What if…

You are in the hospital for three days.

What happens. Your check-in window passes. Heartbeat reminds you first. If you do not answer, it asks your contacts one at a time, nearest first, by text or email. The first one who says they can go is given what they need: your address, how to get in, and your pets.

Why. This is the case Heartbeat exists for. Everything below is about making it work on the first try.

Added 2 October 2026

You had a busy day and forgot to check in.

What happens. Opening the app counts as a check-in, and so do the widget, your watch and answering a reminder. If none of those happened, you get a reminder before anyone else hears anything. Answer it and that is the end of it. Nobody is told.

Why. An alarm on an ordinary day teaches your contacts to ignore the next one.

Added 2 October 2026

Your phone dies, or you lose it.

What happens. The countdown runs on our servers, not on your phone, so a dead phone does not stop it. If you know it will be off for longer than your window, go to heartbeat.pet/lost from any browser and use the email linked to your account to pause Heartbeat.

Why. A countdown that lived on the phone would stop exactly when it is needed.

Added 2 October 2026

Someone you named never agreed to be a contact.

What happens. They are never asked to help. A contact is only part of your plan after they agree, by replying to a text or pressing a button in an email. Until then they are listed as waiting.

Why. A stranger asked to enter your home at 3am, about someone they did not agree to help, says no or does not answer. Agreement in advance is what makes the request work.

Added 2 October 2026

The address is wrong, or the apartment number is missing.

What happens. Heartbeat checks your address against a map listing when you enter it and asks about a missing apartment or unit number before it saves.

Why. Someone who agrees to go and cannot find the door has used up their help, and your pets are no better off. It is the one mistake a message cannot fix later.

Added 2 October 2026

You have several pets and no photos.

What happens. Heartbeat asks for a photo of each pet during setup and shows them to the contact who goes.

Why. The person who goes in may never have met your pets. A photo is how they know who they are looking for, and how they know nobody is missing.

Added 2 October 2026

Nobody knows how to get in.

What happens. Heartbeat asks for a note on getting in, such as a key with a neighbor or a lockbox code. It is shown only to the contact who has agreed to go, and only while they are helping.

Why. Agreeing to go is not the same as being able to get in. Without the note, the trip can end at a locked door.

Added 2 October 2026

Your first contact cannot go.

What happens. They can say so, and Heartbeat moves straight on to the next contact. Saying "I can't" is as useful as saying yes, because it saves the time of waiting for an answer.

Added 2 October 2026

Someone has seen to your pets, but nobody can reach you.

What happens. The case is marked as your pets being cared for, so nobody else is asked to go. It stays open, because only you checking in closes it. Your contacts can add notes and updates to it. If you have not checked in after three days, every contact is told the case is going quiet.

Why. Your pets being looked after and you being alright are different questions. Heartbeat answers the first quickly and keeps the second open until you answer it yourself.

Added 2 October 2026

Someone else picks up your phone and turns Heartbeat off.

What happens. Turning off the only phone that checks in for you needs a code sent to your number, and your contacts are told that Heartbeat has stopped.

Why. The person most likely to want Heartbeat off without you knowing is not you.

Added 2 October 2026

Your phone is stolen.

What happens. Go to heartbeat.pet/lost from any browser and enter the email linked to your account. From the link we send, you can pause Heartbeat and sign every phone out.

Why. A stolen phone that is still signed in can check in for you, or turn Heartbeat off.

Added 2 October 2026

You need an ambulance.

What happens. Heartbeat does not call emergency services and is not one. Call 911. Heartbeat is for what happens after: making sure your pets are not left alone while you cannot get home.

Added 2 October 2026

Your window ends while you are asleep.

What happens. Heartbeat will hold anything due during your sleeping hours until you are normally awake, so you are not woken by a reminder and nobody is asked at 3am about a night of sleep.

Added 2 October 2026

You are on vacation and a sitter is looking after your pets.

What happens. You will be able to hand check-ins to your sitter until you are back. If they miss one, you are asked first, then your contacts. The handoff ends when you check in again, not on a date, so a delayed flight leaves no gap.

Added 2 October 2026