Frequently Asked Questions

Download Family Care from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Open the app and tap "Create Account". You'll need to provide your email address, create a password, and select whether you're a parent or carer.

That's it! You'll receive a confirmation email to verify your account.

Once you've created your account, go to Settings and tap "Invite Family Member". You can invite them by:

• Entering their email address (they'll receive an invite link)
• Sharing an invite link via text or WhatsApp

They'll need to create their own account to accept the invitation and join your family group.

Yes! You can invite as many grandparents as you like. Each grandparent will have their own account and can respond to care requests independently.

When you create a request, you can choose which grandparent to send it to, or send it to multiple grandparents and see who's available first.

Family Care currently requires a smartphone (iPhone or Android). However, many grandparents find our app much easier to use than regular texting because of our large buttons and simple design.

We're exploring SMS-based responses for a future release, which would allow grandparents without smartphones to participate.

Creating a request takes about 30 seconds:

• Tap the big "New Request" button on your home screen
• Select which grandparent you're asking
• Choose the date and time
• Add any notes (optional)
• Tap "Send Request"

That's it! Your grandparent will receive a notification immediately.

Currently, each request is for a single time slot. This keeps things simple and clear for grandparents.

We're working on recurring requests (e.g., "every Tuesday afternoon") for a future release.

Open the request you want to change (from your home screen or calendar). You'll see options to:

• Edit Request - Change the date, time, or notes
• Cancel Request - Remove the request entirely

If a grandparent has already confirmed, they'll be notified automatically of any changes.

If there's no response within 24 hours, we'll send a gentle reminder notification. You can also send a manual reminder from the request screen.

If you need an answer urgently, we recommend giving them a quick call – sometimes people just miss notifications!

Grandparents can only see their own confirmed commitments. They won't see requests sent to other grandparents or their responses.

Parents can see all requests and responses across all grandparents in the family group.

Family Care works on:

• iPhone: iOS 13 or later (iPhone 6s and newer)
• Android: Android 8.0 or later (most phones from 2017 onwards)

If your phone can run WhatsApp, it can run Family Care.

Yes, you need an internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data) to send and receive requests. However, you can view your confirmed schedule offline.

Notifications are sent as push notifications to your phone. Make sure notifications are enabled for Family Care in your phone's settings.

You can customise notification preferences in the app under Settings → Notifications.

Calendar integration is coming soon! We're working on syncing with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook.

For now, confirmed requests appear in your Family Care calendar within the app.

Yes! The core features of Family Care – creating requests, responding, viewing schedules, and coordinating with family – are completely free and always will be.

We may introduce optional premium features in the future (like calendar integration or advanced scheduling), but basic family coordination will remain free.

We're considering optional premium features like:

• Calendar sync with Google/Apple/Outlook
• Recurring request patterns
• Extended request history
• Family photo sharing

We'll always keep core coordination features free.

We haven't finalised pricing for premium features yet. When we do launch premium options, we'll give existing users plenty of notice and likely offer early adopter discounts.

The free tier will always include everything you need for basic family coordination.

Only family members in your group can see requests. Specifically:

• Parents can see all requests they've sent and all responses
• Grandparents can only see requests sent to them

No one outside your family group can see your requests or schedule.

We take security seriously:

• All data is encrypted in transit and at rest
• Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text
• We use industry-standard security practices
• We don't sell or share your data with advertisers

Read our full Privacy Policy for details.

Yes, you can delete your account at any time from Settings → Account → Delete Account.

This will permanently delete all your data, including request history. If you just want a break, consider logging out instead.

We never sell your personal data. We only share data with:

• Service providers who help us run the app (hosting, notifications)
• If legally required (e.g., court orders)

We don't use your data for advertising and never will. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Check these things:

• Make sure notifications are enabled for Family Care in your phone's settings
• Check that Do Not Disturb mode isn't blocking notifications
• On Android, make sure battery optimisation isn't preventing background activity
• Try logging out and back in to refresh your notification settings

On the login screen, tap "Forgot Password" and enter your email address. You'll receive a password reset link within a few minutes.

Check your spam folder if you don't see the email. If you still don't receive it, contact support.

Try these steps:

• Close and reopen the app
• Check your internet connection
• Make sure you're running the latest version of the app
• Restart your phone

If problems persist, contact support and we'll help troubleshoot.

Check your email spam/junk folder – sometimes invites end up there. The email will be from Family Care.

If you can't find it, ask the family member who invited you to resend the invitation from their Settings page.