Setting up the tag
Take your time. A tag only helps if it is set up well and tested with the person, and if you know what it can't do.
Before you start
- Read Is a tag right for you? and talk to the person first.
- You need an iPhone with Nudgent, Bluetooth on, and a Bluetooth tag that supports the standard "Find Me" service (the kind most generic key finders use). AirTag, Tile and SmartTag can't be watched by Nudgent: see AirTags.
- Choose a tag with a battery you can check and change, and a way of wearing it that the person will accept and can't easily lose (a watch strap, a tag sewn or clipped into clothing they always wear). Tell them what it is.
In Nudgent
- Open Nudgent, then Today, then Essentials.
- Tap +, then Watch over a person.
- Read the notice. Choose one: they understand and agree, or they can't decide this for themselves and you are acting in their best interests with family or professionals involved.
- Wake the tag (press its button) and hold it next to the phone. Choose it from the list.
- Type their name.
- Choose when to alert (see below), then tap Add. Allow notifications when asked.
Choosing when to alert
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wait before alerting | How long the tag must be out of range before the first alert. Shorter is faster but more likely to give a false alarm. The default is 60 seconds. |
| Repeat | While the tag stays out of range you get a few more alerts that say it is still out of range and point to 999. You can turn repeats off. There are never more than six alerts. |
| Only at certain hours | For example 22:00 to 07:00 for a night-time door alert. There are no alerts outside those hours, even if the tag is already out of range. If it went out before the hours begin, the first alert comes when they begin. |
| Only when this phone is at home | Stops an alert every time you leave the house with the phone. If the tag goes out of range while the phone is away, Nudgent waits, and alerts if you get home and the tag still isn't there. |
Test it, and test it with them
- On the person's screen in Nudgent, tap Send me a test alert. Check that you see it, hear it, and that it reaches you when your phone is locked.
- Check your iPhone's Focus modes, especially Sleep and Do Not Disturb, and the silent switch. Go to Settings, then Focus, open each one, tap Apps, and allow Nudgent. Then repeat the test with your night Focus switched on, because that is when it matters most.
- With the tag on the person (or on someone else), go for a walk and see how far apart you can get before the tag drops out. Walls matter, and so does where the tag is worn. The range indoors is often much less than you might expect.
- Check that you can tell, from the person's screen, whether the tag is in range and (if the tag reports one) its battery. A tag Nudgent has never connected to says "Not connected yet" until it has.
Keeping it working
- Keep Bluetooth on and the phone charged. Nudgent warns you if Bluetooth is off, but only while the phone is on. After the phone restarts, alerts resume once you unlock it.
- Don't swipe Nudgent away in the app switcher. When an app is closed that way, iPhones won't wake it for Bluetooth events, so alerts can stop.
- Keep the phone near where you are, with the sound up. Alerts reach only this phone.
- Check the tag's battery yourself, for example once a month. Nudgent shows a battery level only if the tag reports one, re-reads it every few minutes, and warns you when it is low. It can't warn you when the battery is already flat, and some tags don't report a battery at all.
- After an iOS update, a new Nudgent version, or a new phone, open Nudgent once and run the test again.
- Keep the information sheet filled in and somewhere you can find it quickly.
Read what a tag can't do before you rely on it.