Do I need a second phone to use MaskAlarm?

No. A spare phone works well, but it is not required. MaskAlarm runs on a phone placed on a stand at the head of the bed, and it stays there all night. An old phone works: any iPhone from 2017 on, or any Android phone running Android 8 or newer, on Wi-Fi alone. If you use your only phone, it is still your phone — calls and texts come through as normal; answering a call may pause monitoring, and you simply start it again.

Which old phones work with MaskAlarm?

Any iPhone that runs iOS 16 or later, which is the iPhone 8 and everything after it, and any Android phone running Android 8 or later. It needs a working camera and a Wi-Fi connection. It does not need a SIM card or a phone plan.

Will I still get calls and texts while MaskAlarm is running?

Yes. The phone keeps working as a phone. Calls ring and can be answered, and texts arrive. Answering a call may pause monitoring, so when the call ends, open MaskAlarm and start monitoring again.

Home/Guides

Getting set up

Do I need a second phone for MaskAlarm?

No. A spare phone works well, but it is not required — and not knowing this is, we think, why some people install the app and never start a night. Here is the honest answer: what the phone does all night, which old phones work, and what happens to your calls and texts if the phone on the stand is your only one.

What the phone is doing all night

MaskAlarm is a camera. It sits on a stand at the head of the bed, pointed at the pillow, and about once a minute it takes a small picture and checks one thing: is the mask still on? If it is not, the phone sounds an alarm, usually within one to two minutes, and keeps sounding until the mask is back on — for as long as you set it to.

That means the phone has to stay on the stand, plugged in, for the whole night. It is not an app you glance at. It is a thing you set down at bedtime and pick up in the morning. If you installed MaskAlarm expecting something you could keep in your hand, that is the surprise, and it is why some people never start a session.

The old phone in your drawer will do

Most households have one. The phone you replaced, the one with the cracked corner, the one a family member upgraded from. If it turns on and the camera works, it is very likely enough.

iPhone: anything that runs iOS 16 or later. That is the iPhone 8 and everything after it, so any iPhone from 2017 on.
Android: anything running Android 8 or later, which covers most phones from 2017 on. Check in Settings under “About phone” if you are not sure.
Wi-Fi is all it needs. MaskAlarm sends each picture over the internet to be checked, so the phone needs Wi-Fi. It does not need a SIM card, a phone number, or a plan. A phone with no service at all works fine on your home network.
The camera matters more than the speed. The app is not demanding. An older phone with a decent rear camera does the job.

Charge it, put it on a stand, connect it to Wi-Fi, install the app, and it becomes a device with one purpose. Turn off its other notifications and nothing else on it needs to bother you at 3am.

If you use your only phone

That works too. The phone on the stand is still your phone.

Calls still ring, and you can answer them. Texts still arrive. Nothing about MaskAlarm switches the phone off or locks it up.
Answering a call may pause monitoring. When the phone hands itself over to the call, the camera stops watching. When the call ends, open MaskAlarm and press Start again — one tap.
Put the phone back on the stand afterwards. Obvious, but it is the step people forget at 2am.
On iPhone, the app needs to stay open and on screen. That is how iPhones work, not a choice we made. If you switch to another app for a while, come back and start monitoring again.

The trade-off is simple. Your only phone means one fewer thing to buy or charge, and the occasional restart after a call. A spare phone means no calls to interrupt it, and your own phone stays in your hand.

Setting it up so it lasts the night

Plug it in. A camera running all night is more than any phone battery will do. Use the charger.
Use a stand at the head of the bed. A cheap phone tripod or a bedside clamp. The app guides you through framing the pillow the first time.
Leave a little light. The camera needs to see. A dim lamp or a night light in the room is usually enough, and the app tells you during setup if it is too dark.
Turn off other notifications on a spare phone so it does not light up and chime through the night for reasons that have nothing to do with the mask.

What it is not

MaskAlarm is a consumer aid, not a medical device. It does not diagnose or treat anything, it does not replace a clinician, and it will not catch every event. It needs a reasonably clear view of the bed, and detached-hose detection in particular is best-effort and works better against light-coloured bedding.

How it works Plans and pricing For caregivers

MaskAlarm (CPAP Mask-Off Alarm) is a consumer convenience aid and is not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and it is not a substitute for medical care or caregiver supervision. Always follow the guidance of the treating clinician.