Frequently asked questions
Getting started
What happens the first time I open the app?
A short notice says what the app does and doesn’t do, with the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. Then a short setup takes you through one person, step by step, and most steps can be skipped. There’s no account to create.
- Read the notice, then tap Agree and continue.
- On the next screen, tap Get started, or Answer a dose question first to work out a child’s dose before anything else.
- Choose Me or Someone I look after, then tap Continue.
How do I set up reminders for myself?
Choose yourself, connect Apple Health if you like, enter your name and add your first medication. Then the app asks to send notifications, so reminders can reach you even with the app closed. Setting up yourself is free, with no trial.
- Choose Me, then tap Continue.
- Tap Connect Health to fill in your birthday and weight from Health, or Skip.
- Enter your name, check the rest and tap Save.
- Add your first medication, or tap I'll add it when I have the bottle.
- Tap Allow reminders, then Done if the Focus step appears.
- Tap Just me for now, or add someone you look after.
How do I set up reminders for a child, a pet or another adult?
Say who they are and fill in the form: a child needs a date of birth and a weight, and a pet needs a species and a weight. Then add their first medication and allow reminders. The first person you add is free, whoever it is.
- Choose Someone I look after, then tap Continue.
- Choose Adult, Child or Pet, then fill in the details.
- Tap Save, then add their first medication and allow reminders.
- To add someone else too, choose Child, Pet or Adult (more than one person needs the household subscription), or Me to add yourself.
Can I work out a child’s dose before setting anything up?
Not medical advice. This is a calculator, not a diagnosis: it states what the medication data says for the weight, age and concentration you entered. Check the product label and consult your clinician or pharmacist.
- On Today, tap Dose helper, or Answer a dose question first at the start of setup if nobody is set up yet; it needs no account and no network.
- Choose the medication, then enter the child’s weight and age.
- Choose the concentration printed on the bottle and, for a liquid, the cup or syringe you’re measuring with.
- Read the answer, and tap Save this child as a subject to keep the child for next time.
Adding and changing medications
How do I add a medication by searching?
Search for the medication by name and pick the product. Then type the label’s directions or skip them, set the strength and amount, and check the schedule before you save.
- On the person’s or pet’s page, tap Add medication.
- Search for the medication by name, then pick the product.
- Type the directions as printed on the label, or tap Skip.
- Set the strength and how much is taken at a time.
- Check the schedule, then tap Save.
Can the app build a schedule from the label’s directions?
Yes. Type the directions as they’re printed, and the app builds the schedule from them, asking about anything the label leaves open, such as when the first dose is. Where it can’t read the directions, it asks which choice is closest instead of guessing.
- When you add a medication, type the label’s directions exactly as printed.
- Answer the questions that follow, and tap That’s right when each one matches the label.
- Check the summary and the next doses, then tap Save, or Adjust to change something.
What happens if I add a medicine that’s toxic to my pet’s species?
Not veterinary advice. This shows what published sources say about this medicine for this species. Ask your vet before giving it.
- On a dog’s or cat’s page, tap Add medication and choose the medication; the app checks it against its species table.
- If it’s toxic to the species, tap Sources to see where that comes from, then Choose a different medication.
- If it calls for caution, read why, then tap Continue — my vet knows about this to go on.
The daily loop
How do I log a dose from a reminder?
Use the reminder’s own actions, or tap it to open the app. Recording the dose there clears the reminder for everyone reminded, on every device. A dose that couldn’t be saved is never shown as taken: another notification says it wasn’t recorded, and the dose stays due.
- When the reminder arrives, touch and hold it to see its actions.
- Tap Taken to record the dose; your iPhone asks you to unlock it first. A reminder for several of a child’s doses doesn’t offer it: tap the reminder to record them in the app.
- Tap Snooze to be reminded again later. A reminder for a single dose also offers Skip, which opens the app to say why it wasn’t given.
How do I log a dose from Today?
Today lists the day’s doses in time order, with overdue ones at the top and how late each one is in words. If someone else already logged a dose, Today says who.
- On Today, tap Log beside the dose.
- Tap Taken to record it, Skip to say why it wasn’t given, or Snooze to be reminded later.
- To see the dose’s details and its recent history, tap Dose details.
Can I log several doses at once?
Yes. Doses due at the same time for one person are grouped on Today, and you can log the group in one go. Each dose then says whether it was logged, was already logged by someone else, or wasn’t recorded and why.
- On Today, tap Log all on the group.
- Untick any dose that wasn’t given, then tap Taken.
- If something was wrong, tap That wasn't right to undo what you just recorded.
What happens if I miss a reminder?
Reminders can repeat until the dose is logged or a window you choose ends. You can also have a dose that’s still not logged when the window ends fill the screen the next time you open the app. There’s no streak or score to lose.
- On the person’s page, tap Details & sharing, then Reminders.
- Choose Until taken or For a set time, and how long the window lasts.
- When a missed dose fills the screen, tap Taken, or Skip or Snooze if it wasn’t given.
Can my doses show in Apple Reminders or Calendar?
Yes. Choose a Reminders list or a calendar, and each dose is added to it and kept in step as schedules change. In a Reminders list, ticking off a dose’s reminder logs the dose.
- In Settings, tap Reminders & Calendar.
- Set Sync to Each dose, then tap Destination to pick a list or a calendar, and allow access when you’re asked.
- To log a dose, tick off its reminder in the Reminders app.
Households and sharing
What’s free, and what needs the household subscription?
One person, with every schedule and reminder, is free with no trial. A second person, inviting others to help, and sharing a link need the household subscription, which covers the household; the people you invite never pay. If it ends, every reminder still goes out and every dose can still be logged.
- In People, tap + to add someone.
- Choose monthly or annual and subscribe, then fill in their details and tap Save.
- On another iPhone, go to Settings and tap Restore Purchases.
How do I share a child’s care with a co-parent or partner?
Invite them from the child’s page, and choose how much they can do: see the day, also record doses, or also change medications and schedules. Each person or pet is shared on their own, and you can change or remove access at any time.
- If you don’t see the sharing rows, in Settings open Household sharing (preview) and turn on Show sharing controls.
- On the child’s page, tap Details & sharing, then Add someone to keep an eye, Add someone who gives doses or Add a caretaker.
- Tap Send invite and send it to one person in Messages.
- Once they accept on their iPhone, they’re listed in People with access.
Records, data and devices
Can I see who recorded a dose, and can history be changed?
Every dose in the history says who recorded it. History isn’t edited after the fact: you can correct only a dose you recorded yourself, and the app says what still counts.
- On Today, tap Log beside a dose, then Dose details.
- To correct a dose you recorded, open it from Today and tap That wasn't right.
How do I export my data?
Export saves everyone’s medications and doses to a file, free whatever your plan. Importing a file adds what isn’t here yet, and never changes or removes anything already on your iPhone.
- In Settings, tap Privacy and data, then Export….
- Choose who’s included, then tap Export and save the file.
- To bring a file back in, tap Import… on the same screen and choose the file.