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The Android app

The Little Companion also comes as a native Android app. It adds what a web page can't: home screen widgets, NFC tags that work without opening the browser, a home fence that works in the background, a Wear OS watch tile, and a door for automation apps. Everything you log in it is in the web Companion too.

Not on the Play Store

The app is downloaded from the main site, not the Play Store. Every download is recorded against the account it went to. Please keep the file to yourself and send friends to the site instead.

There is no iPhone app. On iPhone, install the web Companion from Safari.

Installing it​

  1. On your Android phone, sign in to caregiverbabyhub.com and open /companion (or /beta). In the web Companion, More, then Get the Android app takes you there too.
  2. Tap ⬇️ Download the Android app (about 33 MB). If it says Not yet., downloads aren't open to your account yet.
  3. Open the file. Android asks you to allow installs from your browser for this file.
  4. Have an older build? Install the new one over it; no need to remove it first.
  5. In the web Companion, go to More, then Phone setup, then Keys, voice and shortcuts and tap Make a phone key. Scan the QR code in the app to sign in. (If the app's own screen says "shortcut key", it means a phone key.)
  6. Add a widget or two from your home screen's widget picker.

The download card shows the build number and when it was posted. For a new build, download it and install it over the old one.

Widgets​

WidgetSizesWhat it does
Companion: log it1×1 to 4×2One-tap Drink, Change and Check keys
Companion: today4×2 to 4×4The day's bar, the next chore with a Done key, and what's coming
Companion: now and next2×1 to 3×2What's happening now and next
Companion: home by2×1 to 3×2A countdown to your back-by time with a Home safe key. On an open trip: "No clock running"

Widgets refresh about every fifteen minutes, and every five minutes during a trip. A failed refresh never empties a widget. Press and hold the app icon for Drink, Change, Check and Nap shortcuts.

NFC tags​

Program a tag in the app writes a blank tag. The app's tags can do more than web tags, including snack, moods, nap, leaving and home (home asks you to confirm). Android only hands a tag to an app once the phone is unlocked, so tap the tag and unlock if asked.

Tags written in the app and tags written on the web are different kinds: the app reads its own tags, and web tags open the web Companion.

The home fence​

Set your home point in the app. It stays on the phone; the server only hears "left" or "arrived", never where you are. Choose a radius from 100 to 1000 meters.

Leaving can start a trip and arriving can bring you home. It starts on Ask me first; switch to Just do it if you like. A trip started by the fence is an open trip with no back-by time, so it's never late. The fence comes back on after a restart.

The watch tile​

For Wear OS 3 and up (Galaxy Watch 4 or newer, any Pixel Watch). Four keys (Drink, Change, Check, Nap) and one glance line. Install the app on your phone first, then add the tile from the Galaxy Wearable or Pixel Watch app.

Automation​

For Tasker, MacroDroid and Home Assistant. Tap Make a secret once in the app. An automation can then log, check out, check in or read status, and gets an answer back. The recipes are in the app.

Not in the Android app yet​

  • Push notifications. The web Companion has them; the native app doesn't yet. Keep the web Companion installed too if you want notifications.

Found a bug? Report it on /beta on the main site.

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