Kinto for Android

Kinto is a free app that lets you chat with Sarah, a friendly AI companion. This page takes you from downloading the app to saying your first hello. It takes about five minutes.

What you need

• An Android phone or tablet with Android 10 or later. To check, open Settings → About phone → Android version (the exact names vary a little between phone makers).
• An internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• An email address you can open, for your Kinto account.

1. Install the app

Kinto will be on Google Play as Kinto: Sarah, AI companion. Open the Play Store, tap the search bar, type Kinto and tap Install. The app is free, with no adverts and no in-app purchases.

When it has installed, tap Open, or tap the Kinto icon on your home screen.

2. Read the welcome screens

Three short screens introduce Sarah: Meet Sarah, Talk or type and Privacy & safety. Tap Continue to move on, and Get started on the last one. The last screen explains where your messages go and has a link, Read our privacy policy. Please read it, or ask a family member to read it with you. You can tap Skip, and see the screens again later from Settings.

3. Agree to how Kinto works

Next you’ll see Before you meet Sarah. It explains, in three short cards, what happens to Your messages, how Voice works on Android, and that Sarah is an AI. In short:

• What you type or dictate goes to Kinto’s servers, and our AI providers use it to write Sarah’s replies.
• While spoken replies are on, the text of Sarah’s replies goes through Kinto to our voice provider, ElevenLabs, to create her voice.
• Dictation uses your phone’s own speech recognition (usually Google’s). Kinto receives only the words, not the recording.
• Sarah isn’t a medical or emergency service. In an emergency, call 999.

Take your time to read it, or ask a family member to read it with you.

1. Scroll down. You can open the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use to read them in full.
2. Tap the box next to I agree to Kinto processing my messages and using voice services as described above, and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. A tick appears.
3. Tap Agree and continue. (It can’t be tapped until the box is ticked.)

4. Create your account, or sign in

Anyone can create a Kinto account in the app. You don’t need an invitation. If you’ve used Kinto before, on any phone, sign in with the same email and password.

New to Kinto

1. Under Don’t have an account?, tap Sign Up. You’ll see Make yourself at home.
2. Type your Email.
3. Choose a Password of at least 8 characters, and type it again in Confirm Password.
4. Tap Create Account. You’re signed in straight away.

Before you create an account, please read the privacy policy and the terms of use. They explain how Kinto handles your information.

Already have an account

1. Under Welcome back, type your Email and Password.
2. Tap Sign In.

If you’re asked for a code

Most people won’t see this. If your account has two-step verification turned on (for example, because you also work in a care team and set it up on the Kinto website), you’ll see Two-step verification after your password.

1. Open your authenticator app and find Kinto.
2. Type the 6-digit code into Verification code and tap Verify.
3. No phone to hand? Tap Use a recovery code and type one of the recovery codes you saved. Each code works once.
4. Tap Back to sign in if you want to start again.

Forgotten your password?

1. Type your email address in the Email box on the sign-in screen.
2. Tap Forgot password?. You’ll see If an account exists for that email, reset instructions will be sent.
3. Open the email from Kinto and tap the link within one hour. It opens a Kinto account page on the Kinto website where you choose a new password.
4. Come back to the app and sign in with your new password.

5. Say hello

You’ll see Sarah’s chat screen with A little space for you. Tap Message Sarah… and type hello. See Chatting with Sarah.

Chatting with Sarah is like sending text messages. You can type, or speak your message and let the phone write it down for you. Sarah can read her replies out loud.

The message box

At the bottom of the chat there’s a message box with four buttons. From left to right:

Send a message

1. Tap Message Sarah…. The keyboard appears.
2. Type your message, for example “Good morning, Sarah. It’s sunny here today.”
3. Tap the round send button.

Speak instead of typing (dictation)

1. Tap the microphone button.
2. The first time, your phone asks to let Kinto record audio. Tap While using the app (or Allow).
3. Speak your message. A wavy line shows Kinto is listening.
4. Tap the stop button to keep your words, or the X to throw them away.
5. Check the words in the box, correct anything that’s wrong, then tap send.

That’s how dictation works unless you turn on hands-free mode (the two circling arrows). Then your message sends itself when you stop speaking, without a chance to check it. See Voice on Android.

Hear Sarah’s replies

Spoken replies are on when you first start: Sarah reads each reply aloud. Tap the speaker button in the message box to turn this off or on; turning it off stops her straight away. To hear one reply again, tap the small play button under it.

• Tap the copy button under one of Sarah’s replies to copy it.
• Made a mistake in something you sent? Tap Edit under your message, change it and tap Save & Resend.

Conversations

Sarah remembers what you’ve told her, and keeps your conversations so you can come back to them.

1. To start afresh, tap the new conversation button (a pencil and lines) at the top right, then Start new conversation.
2. To find an earlier conversation, tap the menu button (three lines) at the top left. Your Recent conversations are listed.
3. Tap one, then Open conversation.

Changing conversation never deletes anything; it only clears a message you hadn’t sent yet. If Sarah is still replying you’ll be asked to wait, or to tap Cancel current reply.

Report a reply

If Sarah’s last reply was wrong, unkind or worrying, open the menu and tap Report a reply. See Settings, privacy and reporting a reply.

Making things easier to see

• Kinto follows your phone’s text size. Open your phone’s Settings → Display → Font size (on some phones Display size and text) and make the text bigger.
• Kinto works with TalkBack, for people who prefer to hear what’s on the screen.

On Android you can speak your messages and hear Sarah’s replies. Here’s exactly what voice can and can’t do on Android today.

What Android can do

• Dictation: tap the microphone and speak; your words appear in the box for you to check and send (unless you turn on hands-free mode, below). Your phone’s own speech recognition (usually Google’s) turns your speech into text; Kinto receives only the words, not the recording.
• Spoken replies: Sarah reads her replies aloud in her own voice. If her voice isn’t available for a moment, your phone’s built-in voice reads them instead.
• Play again: tap the play button under any reply to hear it again.

Not on Android yet

If you ask Sarah to call you on Android, she can’t yet. You can still chat with her any time, by typing or speaking your messages.

Hands-free mode

The button with two circling arrows in the message box turns on hands-free mode. It’s off when you start. With it on, Kinto works more like a conversation:

• after you tap the microphone and speak, your message sends itself once you’ve been quiet for about 3 seconds. A red ring around the microphone counts down;
• after Sarah finishes speaking her reply, the microphone switches on again to listen for your answer.

If the microphone doesn’t work

1. Open Kinto’s Settings from the menu, and under Privacy & permissions tap Open Android settings.
2. Tap Permissions, then Microphone, and choose Allow only while using the app.
3. Come back to Kinto and tap the microphone again.

A quiet room helps. If dictation still doesn’t work, you can always type.

To open Settings, tap the menu button (three lines) at the top left of the chat, then Settings. Tap the back arrow to return to Sarah.

What’s in Settings

Your privacy, in plain words

• What you type or say to Sarah goes to Kinto’s servers, and our AI provider uses it to write Sarah’s replies.
• Your conversations are saved to your account so Sarah can remember you and you can come back to them.
• While spoken replies are on, the text of Sarah’s replies is sent to our voice provider to create her voice.
• Dictation uses your phone’s speech recognition (usually Google’s), which may send your audio to Google.
• Kinto has no adverts and doesn’t sell your information.

The privacy policy names every provider, says where your information goes and how long it’s kept, and explains your rights.

Report a reply

If Sarah said something wrong, unkind or worrying, please tell us.

1. Tap Report a reply, in the menu or in Settings under Safety.
2. Your email app opens a message to support@kinto.you called Report a reply from Sarah. It already includes Sarah’s most recent reply and a reference for the conversation.
3. Under Tell us what was wrong with Sarah’s reply:, describe what happened.
4. Tap send in your email app.

Sign out

1. Open Settings and scroll to Account.
2. Tap Sign out. Kinto asks Sign out of Kinto?
3. Tap Sign out to confirm.

Your conversations stay saved to your account; only this phone’s copy is cleared. Sign back in at any time.

Delete your account

1. Open Settings, scroll to Account and tap Delete account.
2. Kinto asks Delete your account? Type your Password.
3. Tap Delete account.
4. If your account uses two-step verification, a Two-step verification code box appears. Type the code from your authenticator app (or a recovery code) and tap Delete account again.

The app’s data is wiped from your phone and you’re taken back to the sign-in screen. You can then uninstall the app.

If it doesn’t work

• A message that you’re the only owner, for example You’re the only owner of Rose Court. Transfer ownership before deleting your account.: your account is in charge of a care home or a family space. Another owner needs to be added first. Care home staff should ask another owner in their home, or email support@kinto.you.
• Please sign in again before deleting your account. Sign out, sign back in, and try again.
• Couldn’t delete your account. Please try again. Check your password and your internet connection.

No longer have the app?

You can delete your account on the Kinto website instead, at kinto.you/delete-account.

Sarah is there for a friendly chat. To keep everyone safe, it helps to know what she is, and what she isn’t.

Sarah is an AI

• Sarah is a computer program, not a person. She isn’t a nurse, a doctor or a carer.
• She can get things wrong, mishear you or misunderstand. Her replies are not medical advice.
• She doesn’t watch over you, and she can’t send help or tell anyone if you’re unwell.
• Kinto doesn’t make phone calls, and it can’t call 999 for you. If you need urgent help, call 999 yourself, or your local emergency number if you’re outside the UK.

Who to talk to instead

Keeping your account safe

• Never share your password or any code with anyone, including people who say they’re from Kinto. We will never ask.
• Lock your phone with a PIN, pattern or fingerprint, so only you can open your chats.
• If you share a tablet, sign out when you’ve finished.

Questions? See Questions from residents and families.