All posts
Product
Guest sessions vs signing in: what changes for you
6 min read
Jump to section
On first launch, SessionBootstrap makes sure you have a valid token. If nothing is stored, the app creates a guest session. You can translate immediately—no account wall—while the backend rate-limits guest creation by IP to reduce abuse.
Guest mode
- Anonymous identity with a synthetic internal email domain reserved for guests.
- Separate guest tables for usage and translation history.
- Stricter monthly caps than the Free plan so the service stays sustainable.
Registered accounts
Email OTP and Google Sign-In create rows in the main users table with a plan (typically Free after verification). Usage is tracked in the standard monthly counters. Signing in is how you move from exploration to everyday limits without changing the conversation layout.
Why this matters
If translate suddenly returns 401, the client lost its token—force-close and reopen so bootstrap can refresh or recreate a session.