Questions, answered

What is Dottie?

Dottie is a family assistant you text. It reads the school, team and activity emails, flyers and calendars that run your family’s week, keeps a family timeline of what’s coming up, and answers questions like “What’s on tomorrow?” in your Messages.

It sends a short morning text with the day ahead, a look at the week on Sunday, alerts when something urgent changes, and reminders when you ask for them.

How does it work?

You text it like you’d text a friend. Connect your calendar and email when you set up (about two minutes), and it keeps up with school email, team schedules, your calendars and even a photo of a flyer.

When it finds something worth adding, it asks first. A thumbs up is all it takes.

Do I need to download an app?

No. Dottie lives in your Messages, like any other contact. There’s a simple web page for settings and your family’s week at a glance, but most of the time you just text.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes. On iPhone it chats over iMessage, thumbs-up reactions and all. On Android it works over regular texts.

Does it work with Google Calendar, iCloud and Outlook?

Yes. Dottie reads Google, iCloud and Outlook calendars and email. Connect Google while you set up, and add iCloud or Outlook from the Calendars page whenever you like.

It adds events to your Google Calendar only after you say yes. iCloud and Outlook are read-only: Dottie never adds, changes or deletes anything there, and it never marks your email as read.

What does it read, and what doesn’t it keep?

It reads the calendars and email you connect, photos you text it, and the school and team calendar pages or feeds you ask it to watch. You choose which calendars it looks at, and can turn any off whenever you like.

From email it keeps only the dates, events and to-dos it finds in school, team and activity mail, not the emails themselves. The email, its pictures and attachments are read and then let go.

Can I check where it heard something?

Yes. Ask after any answer and it tells you the email, calendar or page it came from.

Is my email private?

Yes. Only you can ask about your inbox. Not even your partner can. Your sign-ins to Google, iCloud and Outlook, what it remembers for your family, and your shared lists are stored encrypted.

We don’t sell your data, show ads, share it outside your family, or use it to train AI models. Your conversation is deleted after 90 days.

Who in my family can see what?

Calendars you share and things you ask it to remember for the family are shared with your family. Your email and any calendar you mark private stay yours alone.

Does it work for two parents and several kids?

Yes. Add your partner, the grandparents or a sitter, and each grown-up gets their own sign-in, with their own email kept private to them. Kids don’t need a phone: their schedules live right alongside yours, and everyone gets their own colour.

Can it join our family group chat?

Yes. Add Dottie’s number to your family’s group text. It stays out of the chatter and only answers when someone starts with its name, like “Dottie, what’s on Saturday?”, and it only shares what the whole family can see there, never anyone’s email.

Does it do things on its own?

No. Before it adds, changes or sends anything, it asks you first. It never sends email on its own: it can write a draft for you to look over and send yourself.

What if it gets something wrong?

Just tell it, the way you’d tell a friend: “No, practice moved to 6.” And since it asks before it adds or changes anything, a mix-up never lands on your calendar without your yes. Double-check anything that matters, like appointments, travel and pickups.

How do I make it stop?

Text STOP and it goes quiet. Text START to bring it back. In the family group chat, say “Dottie, stop”. Just want fewer texts? “Stop tips” ends the getting-started tips. You can also disconnect an account or delete everything any time from your Dottie home page.

How much does it cost?

One price covers the whole family, not per person or per kid. You’ll see it before you sign up.