The HomeWatcher mobile app
The Home Watch App for iPhone and Android
Yes, HomeWatcher has a mobile app. Home watch pros install it straight from the browser instead of an app store, and it keeps working when the signal does not.
Why you will not find it in the App Store
HomeWatcher is a Progressive Web App, which is a full app that installs from the browser. That is a deliberate choice, and it works in your favor.
Updates without a store queue
We ship improvements continuously. With no store review queue in the way, the version on your phone is never more than one tap behind.
Nothing to download
Installing takes about ten seconds and uses a fraction of the space a store app would. There is no big app to re-download when you change phones.
One login everywhere
Your phone, your tablet, and your desktop all run the same app on the same account. Start a visit in the field and finish the paperwork at your desk.
How to install the app
About ten seconds, once, per device.
- Open app.homewatchtools.com in Safari and sign in.
- Tap the Share button.
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.
- Tap Add. The icon appears on your home screen.
On iPhone and iPad you have to use Safari. Chrome on iOS cannot install it.
- Open app.homewatchtools.com in Chrome and sign in.
- Tap the three-dot menu.
- Tap Install app, or Add to Home screen on older versions of Chrome.
- Confirm. The icon appears on your home screen.
Samsung Internet works too. Look for Add page to, then Home screen.
- Open app.homewatchtools.com in Chrome or Edge.
- Click the install icon at the right of the address bar.
- Click Install.
- It opens in its own window, out of your browser tabs.
Optional. The app runs perfectly well in a normal browser tab on a laptop.
What you do in the app
The whole field workflow runs from a phone, start to finish.
Today's visits, ready to go
Open the app and your day is already there. Every scheduled visit, with the property details and access notes your tech needs to get in the door.
How scheduling works →
Check in at the property
Tap to start the visit. GPS check-in stamps the time and place as proof of service, and you can skip it on the properties where that is awkward.
How a visit runs →
Work the checklist with photos
Move through the inspection item by item, marking each one Pass, Fail, or N/A, attaching photos straight from the phone camera as you go.
Building checklists →Flag a problem the moment you see it
Mark an item Fail and it is flagged automatically. Add a note explaining what you found, and it carries through to the report and your issue list.
Tracking issues →
Sign off and send the report
Finish with optional final notes and a signature. The branded PDF report goes to your client, and you can see when it was delivered and opened.
About visit reports →It keeps working with no signal
Home watch happens in basements, in gated communities with bad reception, and in waterfront homes where the bars disappear at the door. Before a tech heads out, the app stores their upcoming visits on the device, including the property details, the checklist, and prior results. Out in the field, with no connection at all, they can still:
- Open the visit and start it
- Check in, or skip the check-in
- Work through the full checklist item by item
- Capture photos as proof of service
- Write notes and complete the report
The moment the phone regains a connection, everything uploads on its own. Completed steps, notes, and photos all sync in the background, and each piece of work is sent exactly once. Nobody has to remember to press a sync button.
If a tech opens a part of the app that was not stored for offline use, they get a calm screen explaining that the page needs a connection, with a way back to their visits, rather than a blank page.
Shortcuts on your home screen
Press and hold the HomeWatcher icon and you get shortcuts straight to Today's Visits and your Dashboard. The first tap of the day lands where you were already headed.
What your clients get
Your clients do not install anything. They open their own secure portal with a magic link, with no password to remember, and from their phone's browser they can see their property, read visit reports, and pay invoices online.
Questions about the app
Is HomeWatcher in the App Store or Google Play?
No, and that is deliberate. HomeWatcher installs straight from your phone's browser in about ten seconds. You get the same icon on your home screen and the same full screen app, and updates arrive the moment we ship them instead of waiting on a store review.
Do I need to download anything?
No. You open the app in your browser, choose Add to Home Screen, and that is the whole setup. There is no large download.
Does the app work without a cell signal?
Yes. Your upcoming visits are stored on the device while you still have a connection, including the property details, the checklist, and prior results. In the field you can start the visit, check in, work the checklist, take photos, and write notes with no bars at all. Everything uploads by itself once the phone reconnects.
Does it work on both iPhone and Android?
Yes. On iPhone and iPad you install it from Safari, and on Android you install it from Chrome. The steps for each are above.
How do updates work?
The app checks for a new version every time you open it. When one is ready you get a one-tap Update Now prompt and it is done. There is no store review queue, and no waiting days for Apple or Google to approve it.
Can my techs install it on their own phones?
Yes. Invite each person by email from your team settings and give them the role you want them to have. They install it on their own phone exactly the same way you did.
Is there a desktop version?
It is the same app. Office work like scheduling, invoicing, and reporting is comfortable on a laptop, and Chrome or Edge will install it as a desktop app with its own window if you would rather have it out of your browser tabs.
Do my clients get an app too?
Your clients get a secure client portal they open with a magic link, with no password and nothing to install. From their phone's browser they can view their property, read visit reports, and pay invoices.
Put it on your phone today
Create your account, sign in on your phone, and add it to your home screen. You can be running your first visit from the app this afternoon.
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