility
Will courts accept evidence generated by CustodyComms?
FRE 901 and 902 require authenticating digital evidence — proving it is what you claim it is, and that it hasn't been altered. CustodyComms
provides:
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Complete chain of custody documentation
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SHA-256 integrity verification (tamper detection)
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Source page references for every message
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Professional cover sheets and formatting
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Metadata preservation (timestamps, participants, source info)
Your attorney determines how to present evidence in your case.
What is FRE 901/902 compliance?
The Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) 901 and 902 establish authentication
requirements for digital evidence — proving it is what you claim it is,
and that it hasn't been altered. CustodyComms documents the source,
maintains a chain of custody audit trail, and provides SHA-256 hash
verification for tamper detection. These are the types of documentation
attorneys typically prepare when presenting digital communications as
exhibits.
Can I use CustodyComms evidence in my state?
CustodyComms was designed with FRE 901 and 902 authentication requirements in mind. State evidence rules generally follow similar principles — documenting source, preserving metadata, and demonstrating integrity.
Every export includes chain of custody tracking, SHA-256 hash verification, and source page references. Your attorney can advise on specific requirements in your jurisdiction.
Does using CustodyComms replace my attorney?
No. CustodyComms is a tool to organize evidence and save time—it does not provide legal advice or replace attorney expertise. Always consult with a licensed family law attorney about your specific case.
Privacy & Security
Is my data safe? Is it sent "to the cloud"?
Yes. CustodyComms stores your messages, case files, and evidence exports locally on your computer — not on our servers. Your data stays on your device under your control.
The only cloud connections are:
- Account authentication (Firebase)
- Payment processing (Stripe)
- Anonymous usage analytics (can be disabled in Settings)
- OpenAI analysis (optional, Evidence Edition only — disabled by default)
Local AI analysis via Llama runs entirely on your device with no data sent anywhere.
Can anyone else access my messages data?
No. Your data is stored in a local database on your computer. CustodyComms does not have access to your files, and we cannot see, retrieve, or share your data. You control who has access to your computer and your exports.
The one exception: if you enable OpenAI cloud analysis (Evidence Edition only, disabled by default), message content is sent to OpenAI for
processing. Local AI analysis via Llama keeps everything on your device.
What happens if my computer crashes or I lose my device?
Since data is stored locally, you should back up your CustodyComms database to an external drive or secure cloud storage of your choice (like Google Drive or Dropbox). We recommend backing up after major imports or before court proceedings.
Pricing & Subscription
Do I need a credit card to start?
No. The Free tier requires no payment information. Just download, install, create an account, and start using it.
What's included in the Free tier?
The Free tier includes:
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1 case
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350 messages imported
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1 OCR validation per month
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Unlimited basic AI analysis
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5 detailed AI incident analyses per month
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Incident detection and keyword tagging
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Timeline visualization
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Watermarked PDF exports
What happens to my data if I cancel Evidence Edition?
Your data stays on your computer and remains fully accessible. You can still view all messages, create incidents, use basic AI analysis, and access any exports you previously generated. The only major features you lose are importing new messages, unlimited detailed AI analysis and professional (non-watermarked) exports. You can re-subscribe anytime to regain full access.
Can I buy Evidence Edition for just one month?
Yes. Evidence Edition is a monthly subscription with no long-term commitment. Buy it when you're preparing for court or need full analysis, then cancel when your case is resolved. Your data remains accessible between subscriptions.
Do you offer discounts for multiple months?
Not currently, but we're building annual plans with savings. If you'd like to be notified when they're available, contact us at support@custodycomms.com.
Do you offer law firm or enterprise pricing?
We're building multi-seat licensing for law firms. If you're interested in early access or have specific needs, contact us at support@custodycomms.com.
Technical Questions
Which co-parenting apps does CustodyComms work with?
CustodyComms works with PDF exports from:
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OurFamilyWizard
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CoParenter
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AppClose
It also imports email archives (MBOX format from Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail), text message exports (iPhone CSV, Android CSV), and other formats like HTML (Facebook Messenger) and TXT (WhatsApp).
What file formats can I import?
CustodyComms supports:
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PDF (OFW, CoParenter, AppClose)
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MBOX (email archives from Gmail, Thunderbird, Apple Mail)
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CSV (iPhone and Android text message exports)
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HTML (Facebook Messenger)
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TXT (WhatsApp)
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EML (individual email files)
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Why is the download almost 3 GB?
CustodyComms includes an enterprise-grade OCR engine (DocTR) and AI models that run locally on your device. This ensures fast processing and privacy—your data doesn't need to be uploaded for analysis. The large file size is a one-time download that provides powerful local capabilities.
Using CustodyComms
How do I import messages from OurFamilyWizard?
In OurFamilyWizard, export your messages to PDF, then upload the PDF to CustodyComms using the Import Data wizard. Our technology will extract all messages with timestamps and participant information.
Can I combine messages from multiple sources?
Yes. This is one of CustodyComms' key features. Import messages from OurFamilyWizard, text messages, emails, and other sources, and they'll all appear on one unified timeline. This gives you a complete picture of all communications. You can assign two participants a "friendly" name that will unify your messages across sources.
What does "OCR validation" mean?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is the technology that extracts text from PDFs and images. CustodyComms validates this extraction by verifying it against the source document and providing page references, so you can prove every message came from the original file.
What's the difference between "basic" and "detailed" AI analysis?
Basic AI analysis provides a quick title for an incident (e.g., "Threatening language detected").
Detailed AI analysis provides a comprehensive description of the incident, including context, points of view, and specific examples from the messages. Detailed analysis is unlimited in Evidence Edition but limited to 5 per month in the Free tier.
How accurate is the Incident Detection?
Patent Pending Technology
Incident detection uses a research-based algorithm — not a black-box AI. It's built on peer-reviewed frameworks including Gottman's "Four Horsemen" (contempt, criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling), Evan Stark's coercive control research, and family law custody evaluation standards.
The system analyzes 17 weighted keyword categories covering harassment, threats, coercive control, parental alienation, child welfare concerns, and custody violations. It also detects patterns like escalation arcs, message bursts, and communication gaps — not just individual words.
All processing runs locally on your device. Review flagged incidents to
confirm relevance to your case.
Can I manually create incidents?
Yes. In addition to Incident Finder, you can manually flag specific messages or conversations as incidents and add your own notes or categories.
Can I customize the evidence export?
Yes. Choose from four export formats:
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Quick Print — Simple, clean output for review or sharing
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Family Court Standard — Cover sheet, source citations, page numbers - what attorneys expect
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Forensic — Full chain of custody, hash verification, metadata appendix
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Advanced — Full control over every setting
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All formats let you (except Quick Print):
- Select specific messages or date ranges
- Add case details (parties, attorneys, court info)
- Set exhibit number and prefix
- Include automatically generated affidavit
Support & Contact
How do I get help if I'm stuck?
Contact us at support@custodycomms.com. We typically respond within a few days for Free users and within 24 hours for Evidence Edition subscribers (priority support).
Do you offer training or tutorials?
Yes. We are building out our materials day by day. Please check back to the site regularly for more information. Also check our in app Help which is regularly updated.
Can I request new features?
Absolutely. As a Product focused company, we're highly responsive to user feedback. Email your feature requests to support@custodycomms.com. We prioritize features that help the most users.
I found a bug. How do I report it?
Email support@custodycomms.com with details about what happened, what you expected, and any error messages you saw. Screenshots are helpful. We take bugs seriously and prioritize fixes.
Still Have Questions?
Try CustodyComms free—no credit card required