Frequently asked questions

WellAlert helps you stay connected to family, friends, colleagues, and caregivers through everyday check-ins, smart alarms, and a Care Circle you choose. Share a wellness rating, mood, and an optional note, plan who follows up if you miss a check-in, and ask for help when you need it.

On a supported iPhone running iOS 26 or later, schedule repeatable alarms around your routine. Each alarm has a response window. When it rings, confirm you're okay before the window ends. An alarm with safety backup can alert your selected contacts if you do not respond; a device-only alarm never contacts anyone.

A reminder is a quieter, one-time check-in available on iOS 17 and later. It can show a silent banner or play a sound. When Safety Backup is enabled, your selected contacts can be alerted if you do not clear the reminder before its grace window ends. Device-only reminders are unlimited and never alert contacts.

You can use one-time reminders with optional safety backup on iOS 17 or later. Repeating smart alarms are available on a supported iPhone running iOS 26 or later. On earlier supported versions, WellAlert shows reminders instead. Alarms created on another supported device stay in your account, but won’t ring on an unsupported device. A previously armed cloud backup may still alert contacts, so manage those alarms from a supported device.

Yes, and you should. WellAlert's test alert previews the alert experience and checks local notification setup without triggering a real escalation. Also confirm directly with your contacts that they accepted your request and have notifications enabled. We recommend testing periodically.

Yes. You must be at least 13 to use WellAlert. If you are under the age of majority in your region, a parent or legal guardian must agree to the Terms on your behalf. See our Terms & Conditions for details.

Yes. Check in, view Care Circle status, request help from one selected contact, or send an SOS alert to eligible contacts from Apple Watch. Supported complications provide quick access from your watch face.

Yes, for now. Your emergency contacts need WellAlert and must accept your invitation to receive push and in-app alerts. SMS and email alerts are coming soon in a future update. The free app also lets them acknowledge SOS alerts, see the wellness updates you choose to share, and ask for support themselves.

With Home Screen widgets, they can see their Care Circle’s latest available shared wellness updates at a glance. Supported Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets also put help within easy reach: Ask for Help reaches an individual caregiver or Care Circle member, while SOS alerts eligible Care Circle contacts.

They can use their own check-ins, private journal, and wellness history to reflect on mood, stress, and changes in how they’re feeling. Free includes 7-day history; Premium includes full history. Private journal entries stay on their device and aren’t shared with contacts.

When you choose to share your location, they can view it in the app. With location sharing configured for a protected reminder or missed alarm, they can also view the available location if you don’t respond within the response window (called the silence window for alarms). Live updates depend on your phone being able to obtain and send them; the map may show a last known location instead.

When a protected check-in's response window closes without a response, WellAlert can notify the contacts you selected with your status, the time of the missed check-in, and, if you've enabled sharing, your last known location. You can cancel the escalation by checking in late, and WellAlert tells your contacts you're okay.

Safety backup keeps a check-in deadline on the server, giving your selected contacts a way to receive an alert even when your phone goes offline. Confirm that your alarm is Cloud Protected or your reminder is Safety Backed. If no response arrives before the window ends, the server can send the alert. Device-only check-ins stay on your device. Delivery depends on connectivity and notification settings, so keep another way to get help for critical situations.

Yes. Set up your Care Circle together: invite people you trust, explain which alerts you plan to send, and agree on how they should follow up. Get their consent before designating them. They accept your request in the app and can decline it if the arrangement doesn’t suit them. If they need help removing a relationship, contact support.

Ask for Help sends a request to one person you choose: a friend, family member, colleague, or caregiver. SOS alerts a group of eligible, accepted contacts for an urgent situation. Review who will be contacted and cancel during the SOS countdown. When it ends, the alert includes your location for that incident. Premium adds tiered escalation if no one acknowledges. SOS is subject to plan limits and does not contact emergency services.

Yes. Supported Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets provide Care Circle and wellness updates, plus access to Ask for Help and SOS. Both features are also accessible from iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Use iPad’s larger screen to review care updates and plans, or the iMessage extension to share wellness updates, check-in reminders, and wellness ring stickers.

No. WellAlert alerts the people you choose. It is not a medical device, not a monitoring service, and does not contact emergency services on your behalf. In a life-threatening emergency, always call your local emergency number first.

No. Alert delivery depends on network coverage, device settings, and notification permissions. That's why WellAlert uses push and in-app alerts, offers server-side safety backup for protected check-ins, and gives you a test alert feature. Keep an alternative safety plan, and see our Terms for the full disclaimer.

Optional location sharing is off by default. Choose the contacts who can see your shared location and stop sharing at any time. Separately, SOS shares your location with the contacts alerted for that incident after its countdown ends. Location updates depend on permission, connectivity, and device settings; a map pin may show a last known location rather than a current one.

WellAlert has no ads, and we do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. Wellness and location data are treated as sensitive: encrypted in transit and at rest, never shared with advertisers or data brokers. Details in our Privacy Policy.

Choose Private when saving a wellness check-in to record your rating, mood, and notes for yourself. Private check-ins are unlimited on both plans. They don’t notify your Care Circle or change your shared status or wellness ring. Entries stay on this device and aren’t backed up or transferred between accounts or devices. Free lets you review the last 7 days; Premium includes full history.

Not in the current release. Wellness check-ins support a rating, mood icon, and text note. Media attachments are planned for a future version and are not part of the current product.

You can delete your account directly in the app's settings at any time. We delete or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except where the law requires longer retention. You can also request a copy of your data; see the Privacy Policy.

Free lets you start a Care Circle, share how you’re doing, keep a private journal, and arrange contact follow-up for planned check-ins. It includes unlimited device-only alarms and reminders, 3 alarms with safety backup, 3 reminders with safety backup, up to 3 Care Circle contacts, and 3 shared wellness check-ins per rolling 24 hours. SOS is included, subject to plan limits. Premium includes up to 25 alarms and 25 reminders with safety backup, up to 25 contacts, tiered SOS escalation, higher SOS limits, unlimited check-in history, and shared wellness check-ins without a daily cap. Both plans include unlimited private journal entries. Free includes 7-day check-in history; Premium includes full history. Free allows 2 shared updates per half hour; Premium allows 5. Additional burst limits apply to both plans. Pricing is shown in the app at purchase.

Subscriptions are billed through the Apple App Store, so you cancel in your Apple ID settings (Settings → your name → Subscriptions). Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

WellAlert is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, with Apple Watch, Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, and an iMessage extension. WellAlert supports iOS 17 or later. Repeating alarms require iOS 26 or later on a supported iPhone; one-time reminders are available on iOS 17 or later. Download WellAlert.

WellAlert is currently available for Apple devices. There is no Android version available.