Pills Taken

One screen, one button. The family does the setting up.

Why I made this

My wife takes a pill at the same time every morning. With thyroid medication the timing has to stay consistent, so it is not the kind of thing you can take whenever you happen to remember.

Life does not respect a schedule. Three girls, a morning that gets away from you, a trip. More than once we both stopped and asked each other whether she had taken it that day, and neither of us knew. You cannot guess with medication. You either skip it or you double up, and neither one is good.

So I built her the thing I wanted. One screen, one button, nothing to learn. And a second half for me, so I could set up the medications and see that the dose was confirmed without having to ask her again.

Once it worked for her it was obvious it works for anyone helping somebody else keep track, especially a parent or a grandparent who does not want another app to figure out. That is why the phone half never asks you for an account, and why the whole thing is free.

How it fits together. There are two halves. Pills Taken is the iPhone app the person taking the medication uses, and it shows one pill at a time with one button. One Button is the web app their family uses to add the medications, set the times, and see what has been confirmed. Nobody has to type anything on the phone.

Getting started

I just installed it and the screen is empty. Is it broken?

No. The app starts with nothing in it on purpose, because the medications are meant to come from whoever is helping you. You have two ways forward: tap Try a demo to see how it works with sample pills, or tap Invite Family to connect someone who will set up the real ones.

How do I connect a family member?

Tap Invite Family on the phone. It shows six characters. Read them out loud over the phone to whoever is helping you, and they type them into the web app. That is the whole thing. You never type the code yourself, and you never type your own medications.

The characters skip O, 0, I, L and 1 on purpose, because those are the ones that get misheard.

Do I need to make an account?

Not on the phone. The person helping you makes an account on the web, and the code connects the two. The phone never asks you for an email address or a password.

Reminders

How many times will it remind me?

Three times for each pill: when it is due, ten minutes later, and twenty minutes later. After that the screen changes to say you are running late, and it stays there while the pill is still yours to take.

I did not get a reminder.

Open Settings, then Pills Taken, then Notifications, and check that Allow Notifications is on. The app also tells your family if it notices its own reminders have been switched off, so they can mention it.

Reminders do not arrive between midnight and six in the morning. That is deliberate.

I took the pill but forgot to press the button.

Press it whenever you remember, while the pill is still showing. If the window has already closed, ask whoever helps you and they can look at the record on the web.

Can I press Taken from the lock screen?

Yes. The reminder itself has a Taken button, so you do not have to open the app.

Travelling

I flew somewhere. Will my times be wrong?

The app notices the time zone changed and does not move your reminders on its own. It tells your family instead, and they decide. Medication timing is not something an app should quietly rearrange while you are asleep on a plane.

For the family

Where do I add medications?

At one-button-seven.vercel.app, from any browser. You can add medications and times, see the last seven days, print a summary for a doctor's appointment, keep a note of blood pressure or weight, and track how many pills are left in the bottle.

Can more than one of us watch?

Yes. From the People page an owner can invite another family member, either by email or by handing them a code. They can be given full access or view only.

Will I know if a dose is missed?

Yes. If a dose goes unconfirmed past its window you get a notification and it shows on the dashboard. You can also be warned before a bottle runs out.

Cost

Nothing. Pills Taken is free, with no subscription, no trial, and no in-app purchases. Both halves are free.

Important

Pills Taken is a reminder and a record. It does not give medical advice, does not decide what you should take or when, and confirming a dose records that a button was pressed, not that a pill was swallowed. Anything about your medication itself belongs with your doctor or pharmacist.

Contact

Questions, problems, or something that does not work: 00studiofm@gmail.com.

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