Getting started
Emma is free to download. You can try her free for 3 days, and then a one-time purchase unlocks her for life. When you first open the app, Emma will introduce herself and walk you through a short setup. You can ask Emma a question by typing, or — if your phone supports it — by tapping the microphone and speaking.
Q What do I need to run Emma?
An iPhone with iOS 17 or later, or an Android phone with Android 12 or later and 4 GB of memory or more. Emma's AI runs entirely on your phone, so it asks for around 2.6 GB of free space for its AI files plus room to work. On iPhone, if the phone doesn't have enough memory, Emma tells you clearly rather than misbehaving.
The first-run download (why Emma downloads ~2.6 GB)
Emma is different from most health apps: her AI runs entirely on your phone, with no server in the loop. That means the AI itself has to be downloaded to your device the first time you set Emma up.
Q How long does the first-run download take?
In our own testing, on one home Wi-Fi connection, it took about 20 minutes (one Android phone, October 2026). Your time will depend on your connection. On iPhone, Emma shows you the size first, and the download starts only when you tap Download now. On Android, it starts by itself when you start the free trial or unlock Emma; Emma waits for Wi-Fi unless you turn on Download over mobile data too. It picks up where it left off if it's interrupted. We strongly recommend being on Wi-Fi for the first launch.
Q The download seems stuck or slow.
Keep the app open and the screen on while it finishes the first time — phones slow background downloads when locked. Make sure you have a stable Wi-Fi connection and enough free storage. If it still won't complete, email
info@withemma.health and tell us your phone model and its iOS or Android version.
Q Does Emma work offline after that?
Yes. Once the one-time download is done, Emma answers your questions, listens, and keeps your Journey Log with no internet connection at all.
Talking & listening to Emma
Q I can't see the microphone button.
If your device or language can't recognise speech on-device, Emma hides the microphone rather than sending your voice away — your privacy comes first. You can always type your question instead.
Q Emma's voice doesn't sound the way I'd like.
Open Settings inside Emma and choose a voice. On iPhone, some higher-quality British voices need to be downloaded once from your iPhone's own settings — Emma's voice menu guides you through it. On Android, the voices come from your phone's text-to-speech settings.
Q Is my voice sent anywhere?
No. Speech recognition and read-aloud both happen on your phone. Your voice is never transmitted to us, to Apple, or to anyone else.
Your Journey Log
The Journey Log is where you can keep your eye-pressure readings, appointments, notes and photos of your medical reports — all on your phone. You can export it as a clear PDF to take to, or share with, your eye doctor.
Q How do I export a summary for my appointment?
Open the Journey Log and choose the export / share option to produce a PDF you can hand to your clinician or email yourself.
Q Will I lose my entries if I change phones?
Your Journey Log lives on your device. On iPhone, if you turn on the optional iCloud backup (off by default), your entries can move with you via your own iCloud account. Android has no backup yet, so your entries stay on the old phone — create and share your PDF summary before you change.
Reminders
Q Emma's reminders aren't appearing.
Check that notifications are allowed for Emma in your phone's settings — on iPhone, Settings > Notifications; on Android, the notification settings for Emma under Apps. Reminders that speak aloud also follow your phone's silent switch and volume.
Reading aid (camera)
Q What is the reading aid for?
It reads small print aloud — a medicine label, a letter, a leaflet. The text recognition runs on your phone; photos are never uploaded. Emma asks for camera access only at the moment you use this feature.
Free trial, purchase & restoring it
Emma is free to download, and you can try her free for 3 days. After that, a one-time purchase of £24.99 unlocks the full companion for life — there is no subscription. On iPhone, the purchase is shared with your family through Family Sharing.
Q How does the free trial work?
Tap Start 3-day free trial in Emma. The 3 days start when Emma is ready to talk, so the one-time download does not use up your trial. If Emma is still not ready 7 days after you tapped, the 3 days start then anyway. Nothing is charged automatically when the trial ends. After the trial, you can still see your Journey Log, dose history and eye-pressure readings, and export your clinician PDF. Talk to Emma, the reading aid, new entries and reminders stop until you unlock Emma.
Q I bought Emma but I'm on a new phone — how do I get it back?
Open Emma's Settings and tap Restore purchase. Make sure you're signed in to the same Apple ID or Google account you bought with. Restoring is free and never charges you again.
Q Can my family use my purchase?
On iPhone, yes — Emma's lifetime unlock supports Apple Family Sharing, so the people in your family group can use it too. On Android, the purchase belongs to the Google account that made it.
Sponsored & clinic access
Q My clinic gave me a link or code to unlock Emma — what do I do?
Some clinics and organisations sponsor Emma for their patients. This works on
Android: tap the activation link they sent you on your phone, or tap
Have an access code? on Emma's purchase screen or in
Settings and paste the code. This unlocks the full app at no cost to you. On
iPhone, Emma can be unlocked only through the App Store, so activation links and access codes do not work there. If you use an iPhone and a clinic has offered to sponsor you, or if the link doesn't work, email
info@withemma.health.
Your privacy & deleting your data
Your health information stays on your phone. We can't see it. For the full detail, read our Privacy Policy.
Q How do I delete everything?
You can clear your data from within Emma's Settings, and deleting the app removes all on-device data permanently. If you turned on iCloud backup, you can remove that copy from your iPhone's iCloud settings.
Accessibility
Emma is built for people living with sight loss. It works with larger text, supports VoiceOver, and offers spoken interaction so you don't have to rely on reading the screen. See our full Accessibility Statement.
Still stuck?
Email a real person
General help & bug reports: info@withemma.health
Privacy & your data: privacy@withemma.health
It helps us if you include your phone model, its iOS or Android version, and a short description of what happened. We aim to reply within two working days.
Remember: Emma is a companion that provides general eye-health information and support. She is not a medical device and does not give personalised medical advice. For anything about your specific condition or treatment — and for any sudden change in your vision — please contact your eye specialist, your GP, or urgent care.