This guide walks you through the first time you use CarePilot, hand in hand and without rushing, in the exact same order the app asks things of you: you install it, open it, create your account, protect your data with a PIN and get your care group up and running. Don’t let the list overwhelm you: the app takes you from one screen to the next, and here we simply explain each step so you always know what you’re doing and why. In a few minutes you’ll be in, ready to coordinate care with the rest of the caregivers (whether they’re family, professionals or, at the beginning, just you on your own).
So you can see the whole path at a glance and nothing catches you by surprise, these are the steps you’re going to take, in this order:
- Accept how your privacy is looked after.
- Create your account.
- Confirm your email.
- Choose how to start (create a group or join one).
- Create or join your group.
- Protect your data with a PIN.
- The welcome tour… and you’re in!
1. Accept how we look after your privacy
The very first thing, as soon as you open CarePilot for the first time, is a screen that explains how your data is looked after before you start using anything. It’s not the typical fine print everyone skips: it’s written in plain language and it’s worth reading, because it sums up how the app works on the inside and why you can trust it.
Read and accept to begin
The «Your privacy comes first» screen tells you, without technical jargon, CarePilot’s guarantees: that your data travels encrypted end-to-end (not even we can read it), that the photos processed by the artificial intelligence are deleted, that everything is stored on European servers in compliance with the GDPR, that you can delete your account and your data whenever you want, and that CarePilot is not a medical app, but a tool for coordinating among caregivers. Once you’ve read it calmly, tap the «Accept and continue» button at the bottom — by doing so you also accept the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use, which are linked just above. This screen only appears this first time.
2. Create your account
Your account is yours and it’s what holds your access to CarePilot: you always sign in with it, even if you change phones. That’s why it comes first of all. When you open the app for the first time you’re greeted by the sign-in screen, titled «Welcome back» (it’s meant for people who have signed in before, but you’re starting from scratch). Since you don’t have an account yet, let’s create one; it’s quick.
Go to the sign-up screen
That first screen is for people who already have an account, so don’t fill in anything at the top. Look down to the bottom and, where it says «Don’t have an account?», tap «Sign up» right next to it. That takes you to the screen where you will create yours.
Fill in your details
Once on the «Get started» screen, you only have to fill in three things, from top to bottom: your «Full name» (the one the rest of the caregivers will see next to whatever you write down), your «Email address» and a «Password» you make up. The password needs at least 8 characters; pick one you’ll remember but that isn’t obvious. Take your time, there’s no rush.
Create the account
When you have all three fields filled in, tap the «Create account» button and your account will be ready. One thing worth knowing: by signing up you accept the Terms of use and the Privacy policy (the rules and how your data is looked after), which are linked just above the button in case you want to take a look at them first.
3. Confirm your email
Confirming your email is CarePilot’s way of checking that the mailbox really is yours. As soon as you create your account with email and password, the app sends you a verification email (a message with a link inside). And here’s the good news so you don’t get stuck: you don’t have to confirm it right now to keep setting up the app. You can leave it for later and calmly carry on with the next steps; do it whenever it suits you.
4. Choose how to start
Remember that a group is the shared space where the care of one person is coordinated. With your account created, CarePilot takes you to the «How do we start?» screen, and here you only have to decide one simple thing: whether you’re going to set up the group from scratch yourself or join one that already exists. Think about which is your case; there’s no wrong option.
Create a group or join one
You have two buttons, and you choose depending on your situation:
- Tap «Create a group» if you’re the one organizing the care and you’ll be inviting the others. That’s what you’ll do, for example, if you’re the one leading the care and nothing is set up yet.
- Tap «Join with a code» if someone else already created the group and has given you an invitation code (that sort of short password). In that case you don’t create anything new: you join what’s already there.
5. Create or join your group
Depending on what you chose in the previous step, you’ll now do one thing or the other. Read only the section that applies to you and forget about the other one.
If you create a group
Name the group and the person being cared for
Here you name two things. First, the «Group name», which is what you’ll all call this shared space (for example «Grandma’s family» or «Caring for Don José», whatever feels clear to you). And second, the name of the person being cared for, that is, who you’re going to care for. Those two are the only required fields: once they’re filled in you can move on, you don’t need anything else for now.
Add their details (optional) and create
Below, if you wish, you can start completing the person’s medical and contact details: date of birth, blood type, allergies, conditions, phone numbers… All of this is optional, so don’t stress about having it perfect right now: you can leave it blank and fill it in calmly later from the Group tab. When you have it the way you want, tap «Create group» and it will be created.
If you join with a code
Enter the code and join
In the «Invitation code» field, type the code given to you by the person who
organizes the group. It has the format ABCD-EFGH, but don’t worry about
typing it exactly: the dash in the middle and the capital letters are added
automatically as you type. When you have it, tap «Join group» and you’ll be
in. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll join as an Observer (for now you’ll be
able to see everything but not change anything); if needed, the person who
organizes the group can give you more permissions later.
6. Protect your data with a PIN
This step is one of the most important in the whole guide, so read it with a little calm. CarePilot asks you for it right after your group is ready. Why is a PIN needed? Because all the care information (medical details, notes, everything) travels encrypted end-to-end, which in plain English means it’s so well protected that not even we can read it. That’s wonderful for your privacy, but it has one consequence: if one day you change phones or lose yours, you need a key that only you have in order to open your data again on the new phone. That key is the recovery PIN you’re about to create.
Choose your PIN
On the «Protect your data» screen, think of a number and type it in: it can have 4 to 12 digits. As you type, a «Security» bar tells you how hard it is to guess. The rule is simple: the more digits, the safer, so the recommendation is to use between 9 and 12. That said — and this is key — make it a number you’ll remember without fail: not one so convoluted that it slips your mind.
Repeat the PIN and continue
To make sure you didn’t mistype, the app asks you to enter it again: type the same number into «Repeat PIN» and, if both match, tap «Continue». And it’s protected. The app makes you repeat it on purpose, so a PIN with a typo you won’t know later doesn’t get saved.
7. The welcome tour
Almost there! Once inside the app, the first time you reach the main screen a short four-step welcome tour appears (you’ll see it if you’re the one organizing the group). It’s nothing heavy: just a quick introduction that sums up the essentials of what you’ll be able to do, so you don’t arrive blind. These are the four messages it shows you:
- Add the day-to-day — with the button you record medications, appointments, tasks, expenses or notes. It’s the button you’ll use the most, and the nice part is that everything you write down is seen by the rest of the group instantly.
- Scan prescriptions with AI — instead of copying the details by hand, you can take a photo of a prescription, an appointment letter or a pharmacy receipt and CarePilot fills in the data for you. It saves you typing.
- Hand off care between people — when someone else takes over the care, you pass them the turn from the turn banner. That way it’s always clear who is in charge at any moment and you don’t overlap.
- Your data, encrypted — a reassuring reminder: all the information travels encrypted end-to-end and the recovery PIN you just created already protects it. Your data is in safe hands.
Finish the tour
Move from one message to the next by tapping the navigation dots (or swiping), and when you reach the last one, tap «Get started». Don’t worry about seeing it every time you open the app: this tour only appears once, so it won’t bother you again.
And that’s it, you’ve done it! You’re inside CarePilot, on the Today screen, with everything ready to start coordinating care. You don’t have to learn it all at once: go at your own pace. From here on, each guide in this manual explains one module of the app with the same detail and the same calm, for whenever you feel like discovering them one by one.