Lampsill
Lampsill is on Product Hunt today

For anyone you love who lives alone

They live alone. You’re miles away.

Lampsill is an app that notices when their phone hasn’t been used for a while. It asks them “Are you OK?” first. If they don’t answer, it tells you, with one tap to call them or someone nearby.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
See how it works

Android or iPhone. Theirs and yours don’t have to match.

  • Free until January 2027
  • Nothing for them to do each day
  • No location. No maps.

Sound familiar?

Nobody wants to watch their parents. Nobody wants to be the last to know.

You at home
Tuesday evening19:00
    Mum, two hours away

    Most nights it’s nothing. But from two hours away, nothing and something look the same.

    Without Lampsill: you’re left guessingRinging again, texting again, wondering about the neighbours.

    The gap

    It’s not the call you worry about. It’s the days between.

    Say her phone isn’t touched from Monday morning. How long until you’d know?

    How often do you speak?

    6 days

    You’d find out at Sunday’s call.

    About a day

    Her phone asks “Are you OK?” first. No answer, and you’re told 10 minutes later.

    Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
    Free until January 2027. Two minutes to set up.

    How it works

    Four steps. Three of them happen by themselves.

    1. 01

      Set it up together, once

      You start it on your phone and send them a code. They type it in and say yes. About two minutes, and that’s all they ever do.

      See setup step by step
    2. 02

      They carry on as usual

      Their phone, used as usual, is the check-in. No buttons, no daily call. Their light stays on, and they get free reminders, notes and steps for themselves.

    3. 03

      If it goes quiet, it asks them first

      If their phone isn’t used for 12, 24 or 48 hours, your choice, it rings: “Are you OK?” One tap and it’s over. Nobody is told.

    4. 04

      No answer? You’re told

      Ten minutes later you’re told, with one tap to call them, or someone nearby, and the note they left for a moment like this.

    1. 01

      Set it up together, once

      You start it on your phone and send them a code. They type it in and say yes. About two minutes, and that’s all they ever do.

      See setup step by step
    2. 02

      They carry on as usual

      Their phone, used as usual, is the check-in. No buttons, no daily call. Their light stays on, and they get free reminders, notes and steps for themselves.

    3. 03

      If it goes quiet, it asks them first

      If their phone isn’t used for 12, 24 or 48 hours, your choice, it rings: “Are you OK?” One tap and it’s over. Nobody is told.

    4. 04

      No answer? You’re told

      Ten minutes later you’re told, with one tap to call them, or someone nearby, and the note they left for a moment like this.

    “She won’t want it”

    The hardest part is asking. So here’s how it goes.

    Nobody living on their own wants to be watched, and Lampsill doesn’t watch. No location, nothing from their phone shown to you, nothing for them to press. The only thing they’ll ever notice is “Are you OK?”, if their phone has gone unused.

    The message: “I’ve found an app called Lampsill. It can’t see where you are or what you do on your phone. It only notices if your phone hasn’t been used for a day or so, and then asks you “Are you OK?” first. Nothing to press each day. Would you put it on for me?” and a link to the app.

    What’s in it

    A small app. Careful where it counts.

    It asks them first

    Before anyone is told, their own phone asks “Are you OK?” A late night or a flat battery ends with one tap, and nobody is bothered.

    The Are you OK? screen, with I'm OK and I need help buttons

    You choose how long

    How long their phone can go unused before they’re asked. They can change it too.

    Most people. Safe with weekends away and flat batteries.

    1. Phone last usedFri 9:00pm
    2. Asked “Are you OK?”Sun 9:00pm
    3. No answer? You’re toldSun 9:10pm

    Their note, when it matters

    Kept private, and shown only if you’re told.

    Asha’s note

    Spare key is with Mrs Iyer at no. 12.

    Dr Shah: 020 7946 0018.

    Nobody panics twice

    When one of you is checking, everyone else looking out is told.

    On Ade’s phone

    Lampsill21:10

    Asha’s phone hasn’t been used

    This isn’t an emergency alert. Nothing is known.

    Lampsill21:12

    Ravi is checking on Asha

    You’ll be told here when it’s picked up again.

    Away for a few days

    A trip, a hospital stay, a week at yours. They choose, and it switches itself back on.

     Away

    Away for 3 days. Your people are told. It turns back on by itself.

    Something for them, too

    Reminders, notes and a step count, free, on their own phone and nobody else’s.

    On Asha’s phone

    Lampsill08:00

    Morning tablets

    Your reminder for 8:00am.

    Lampsill18:30

    Water the plants

    Your reminder for 6:30pm.

    Who it’s for

    Someone you love lives behind one of these windows.

    Busy, independent, and two hours away.

    What you see

    One word. Not their day.

    No map. No step counts. No “last seen”. Looking out for someone shouldn’t mean watching them. You see whether their light is on, and that’s it.

    • Ontheir phone is being used
    • Awaytheir choice, like a trip away
    • Quietit hasn’t been, for longer than you chose

    Price

    Free until January 2027.

    All of it, for everyone. No card, no trial to cancel. After January it may stay free, or there may be a small charge. You’ll hear well before, and nothing is charged unless you agree.

    Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

    Android or iPhone. Theirs and yours don’t have to match.

    • Told if their phone isn’t used
    • “Are you OK?” on their phone first
    • Everyone you look out for, on one account
    • One tap to call them or someone nearby
    • Their note, away mode, reminders and steps

    Questions

    The short answers.

    Do they have to do anything?
    Once: they type in a code you give them and tap Yes. After that, nothing. They use their phone as normal and never need to open Lampsill.
    Does it work for a son or daughter away for study or work?
    Yes, the same way. It’s their choice: they say yes on their own phone and can turn it off any time. If they do, their window on your screen draws its curtains and says Off, so you always know. Their nearest person is often a friend in the same building.
    Can I see where they are?
    No. Lampsill never asks for location, on either phone. You see a small window and one word: On, Away, Off, Quiet, Needs fix or Removed. Never their messages, where they go, or when they get in.
    Won’t late nights and lie-ins set it off?
    You choose how long is too long: 12, 24 or 48 hours. 48 suits most people. A shorter one can go off after a long sleep — but their own phone asks first, and one tap ends it. They can change it, turn on Sleeping hours so the clock waits while they sleep, or pause it for up to 7 days when they’re away.
    What if they answer when it rings?
    Then it’s over. You aren’t told, and nobody else is bothered. Most alerts end this way.
    Who texts their nearest person?
    You do, in one tap. The alert opens on Call. If there’s no answer, their nearest person is right under it, with Call, Text and WhatsApp. Text opens your messages app with the note already written, from your number.
    What if I miss the notification?
    It keeps sounding for up to 15 minutes until you open it. If you still miss it, nobody else is contacted — every message comes from you. So keep notifications on, and let Lampsill through Do Not Disturb at night.
    What if we live in different time zones?
    It counts hours on their phone, whatever the time is for you. So an alert can arrive at night. Let Lampsill through Do Not Disturb: if you sleep through it, nobody else is told.
    Is this an emergency service?
    No. It can’t detect a fall or a medical problem, and it works in hours, not minutes. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.
    Is it free?
    Yes. All of Lampsill is free, for everyone, until January 2027, with no card needed. After that it may stay free, or there may be a small charge: we haven’t decided. If it changes, you’ll be told well before, and nobody is charged without choosing to. Everyone who joined the early-access list gets 2 extra months free if Lampsill ever charges.

    Pull

    Leave a light on for them.

    Two minutes to set up. Then nothing, unless it matters.

    Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

    Android or iPhone. Theirs and yours don’t have to match.

    Lampsill is not an emergency service. It can’t tell why a phone isn’t used. If you’re worried right now, call them, or your local emergency number.