Sitter links
Going away? Send a link
The long message you type at the airport is the worst possible format for this, and it is what almost everybody does.
Sitter instructions written as a message have three problems: they are written in a hurry, they get buried in a chat thread, and they go out of date the moment anything changes. A sitter also cannot reasonably be asked to install an app, make an account and accept an invitation for a four-day cat feed. Kounts Care generates a private web page instead, with the actual routine on it, from the same data the app is using.
How it works
It opens in any browser
The sitter taps the link and sees the page. No install, no sign-up, no Apple ID, and it works on Android or a laptop just as well.
It is the real routine, not a snapshot you typed
The page is generated from your actual profiles and schedules, so what the sitter sees is what the app knows: which plants need water on which days, when the flea treatment is due, and what the dog's walk schedule is.
Private and time-limited
The link carries a long random token and expires when you set it to. It is not indexed, not guessable and not permanent, and you can let it lapse the day you get home.
Read-only by design
A sitter can see the routine. They cannot change your schedules, edit your profiles or see your household's history. Nothing they do can disturb the data you come home to.
The details that matter
How it works underneath
The app writes a snapshot record to a public CloudKit database keyed by a random token, and the web page reads it back by that token. There is no account system, no server of ours in the middle, and no database of sitters anywhere.
What the sitter sees
The profiles, what each one needs, and when. Photos included, which matters more than it sounds: a sitter who has never met your plants needs to know which one is Fiona.
When to use a household invite instead
If the person is a partner, a flatmate or family who will be doing care regularly, invite them to the household instead. They get the full app, can tick things off, and their work shows in the activity feed. Sitter links are for the temporary case.
The honest limitation
A sitter cannot tick anything off, so you will not see what they did while you were away. That is the price of not making them create an account, and for a week away it is usually the right trade.
What this costs
Sitter links are available on the free tier, with extra concurrent links included in Premium at $19.99 a year or $34.99 once. One holiday, one sitter, no purchase needed.
Questions, answered
Does my sitter need the app?
No, and that is the entire point. They open a link in whatever browser they already have, on any device.
Is the link private?
It carries a long random token, is not indexed and cannot be guessed. It expires on the date you set. Anyone with the link can view the page though, so treat it like a shared document rather than a password-protected one.
Can the sitter mark tasks as done?
No. The page is read-only. If you want someone ticking things off, invite them to the household instead, which is free and gives them the full app.
What if my plans change while I am away?
Change a schedule in the app and the sitter's page reflects it, because it is generated from the same data rather than being a copy you sent.
Keep everything alive.
One calm app for the plants on your shelf and the animals on your sofa. Five profiles free, no account.
See also: Holidays and sitters · Household sharing · Multi-pet homes