What you need to run CareHaven
You don't need much. If your iPhone or iPad is reasonably up to date, you're ready. This page tells you exactly what's required for the core app, and what a few of the smarter, Apple-powered extras need on top of that.
On this page
The short version
CareHaven runs on iPhone or iPad with iOS 17 or later. There's also an optional Apple Watch app.
The whole app works fully offline. No account is required to use the core features, and everything you log lives on your device unless you turn on sync — and then it's reachable only by the people you specifically invite. You can fly on a plane, lose signal in a parking garage, or turn off Wi-Fi entirely, and CareHaven keeps working.
You do not need a newer phone, a paid plan, or any AI to use CareHaven. Every part of daily tracking, medical records, handoffs, crisis plans, and reports works without a single smart feature turned on.
Core requirements
| You have | What you need |
|---|---|
| iPhone | iOS 17 or later |
| iPad | iPadOS 17 or later |
| Apple Watch (optional) | watchOS 10 or later, paired to your iPhone |
If you can update to iOS 17, you can run CareHaven. To check your version, open the iPhone's Settings app, then General, then Software Update.
The Apple Watch app is a convenience, not a requirement. It lets you quick-log a moment, dictate a note, and glance at the day from your wrist. The full app on your iPhone does everything; the Watch is there for when your hands are full. See Across your Apple devices.
Smart features and what they need
CareHaven includes some optional Apple-powered helpers — things like drafting a diary entry from today's events, translating a handoff for a sitter, or generating a calming illustration for a cue. These are extras layered on top. When a feature needs a newer device or a specific iOS version, here's what that looks like.
| Feature | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Smart help powered by Apple Intelligence (drafting a diary entry, a weekly recap, a handoff note, a smart reply, a cue meaning, a Home pattern insight, a personalized tip) | A recent iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence — such as iPhone 15 Pro or newer — running iOS 18.2 or later, and a Plus subscription |
| Ask CareHaven (free-form questions) | Works on any supported device for the free, built-in offline answer; going further with Apple Intelligence needs a Plus subscription too |
| Translation (translate a handoff or doctor-visit recap) | iOS 17.4 or later |
| Image Playground illustrations and Genmoji | iOS 18.2 or later, on a device that supports them |
Device capability and your plan are two separate things — see Plans — Free, Plus, and Family for what's included at each tier.
If your device doesn't support one of these, you simply won't see that smart option, and nothing else changes. The feature it's attached to still works — you just write the diary entry, the handoff, or the cue yourself instead of having a draft offered to you.
CareHaven works without any AI
This is worth saying plainly: the app is fully functional with no AI at all.
The smart helpers only ever offer a starting draft you can edit or ignore. They never log anything for you, never make a decision, and never get in the way. Everything you actually rely on — logging feedings, tracking seizures with the live timer, keeping medications and refills straight, building a handoff for a sitter, scanning a document, generating a report — runs entirely on your device with no smart features required.
When a smart helper isn't available (your device is older, Apple Intelligence is turned off, you're offline, or you're not on a Plus plan), CareHaven says so gently and quietly steps aside. You're never stuck.
When you're offline
CareHaven is built to keep going when the network doesn't. Offline, you can still:
- Log everything, browse your history, and edit anything.
- Open your crisis plans, first-aid cards, and emergency contacts.
- Build and share a handoff for a sitter.
- See growth percentiles, which are calculated right on your device.
- Get gentle care reminders — they're local to your device and still arrive even in Airplane Mode.
Some extras do need a connection the first time. Plain-language explainers for a medication or diagnosis, and looking up a doctor from the provider directory, reach out once and then save what they find for offline use afterward. Even then, only a code or a typed provider name leaves your device — never your loved one's name or any care detail. See Privacy comes first.
About sync and sharing care
Sync is optional and off by default. Turn it on and your care log syncs through Apple's iCloud (CloudKit) — encrypted by Apple in transit and at rest, reachable only by the people you specifically invite. It only matters if you want to:
- Keep the same data in sync across your own devices.
- Invite a co-caregiver to help with a specific person's profile.
If that's something you want, see Sharing care with others (sync). If it isn't, you can skip it entirely and CareHaven works exactly the same.
Related pages
- Getting CareHaven (TestFlight & App Store) — how to install and join the beta
- Setting up for the first time — your first few minutes in the app
- Smart help (Apple Intelligence) — what the optional AI helpers actually do
- Across your Apple devices — Watch, CarPlay, widgets, and more
- Privacy & security (in depth) — how your data stays private