Common questions

Why not just a group chat or calendar?

WhatsApp is great for talking, but weak on who's actually got what. Messages scroll away, and "I thought you were taking her?" usually surfaces too late.

A calendar holds appointments, but it won't tell you who's covering them, whether they've confirmed, or what happens if they can't. Covered tracks ownership, coverage, gaps and backup – so the question that really matters finally has an answer.

Do helpers need to download anything or make an account?

No. You send them a link – usually over WhatsApp – and they tap once to say they can do it, can't this time, or can be backup. There's no app, no password and no sign-up.

Your board updates the moment they tap.

What if someone says yes and then can't do it?

They tap the same link again and change their answer. The duty goes straight back to needing an owner on your board, so nothing quietly falls through.

Anyone who offered to be backup is still recorded, so you know who to ask first.

Who can see what?

A duty link only ever shows that one duty – never your whole board, and never other people's details or responses. Only you, as the organiser, see the full picture.

Covered has no medical fields by design, and we ask everyone to keep medical details out of duty notes.

Does it chase people for me?

Gently. If a helper has an email address on file, Covered can send them a reminder with the same one-tap link, at most once every couple of days.

You also get a weekly digest of the fortnight ahead: what's covered, what still needs an owner, and what's waiting to be confirmed. The tone is factual, never guilt-inducing.

What does it cost?

Covered is in limited early access and is free for the families using it while we learn what genuinely helps.