How can we help?
Need help with BarnMate? Start here. If you can't find your answer below, reach out — we read every email.
Getting started
How do I add my first horse?
Open the Horses tab → tap + in the top right → enter name, birth date, sex, coat colour and any other detail you want to track. Save. The horse appears immediately in your Today, Week and Month views.
How do I add demo data to explore the app?
On the Welcome screen of a fresh install, tap the BarnMate logo 5 times in a row. The app seeds two example horses (Tornado, Jolly Jumper), riders, supplements and care entries so you can explore without having to type anything. You can wipe this demo data later from Settings → Delete demo data.
Why does the app ask for notification permission?
Only to deliver local reminders (farrier visits, vaccines, deworming). No notification is ever sent from a remote server. You can deny the permission and BarnMate still works — you simply won't get reminders.
Sharing with a co-rider or owner
How do I invite my half-board partner?
You need the Share tier (Demi-pension). Then:
- Settings → Stable Configuration → Invite a co-rider
- The Apple share sheet opens
- Send the invitation link via Messages, Mail or any app
- The recipient taps the link, accepts on their device, and instantly has access to your shared group
Does my co-rider need to pay?
No. Invited co-riders get free sponsored access for as long as you hold an active Share-tier subscription (or Share Lifetime). This is intentional — BarnMate's pricing is designed so one paid subscription covers everyone sharing the same horse.
Can my co-rider also have their own horses outside our group?
Yes, but they will need their own subscription to create their own group. Sponsored access only covers your shared group.
How do I revoke access?
Settings → Stable Configuration → Manage participants → Remove.
Access is revoked immediately and the participant's local copy of the shared data is removed by Apple's CloudKit Sharing system.
Subscriptions and billing
What tiers are there?
- Free — explore the app, single horse, no sharing
- Solo (monthly / yearly / lifetime) — single horse, all Pro features (statistics, notifications, passport & photos, billing ledger)
- Share / Demi-pension (monthly / yearly / lifetime) — multiple horses + invite co-riders via CloudKit Sharing
Is there a free trial?
Yes — 7 days for new subscribers on any Monthly or Yearly tier. Lifetime tiers have no trial (Apple constraint on one-time purchases).
How do I cancel my subscription?
iOS Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions → BarnMate → Cancel.
You retain access until the end of the current paid period.
How do I restore my purchase on a new device?
Open the in-app paywall (Settings → Upgrade to Pro) and tap Restore purchases. As long as you sign in to the same Apple ID, your entitlement is recovered.
I have a promo code — how do I use it?
Open the App Store app → tap your profile picture (top right) → tap Redeem Gift Card or Code → enter the code. BarnMate will unlock automatically the next time you launch the app.
Does it support Family Sharing?
Yes — all BarnMate subscriptions and lifetime purchases support Apple Family Sharing. Members of your iCloud Family get access automatically when you turn on Family Sharing for your purchase.
Data, sync and privacy
Where is my data stored?
Locally on your device and in your own private iCloud account. BarnMate does not operate any server. Full details on barnmate.app/privacy.
My data isn't syncing between my iPhone and iPad. What do I do?
- Both devices must be signed in to the same Apple ID
- iCloud Drive must be on (iOS Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Drive)
- BarnMate must be enabled in the iCloud apps list
- Both devices must have internet access
- CloudKit sync can take a minute on first launch
If the issue persists after a few minutes, email us with your iCloud region and we'll investigate.
How do I export my data?
A backup / export feature is on the roadmap. In the meantime, all your data lives in your iCloud account — if you reinstall the app on the same Apple ID, everything reappears.
How do I delete all my data?
Uninstall the app. Then to also remove the iCloud copy:
iOS Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → BarnMate → Delete Data.
Troubleshooting
The app crashes on launch
- Force-quit the app (swipe up in App Switcher)
- Restart your iPhone
- Make sure iOS is up to date
- If it still crashes, email us with your iPhone model and iOS version
The weather isn't showing
Weather only appears if you have set a stable location in Settings → Stable Configuration. Without a location, BarnMate has nothing to query.
A reminder didn't fire
Check iOS Settings → Notifications → BarnMate — notifications must be allowed, and Time-Sensitive enabled if you set urgent reminders.
Roadmap
We're a one-person operation — please be patient. On the roadmap:
- Data export / backup
- Apple Watch companion app
- iPad-optimised layout
- Multi-stable support
- More languages (Portuguese, Dutch)
Feature suggestions are very welcome — email us.
Bug reports
Found a bug? Email contact@barnmate.app with:
- A short description of what happened
- What you expected instead
- iPhone model + iOS version (Settings → General → About)
- A screenshot if relevant
We'll respond and most fixes ship in the next update.