Support

Write to hello@morninghug.app with any question or problem. Tell us which phone you use and, if you can, add a screenshot. A real person reads every message.

Morning Hug is not an emergency service. In an emergency, call 112 or your local emergency number.

Getting started

How does Morning Hug work?

You install the app on your phone and on your parent's phone. Your phone shows a code, your parent's phone scans it, and your parent agrees to share. After that your parent does not need to do anything. Their phone quietly shares signs that it is being used, and you see "Active since 7:40" or a similar short note. If there is no sign for longer than you have set, the app first asks your parent "Are you OK?" and then tells you.

How do I set up my parent's phone?

On your phone, tap "Add a loved one", enter a name and keep the code on the screen.
On your parent's phone, install Morning Hug, choose "Someone looks after me" and scan the code. The code is valid for 10 minutes, and you can show a new one at any time.
Your parent reads what is shared and agrees.
Allow what the app asks for on your parent's phone. It needs notifications, so it can ask "Are you OK?", and it needs to keep running in the background.

Then use "Send a test alert" on the parent's page to check that everything arrives.

How many parents can I add?

Up to two, for example your mother and your father.

Can someone else look after my parent too?

Yes, up to four people in all, and they do not have to be relatives. Your parent opens "About me", then "Add someone who looks after me", and shows the code on the screen. The other person taps "Add a loved one" in their own app, then "I have a code from my loved one". Each person has their own subscription. Your parent can remove anyone from "Who looks after me", and anyone can stop following on the parent's page.

Getting reliable signs

iPhone

Leave Morning Hug running in the background. Do not swipe it away in the app switcher, because iOS then stops it until it is opened again. If that happens, Morning Hug sends one notification asking to open it.
Keep notifications allowed for Morning Hug.
Allowing location "Always" is optional, but it helps the app keep running. The location stays on the phone and is sent only with SOS.
Low Power Mode makes iOS run apps in the background less often.

Android

Allow access to phone use, so the app knows when the phone is unlocked.
Let Morning Hug run in the background and leave it out of battery optimisation.
On Samsung, also open Settings, Battery, Background usage limits, Never sleeping apps, and add Morning Hug.

I did not get an alert I expected

Check that notifications are allowed for Morning Hug on your own phone, then send a test alert. On the parent's phone, check the points above for iPhone or Android. During the first 7 days Morning Hug only records unusual silences and does not alert you, so you can first see what your parent's days look like. Morning Hug does not start an alert about a silence at night, between the times set under Settings. SOS works at any hour.

Can I change when I am worried?

Yes. On the parent's page open Settings. You can set when the parent's day starts and ends, by when you expect the first sign in the morning, after how many hours without a sign you want to be told, and pause alerts while the parent is travelling.

Steps

Can I see how many steps my parent takes?

Yes, if your parent chooses to share them. On iPhone your parent turns on "Share my steps" during setup or later under "About me". If they also allow Health, steps from an Apple Watch count too. You then see today's steps and the usual day on the card, and under "Statistics" on your parent's page the steps by day, week, month and year. Your parent can stop sharing at any time, and the saved steps are deleted. Android follows soon.

Photos and birthdays

Tap "Send a photo" to send a photo to your parent. They get a notification and see it in "My photos".
Your parent can tap "Ask for photos" and you will be told.
Photos are kept for 90 days. Your parent can save any photo with "Save to phone".
Add your parent's birthday and you will be reminded a week before and on the day.

Subscription

What does it cost?

The first month is free. After that, Morning Hug Plus is billed monthly or yearly at the price shown in the app for your country. Your subscription covers both parents you can look after. Everyone who looks after a parent has their own subscription.

How do I cancel?

On iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and choose Morning Hug. On Android, open Google Play, tap your profile, then Payments and subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends to avoid the next charge.

I changed phones and the subscription is missing

Open Your account, tap Subscribe next to Subscription, then tap "Restore purchases". Use the same Apple Account or Google account you subscribed with.

Can I get a refund?

Refunds are handled by Apple or Google. On iPhone, request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Stopping and deleting

Your parent can stop sharing at any time on their phone, under "About me".
You can remove a parent with Remove on their page, or delete your whole account under Your account, "Delete my account". Deleting your account also deletes every parent only you look after, with their photos.

Our Privacy Policy explains what we keep and for how long.