Raise the Shade — a metaphor for your own wellbeing — is a simple daily wellness check-in app. Once a day, you let the app know you're okay. If you don't, the people who care about you hear about it.
That's really all there is to it. You set a time to check in each day. If you check in, nothing happens — your day continues normally. If you don't check in and don't respond to a follow-up reminder, the app quietly sends a notification to the contacts you've chosen, asking them to check on you.
Raise the Shade is for anyone who lives alone, travels frequently, or simply wants a low-key way to stay connected with people who care about them. It doesn't track your location. It doesn't require you to answer questions or fill out forms. It just needs to know you're okay — once a day, one tap.
You were invited to participate in early testing of Raise the Shade. Thank you — your feedback helps make the app better for everyone who will use it.
Raise the Shade is a web app, which means it runs in your phone's browser rather than being downloaded from an app store. You can, however, add it to your home screen so it looks and feels just like a regular app.
Open the link you were sent. This will take you to the app in your browser.
You'll be asked to enter your email address and choose a name. Tap Send Sign-in Link and the app will email you a link — no password needed.
Check your email and tap the sign-in link. You'll be taken into the app and signed in automatically.
When prompted, add the app to your home screen. On iPhone, tap the Share button in Safari and choose Add to Home Screen. On Android, tap the menu and choose Add to Home Screen or Install App.
The first time you open the app, a short onboarding flow walks you through the key steps: setting up your check-in time, adding your contacts, and allowing notifications. Take a few minutes to complete it — everything you set up here can be changed later in Settings.
The app will ask permission to send you notifications. Please allow this. Notifications are how the app delivers your check-in reminders. Without them, you may miss your reminder and not realize it.
Your contacts are the people the app will notify if you miss a check-in. Choosing the right contacts — and making sure they understand their role — is one of the most important parts of setting up the app.
Choose someone who:
A close friend, family member, or neighbor you trust are all good choices. You can add more than one contact.
In the app, go to Contacts and tap Add Contact.
Enter their name, email address, and phone number, then save.
To send your new contact an introductory email, tap anywhere on their contact card to open their record. The option to send the introductory email appears there. This is optional and purely for your convenience — it gives them a brief description of the app and their role.
Once you and your contact have spoken and they've agreed, return to their record and mark them as Confirmed.
If you choose to send the introductory email, your contact will receive a brief message letting them know you've added them to the app and describing what a notification email from the app looks like. It's a helpful starting point, but it's not a substitute for a real conversation — the email doesn't ask for a formal response.
You can edit a contact's details or remove them at any time from the Contacts page.
Your check-in schedule tells the app when to expect to hear from you each day. You set this once, and the app takes it from there.
Pick a time that fits naturally into your daily routine — a time you'll reliably be awake and near your phone. Morning works well for many people: right after waking up, with coffee, or during a regular break. The key is consistency.
The app uses your timezone to schedule your check-in time and grace period correctly. Set your timezone in Settings → Schedule before anything else — if it's wrong, your reminders will fire at the wrong time of day. This is especially important if you travel across time zones.
After your check-in time passes, the app gives you a grace period — a window of additional time before your contacts are notified. The default grace period is one hour. You can adjust it in Settings → Schedule to anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours. If you check in at any point during the grace period, you're all clear and no notification is sent.
You can update your check-in time, timezone, and grace period at any time in Settings → Schedule. Changes take effect starting with the next day's check-in.
Once you're set up, your daily routine with the app is simple.
At your scheduled check-in time, you'll receive a reminder notification on your device.
Tap the notification, or open the app directly.
Tap Check In. That's it — you're done for the day.
The app's main screen shows your check-in status for the day: whether you've checked in, whether your grace period is still open, or whether you're past your window. You can check in anytime during the day — you don't have to wait for the reminder.
The app has three distinct ways it communicates — two that go to you, and two that can go to your contacts. It helps to understand the difference.
The app uses a two-step reminder system designed to give you every reasonable opportunity to check in before anyone is notified.
At your scheduled check-in time, the app sends a push notification to your device. This is your primary reminder. Tap it and check in, and the day is complete.
If you haven't checked in after Reminder 1, the app sends a second reminder before your grace period closes. You can configure how far in advance of the grace deadline this reminder fires — in Settings → Reminders. This is your last chance to check in before your contacts are notified.
If your grace period ends and you still haven't checked in, the app sends a notification email to each of your confirmed contacts. The email lets them know you've missed your check-in and asks them to reach out to you. This happens automatically — you don't do anything to trigger it.
Your contacts receive a straightforward email letting them know you've missed your check-in and asking them to reach out when they can. The email includes your name so they know who it's about. It does not include your location or any other personal details.
Separate from the automatic notification system, the app has an Alert button you can tap at any time. Use this when you'd like someone to check on you — even if you haven't missed a check-in. Tapping Alert sends an immediate message to your designated alert contacts asking them to reach out. This is a manual, on-demand feature. It is not an emergency service — for life-threatening emergencies, always call 911.
Here's the full automatic flow in one view:
Here's a quick reference to where things live in the app and what each setting controls.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Timezone | Your local timezone. Set this first — it determines when your check-in time and grace period fire. |
| Check-in time | The time of day you want to check in. Reminder 1 fires at this time. |
| Grace period | How long after your check-in time the app waits before alerting your contacts. Default is 1 hour; configurable from 30 minutes to 4 hours. |
| Daily Check-in Active | Turn your daily check-in on or off. Use this if you'll be out of touch for several days and don't want alerts to fire. |
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reminder 2 | How far before the end of your grace period the second reminder fires. Configurable from 15 to 60 minutes before the grace deadline. |
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Add contact | Add a new person to receive notifications. Newly added contacts are inactive until confirmed. |
| Edit contact | Update a contact's details. Also where you'll find the option to send an introductory email and to toggle their notifications on or off. |
| Daily Monitoring / Alert Contacts | Found in Edit Contact. Lets you temporarily pause notifications to a specific contact — useful if they'll be unavailable for a period of time. |
| Confirm contact | Mark a contact as confirmed and active. Only confirmed contacts receive notifications. |
| Remove contact | Remove a contact entirely. They will no longer receive notifications. |
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Your name | The name that appears in notification emails sent to your contacts. |
| Email address | Where sign-in links are sent. |
| Phone number | Your phone number, used for account identification. |
Since you're among our earliest testers, your experience matters a great deal. If something doesn't work as described, feels confusing, or could be better — please let us know.
Reach out at support@raisetheshade.app with any questions, bug reports, or feedback. There's no such thing as a report too small during this phase.
Thank you for being part of this.