GranWatchFrequently asked questions
Everything families ask before their first green ring.
Does Gran need a phone or app for GranWatch to work?
No. Gran needs nothing — no phone, no app, no button to press. GranWatch is for the family around her: relatives log visits and see the status ring. That's what makes it different from check-in apps and alert pendants, which all require the elderly person to operate something.
What is the status ring?
A colour-coded ring around Gran's photo that the whole family sees at once. Green means someone visited recently, yellow means it's been a while, red means nobody has been. Any family member logs a visit with one tap and the ring resets to green for everyone.
Is GranWatch free?
The core is free forever: the status ring, logging visits, inviting the whole family, and alerts. Gran+ is an optional upgrade ($2.99/month) that adds care routines like medication tracking, appointments, custom counters, visit photos and mood tracking. One subscription covers the entire family.
Is this surveillance of my grandmother?
The opposite. Nothing tracks Gran — no camera, no wearable, no location. The only thing recorded is that a family member chose to visit. GranWatch watches the family, and only the thing families are proudest to have on record.
We already have a family WhatsApp group. Why would we need this?
The group chat tells you everything except the one thing: when someone last physically visited. Scroll back and try to work it out — that scroll is what the ring replaces. Most families keep the group chat and let GranWatch answer the visit question.
Does it work if my parent is in a care home or retirement village?
Yes — it's one of the most common setups. Staff provide care; the ring shows whether family is showing up. Those are very different things, and care homes will tell you the second one matters enormously.
I live overseas — what's the point if I can't visit?
Distance is where the ring shines. You see in real time when family back home visit, instead of wondering at 2am. Many distant relatives take the Gran+ subscription for the whole family — it's the closest thing to being there, and it covers everyone. And GranWatch isn't only for scattered families: households in the same town use it just as much, because knowing and assuming are different things.
What happens when the ring goes red? Does it shame whoever hasn't been?
The ring never names anyone. It only shows how long it's been since anyone visited. Families tell us it works precisely because nobody is accused — there's just a quiet, shared fact, and someone always responds to it.
How is GranWatch different from Snug Safety or medical alert apps?
Check-in apps like Snug ask the elderly person to confirm they're okay each day, and alert services respond to emergencies. GranWatch solves a different problem: family presence. It doesn't monitor Gran at all — it shows whether her family is visiting, and gently gets everyone to show up more. Many families use both kinds of tool together.
See when Gran was last visited — she doesn't need a phone
A colour ring on Gran's photo the whole family sees: green when someone's visited recently, red when nobody has. One tap logs a visit. Free for the whole family.
Start your family's ring →