What Are SMS Magic Links?

How Magic Links Work

1. Contractor posts updateTakes 30 seconds from the mobile app. Add photos, update stage progress, write a note.
2. Client receives SMSAutomatic text message with a unique, secure link. No action needed from contractor.
3. Client taps to viewOne tap opens the project timeline in their browser. No login, no password, instant access.
4. Link expires for securityLinks expire after 90 days, and you can revoke access to a job at any time.

Why Magic Links Beat Passwords

Traditional client portals require passwords. Here's why that fails:

• Clients forget passwords - they haven't logged in since last month
• Password reset friction - they give up and just text you instead
• Security issues - clients reuse passwords or write them on sticky notes
• Support burden - you waste time helping clients log in

Magic links solve all of this. The link itself is the key: they tap and they're in.

Are Magic Links Secure?

Yes. Trace magic links include multiple security layers:

• Unguessable - each link is a 128-bit random code for one job
• Hashed - Trace stores only a one-way hash, never the link itself
• Expiration - links expire after 90 days
• Revocation - you can cut off access to a job at any time
• No stored credentials - no client passwords to reuse or leak

There is no client password, so there is no weak or reused password to break into.

What Clients See

When a client taps their magic link, they see:

• A clean, mobile-optimized timeline of their project
• Photos from the latest update
• Current stage and progress percentage
• Upcoming milestones and estimated dates
• History of all previous updates

No confusion, no clutter, no login screens. Just their project status.