A writing break is for one person, not the whole mailbox. Use it after you’ve mailed each other and there is no open swap (mail might still be coming). We send them a polite note: you’re taking a break from writing. That is not a block, not a report, and not a mailbox pause. You can both still swap with other people. Ready-to-write nudges stop for that pair. Request again resumes.
- Finish or close any open swap first.
- Open My penpals or their profile → Take a writing break.
- They get an alert. You stay in the matching pool for everyone else.
- If you both want to write again, tap Request again.
If you’re unsafe, use Block and Report — a writing break is for a kind goodbye, not harm. Street addresses stay behind the same unlock rules as always: both of you accept a swap (or they share it). We do not store addresses as a public vault.