Missed-dose alerts for caregivers

Once you've paired with a caregiver, DoseAlert can automatically alert them when a dose is running late.

Version 1.8.17 or later is required for background schedule monitoring. Earlier versions need an update for this feature.

How the alert timing works

For any medication, you can set Alert caregiver after X minutes. After the patient phone has synced the schedule online, a server monitor checks about once per minute and can alert active paired caregivers while the patient app is closed. Look for Caregiver alerts ready on the Family screen. Push arrival also depends on the caregiver phone's internet connection and reminder permissions.

Recommended timings:

• Critical meds (insulin, blood thinners, anti-seizure) — 15 to 30 minutes
• Heart/BP meds — 30 to 60 minutes
• Daily vitamins and supplements — usually not worth an alert

What the caregiver sees

The push notification reads something like:

Tapping it opens DoseAlert on the caregiver's phone and shows:

• The paired patient and dose details
• Which medication
• The scheduled time
• A link to open the paired patient’s shared dose history

Open the alert to review the shared dose history, then contact your family member if needed.

Recording a dose and staying in sync

Record Taken, Skip, or Not sure online to cancel that dose's caregiver alert. On iPhone, Live Activity Taken and Skip actions open DoseAlert so the record can sync. If the patient phone is offline, the caregiver may receive an alert saying there is no recorded confirmation. Opening the app online syncs the latest records and changes.

Floating intervals shift when you record the actual taken time. Organizer reminders keep each medication's due dates, and hourly intervals retain their exact spacing. Trial expiry stops automatic caregiver alerts; purchase or restoration resumes monitoring after an online sync.

Configured caregiver reminders

The missed-dose timer sends one alert per dose. A custom reminder ladder can add caregiver reminders at its configured delays. Recording Taken, Skip, or Not sure and syncing online cancels the remaining steps for that dose.

Seeing the alert history

On the caregiver phone, alerts received while DoseAlert is open, or opened from the reminder, appear in Settings > Reminder history. This local history is not a complete server delivery log.

Turning alerts off for a specific medication

On any medication, open its detail screen, scroll to Reminders, and clear the Alert caregiver after field. Also remove any Caregiver alert steps from its custom reminder ladder or pill organizer. Sync online to apply the change. Caregivers remain paired for other medications.

Turning alerts off entirely (unpair)

If you want to stop all caregiver alerts, unpair the caregiver on the Family tab. See Caregiver pairing.

When the caregiver is offline

The patient phone needs internet to upload schedule changes and dose confirmations. After the schedule syncs, the patient app can stay closed. The caregiver phone needs internet for push delivery. The server retries temporary delivery failures. Automatic caregiver alerts do not send SMS messages.

Dealing with false alarms

If you took the medication but forgot to tap Taken in the app, open the Pill Tracker, tap today, find the missed dose in the Scheduled section, and tap Taken. Record the correct time you took it. The shared history updates when your phone reconnects.