The link’s normal timeline
| Event | What happens to the link |
|---|---|
| The reply is sent | The link starts with a 24-hour lifetime from the reply being sent. |
| Playback does not finish | It expires at its current deadline, normally 24 hours after the reply was sent. |
| Playback finishes | A one-time 60-second countdown begins. If the current deadline is sooner, that earlier deadline still applies. |
| Someone checks “DO NOT DELETE YET” | The link can stay available for 24 hours from that action, within the maximum allowed retention window. |
| Someone presses “Delete link now” | Access is revoked immediately. |
The countdown applies to the shared link. If you send one link to several people, the first completed playback can affect everyone. Anyone with the valid listening link can use the keep and delete controls.
Example: the link at 2 p.m.
Imagine a fictional reply sent at 2:00 p.m. with a new listening link. Its default deadline is 2:00 p.m. the next day. If a listener finishes at 2:20 p.m., the link is set to expire at 2:21 p.m. unless it is kept. If they check DO NOT DELETE YET at 2:20 p.m., it can instead stay available until 2:20 p.m. the next day, provided that is within the maximum retention window. The page shows the current deadline.
These times illustrate the rules. A real link may have a different deadline if its owner has changed expiration in the management page.
What the management pass does
The reply to the original sender includes a separate management page and pass. With that pass, the sender can see how many playback sessions began, change the deadline before playback finishes, or delete the link. The count does not prove a unique person listened or that they finished.
Expiration choices are limited to the service’s maximum of six days after audio creation. Once playback has finished or DO NOT DELETE YET is active, the management page cannot change the deadline. The listening page still shows its own keep and delete controls while the link is valid.
Expiry and privacy
After expiry or deletion, requests for the listening page and audio are denied at the stored deadline. Cleanup of the underlying audio and transcript runs separately, so link revocation and physical object removal are not the same instant. Treat the listening URL as a secret: anyone who has it can play or read the message while it works. Keep the management pass separate and private.
See what Play My Mail processes before sending a sensitive message.
Make a link you can control
Send or forward a readable email to hey@playmymail.com. The reply contains both the listening link and its management pass.