How it works, step by step
You record your voice at home. You give your consent. You choose the hours it answers, and you save one number in her phone under your name. When she calls during those hours she hears you, calm and unhurried, as often as she needs to call. Outside those hours her call rings your own phone, just as it always has.
Recording your voice
You do this at home, on your own phone or computer, in one to three minutes. A friendly list of prompts asks specific questions, such as your favourite colour and something you own in that colour. These small details help you speak naturally and tell a story in your own voice. You can also read a short card we give you, or upload a recording you already have.
Listen back before you keep it. If you do not like how it sounds, record it again. A new recording takes effect on her next call, so you can always change it later.
Your consent
You submit your consent before Voice Companion answers any calls. We explain how your voice will be used, what your loved one hears, and how calls are recorded and transcribed. Read more on the ethics and consent page.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.
The hours it answers
You choose a weekly schedule, in her time zone: perhaps nine to five on weekdays, or only the afternoons, or whatever suits the two of you. During those hours Voice Companion answers. Outside them nothing changes, and her call rings your own phone as it always has.
Need a little flexibility? Turn answering on for one to four hours with one tap. It returns to your usual schedule when that time is up.
Her phone stays the same
Nothing is installed on her side, and nothing new is put in her hands. She keeps the phone she knows: a mobile, a landline, a big-button phone, or a tablet that makes calls.
Your family is given one dedicated local number. You save it in her phone under your name, the same way any number is saved, so when she looks for you she finds you. That is the whole of what changes for her.
What a call is like
She calls, and she hears your voice. It says hello the way you would, and then it follows her lead. If she asks the question she asked twenty minutes ago, it answers again, warmly, as if for the first time. It never corrects her. It never says "you already asked". It does not argue with the day or the year she believes it is.
It does not invent memories, and it does not make promises. It will not say it is coming over, and it will not say it will phone her back.
At about five minutes it begins to wind down, gently, and it ends by ten. She can call again whenever she likes during the hours you chose, and it will answer the same way.
If something is wrong
Every call is watched for signs that she is not all right. There are three levels, and for each one you decide what reaches you.
- Mild anxiety
- She sounds unsettled or worried, and settles as the call goes on. You choose: no alert, a text, or a phone call.
- Moderate distress
- She is upset and is not settling. You choose: no alert, a text, or a phone call.
- Crisis
- Something she says suggests she may be hurt or in danger. You choose: no alert, a text, or a phone call.
Whatever you choose, it stays on the line with her and becomes gentler. It does not hang up, and it does not hand her off to anyone.
It does not call 911. That decision stays with you, which is why the alert exists.
What you see afterwards
Every call is listed for you in your account. For each one you can see:
- the time it came in
- how long it lasted
- a one-line summary of what she wanted
- a mood note
- a transcript: a written version of the conversation
Some days you will only glance at the summaries. The transcript is there for the days you want to know exactly what was said.
When the credit runs out
Your $10 monthly subscription adds $10 of call credit. Unused credit rolls over every month and never expires. Calls are 30¢ a minute, so a five-minute call is about $1.50. If the credit runs out before the month does, nothing alarming happens: her calls simply ring your own phone, as they did before, and we email you to let you know.
You can top up any amount from $5 to $500, or choose automatic top-ups. The full picture is on the Pricing page. Prices are in CAD in Canada and USD in the United States.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
It is for
- A person who still picks up the phone and calls the people she loves.
- Someone who is settled by a familiar voice, even when the question is the same one as an hour ago.
- A family that wants to choose the hours, read every call afterwards, and be able to stop at any time.
It is not for
- Emergencies. It does not call 911, and it is not a medical alert service.
- Monitoring. It knows only about the calls she makes to it. It does not listen to her home.
- Someone who no longer uses a phone. If she cannot dial, it cannot help.
- Calls in another language. It answers in English only, and each account is for one person.
Hear the difference
Does it use artificial intelligence?
Yes. The technology that answers the call is usually called voice AI. What you record, though, is simply your own voice. It is used for one purpose, answering her calls, with your consent, and you can withdraw that consent whenever you choose. It is not used for anything else without your say-so.
What she is told on the call, and what we will never do, is set out plainly on the Ethics and consent page.