Frequently asked questions
Donna is a digital assistant that calls your older loved one on the phone they already have, cell or landline, as often as you choose. She has friendly, natural conversations, delivers the reminders you set, and sends you a summary in the app after every call, so you always know how your parent is doing.
| Capability | Donna | AlexaEcho | ChatGPTOpenAI | SiriApple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can tell you tomorrow's weather | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Long, natural conversations | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Remembers past conversations | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Calls their phone on your schedule | Yes | No | No | No |
| Patient with pauses & senior pacing | Yes | No | No | No |
| Family sets it up & gets recaps | Yes | No | No | No |
| No wifi, gadgets, or apps for them | Yes | No | No | No |
Everyone else answers. Donna calls.
Not at all. Donna uses advanced voice AI that sounds natural and friendly. She listens, responds thoughtfully, remembers past conversations, and gets more familiar over time. Most people find her easy and enjoyable to talk to.
If your parent doesn’t pick up, Donna will notify you in the app that the call was missed. You can redial them on Donna’s behalf, and they are also able to call Donna directly. If you don’t want notifications for missed calls, you can disable them in the ‘Settings’ tab under ‘Preferences’.
Yes, absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel anytime directly from the app.
Calls typically last 1 to 15 minutes. Donna chats about their interests and daily life, delivers any everyday reminders you’ve set, and wraps up the call when your loved one is ready. Afterwards, a summary appears in your app. Some seniors just like quick reminders, while others love to chat for hours a week. There’s no right way to use Donna.
Within minutes of completing setup. You enter your loved one’s name, phone number, interests, and preferred call time, and Donna starts calling on the schedule you choose.
We encrypt sensitive information and do not sell personal data. We use service providers only as needed to operate Donna. You can review the privacy policy and third-party services pages at the bottom of this page.
Yes, and Donna makes that easy. Before any regular calls start, Donna makes an introductory consent call: she says hello, explains that she’s an AI assistant set up by their family, and asks your loved one if they’d like her to call. Regular calls only begin once they say yes. Nobody gets surprise calls from a stranger.
Every family likes to use Donna slightly differently. Some focus on simple reminders and routines. Some treat it like getting a ‘Siri’ or ‘Alexa’ their parent can call whenever they like to learn things on the internet. Some seniors like it for companionship. Some seniors enjoy it as entertainment and brain exercise, having fun conversations with an advanced technology made approachable. And many early testers have found other useful ways to get value out of Donna.
The only right way to use Donna is however it best serves you and your loved one.
If your parent can answer a phone call, then no. We intentionally designed Donna this way because we want seniors (those great with technology, those who are curious about technology, and those who don’t even know what an ‘app’ is) to all be able to enjoy Donna.
And Donna is simple for you, too. You can manage signup, call times, reminders, and more all from our mobile app.
Donna speaks English and Spanish, so your loved one can chat in whichever language they’re most comfortable with.
Donna is not a medical alert system or emergency response service. Donna is for friendly conversation, everyday reminders, and keeping family in the loop. If someone may be in immediate danger, call emergency services.