Kautio is a check-in: a timer you schedule around a real-world plan. When the check-in comes due, Kautio gives you a grace window to Snooze or Dismiss it: 5 minutes by default, or 1, 2, 10, or 15 minutes if you choose. If you don't respond, the contacts you picked are notified, one tier at a time, in the order you set. Kautio's servers run every check-in, so the timer doesn't depend on your phone.
What is Kautio?
Kautio is a scheduled check-in that notifies the people you choose if you don't respond to it. When you schedule a check-in, you set four things:
The activity start: when your plan begins.
When Kautio first checks in on you: the Send first check-in after setting, which counts from the activity start. The options are 1, 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes, or 1 hour. The default is 30 minutes.
How long you have to respond each time: the Grace window setting: 1, 2, 5, 10, or 15 minutes. The default is 5 minutes.
Who is notified if you don't respond: your contacts, arranged in tiers. Kautio notifies one tier at a time, starting with Tier 1.
To schedule your first one, see Your first check-in.
How does a check-in work?
A Kautio check-in runs in these steps:
Scheduled. You set it up. It waits until the activity starts.
Active. At the activity start, the check-in becomes Active.
The grace window. After your Send first check-in after time, Kautio notifies you and opens your grace window. In that window you can tap Snooze to delay the check-in, or Dismiss to end it. If the window passes without a response, your Tier 1 contacts are notified.
Your tiers, one at a time. After a tier is notified, Kautio waits your Wait between tiers time and checks in on you again, with a new grace window. If that one passes too, the next tier is notified.
The end. After the last tier, the check-in becomes Complete, or Follow-up pending if you set a follow-up.
For an example with times, see Your first check-in › What happens when my first check-in comes due?
Does Kautio still work if my phone is off or the app is closed?
Yes. Kautio check-ins run on Kautio's servers, not on your phone. If your phone is off, has no signal, or the Kautio app is closed, the check-in's timer still runs, its grace windows still open and close on time, and your contacts are still notified on schedule if you don't respond.
Notifications to your own phone can't arrive while it is off or offline. Kautio doesn't wait for them: no response means the schedule continues.
What does it mean when my contacts are notified?
When Kautio notifies your contacts, it means a check-in timer you set wasn't stopped, nothing more. Kautio makes no judgement about you or your situation, and it doesn't know why the timer wasn't stopped. Your contacts decide for themselves what to do.
Is Kautio an emergency service?
No. Kautio is not an emergency service and not a replacement for 911.
Kautio never contacts 911, the police, or any other public service.
Kautio doesn't watch or listen between check-ins.
Kautio notifies only the contacts you chose, at the times you set.
If you need urgent help, call 911 or your local emergency number.
What can't Kautio know?
A Kautio check-in responds only to Snooze and Dismiss. Kautio can't know why a check-in wasn't answered, and it can't know what happens after your contacts are notified. Kautio promises no outcome.
Where can I use Kautio, and who can use it?
Kautio works with phone numbers from the United States and Canada, for you and for your contacts. You must be 18 or older to create an account.
Your phone number must be from the US or Canada
Kautio sign-in accepts phone numbers from the United States and Canada only. If you enter a number from anywhere else, the app shows:
"Kautio is available in the US and Canada right now. A verification code can't be sent to this number."
Numbers from other places that use the +1 country code, such as Puerto Rico and Jamaica, are also refused.
Your contacts' numbers must be from the US or Canada
Kautio invitations can go only to United States and Canadian phone numbers, because Kautio reaches contacts by text message. If you invite any other number, the app shows:
"Kautio can only text safety contacts with a US or Canadian number right now. This number won't receive check-in messages."
The rule is about the phone number, not where the person is. A US or Canadian number works while its owner is travelling abroad.
You must be 18 or older
You must be 18 or older to create a Kautio account. You confirm your age with a checkbox when you sign up. See Setting up Kautio › What are the two checkboxes at sign-up?
Where to get the app
Kautio is available on the Apple App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android phones. Your contacts need the app too, once, to accept your invitation (see Managing your contacts › What do my contacts need to do?).