Short answers to the questions people ask most about Front Desk Cat.
Is Front Desk Cat free? What does Pro add?
Yes, it's free. Every job works for free, with no cap on people, guests, signers or found items, and no sign-up, no account, no subscription, no ads and no watermark. There's no trial. Front Desk Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds extras to every job: in the sign-in book, Signatures and Your own questions; in the waitlist, Your own messages and Busy hours; in waivers, Several forms, CSV of waiver signers and Search waivers; and Your logo on the front desk and guest screens, printed lists and signed waivers. Lost & found has no Pro: all of it is free. More on the Front Desk Cat page.
What are the four jobs, and how do I pick one?
When you open the app it asks "What are you running today?" and shows a tile for each job: Sign-in book, Waitlist, Waivers and Lost & found. Tap one to open it. The app remembers your choice and opens straight into it next time. To switch, tap the grid button at the top left of the job.
How do I sign people in, and how does the front desk work?
There's no account. In Sign-in book, tap + (or a tile under New sign-in book) to start a book: Visitors, Class or club, Event or open day or Workers on site. Open a book to see Here now, who left today and Earlier days, and search names and details. Every sign-in is saved the moment it's made.
To let people sign themselves in, open a book, tap Front desk and hand over your iPhone or iPad. People tap Sign in, type their name and what the book asks, and see a thank-you with their own first name. They never see anyone else's name or the list. In a book that signs people out, they sign out by typing their full name exactly as they signed in. A half-filled form goes back to Welcome after about a minute and a half without typing. To leave, press and hold Exit. In a book's Settings you can set a 4-digit code that's asked before leaving. To keep the device in Front Desk Cat, turn on Guided Access in the Settings app, under Accessibility.
At closing time, tap Sign everyone out next to Here now, or Sign out on one person's row. Touch and hold a row for Undo sign-out, and tap any sign-in to fix it.
How does the waitlist work?
Open Waitlist and tap Add a guest. A name and a note are both optional (with no name, a guest is just their number). You can also set how many, the wait you told them and a phone number. The guest at the top shows as NEXT, and everyone shows how long they've waited. Tap Seated (or Served) or Left when they're done, with Undo if you tap the wrong one.
Tap Text and the app opens your own Messages with the words filled in, and the number too if you typed one. Nothing is sent until you tap Send. Where Messages can't send, the share sheet offers the words instead.
The guest screen button next to Add a guest shows the number called, the next number and how many are waiting. Guests can add their own name there unless you turn off Guests can add their own name. In Settings, Show first names with the numbers puts first names on that screen; it's off until you turn it on. You can also set a Code to leave it.
How do waivers work?
Open Waivers, tap Edit to write your form, then tap Start signing and hand over the device. The guest reads your form, types their full name, checks the date, taps I have read this, signs with a finger and taps Done. They see "Thank you" and a fresh form for the next person. Leaving the guest screen with Close asks for your Face ID, Touch ID or passcode.
Each signer gets a signed PDF. Tap a name under Signed records to see it and share it, or swipe to delete it. A signed waiver is a record that someone agreed to your form, not advice about the law.
How does lost & found work?
Open Lost & found and tap Log a found item. Add a photo with Take photo or Choose photo, then What was found, Where and When. The Note is for you and isn't printed. If an item has a name on it, like a wallet or a card, turn off Show photo on guest screen, and describe the item, not its owner.
Each item gets a number, like No. 12. Open it and tap Print tag or Share tag. When the owner comes, tap Hand it back, add who took it if you like, and tap Claimed. That name stays with the item on your device and is never printed or shown on the guest screen. Tapped it by mistake? Tap Undo, it's still here.
The Guest screen shows only items still waiting, so people can point at theirs. Press and hold Done to leave it. Under More you can print or share a front-desk list, and search finds items by what, where or tag number.
Where are my records? What about my guests' details?
Everyone you take in is kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print it. Texts go from your own Messages when you tap Send. The app has no account and sends nothing anywhere by itself. The camera is asked for only the first time you tap Take photo in lost & found.
In a sign-in book you choose what to ask besides the name, so ask only what you need. Under Keeping you can keep every day, or only the last 30 days, 90 days or a year, and you can delete a single sign-in, a day or every day. Waitlist days are kept until you delete them.
Front Desk Cat keeps lists of who signed in, who waited, who signed your form and what was handed in. It isn't a security, safety or visitor-management system, and it doesn't check who anyone is. Rules about keeping people's details differ from place to place, so check yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. There's no account and no job in the app needs a connection: signing in, the waitlist, waivers, lost & found, the guest screens, and making PDFs and spreadsheets all work offline. Buying or restoring Pro goes through the App Store, so that needs a connection.
How do I print a list or get it into a spreadsheet?
In a sign-in book, tap Print & share. Pick The list and the days (Today, Last 7 days, Last 30 days or Every day), then Print the list, Share PDF or Share as a spreadsheet (CSV). Pick Blank sheet for a clipboard sheet with the same columns, up to 10 pages. Paper is Letter or A4, and there's no watermark.
In the waitlist, tap the calendar button for Days, then Print & share for a PDF or a spreadsheet (CSV). Phone numbers aren't printed. In waivers, each signed PDF can be shared, and a CSV of waiver signers is part of Pro.
I bought Front Desk Cat Pro. How do I get it on a new iPhone or iPad?
Open Sign-in book or Waitlist, tap ⓘ at the top left, then Restore purchase (it's also in Front Desk Cat Pro). Use the same Apple Account you bought it with. When Pro is on, the Front Desk Cat Pro row says "On".
Something else?
Tap ⓘ in Sign-in book or Waitlist, then Report a problem or Suggest an idea, or email [email protected].