Vanio Mobile App

What it does

The Vanio mobile app gives you and your team full access to the Vanio dashboard from any phone or tablet. Receive push notifications for new messages, task updates, and urgent alerts. Your cleaning team can check task checklists, upload photos, and mark tasks complete from the field. Guests get their own lightweight portal as a progressive web app (PWA) they can add to their home screen.

Getting started

Installing the app

For property managers and staff:

1. Download Vanio from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android)
2. Open the app and sign in with your Vanio account credentials
3. Grant notification permissions when prompted — this enables real-time alerts
4. The app opens to your dashboard, identical to the desktop experience

Alternative: Add to Home Screen (PWA):

1. Visit your Vanio dashboard in Safari (iOS) or Chrome (Android)
2. Look for the "Add to Home Screen" option in your browser menu
3. Tap Add — the Vanio icon appears on your home screen with proper branding
4. Opening from your home screen launches Vanio in full-screen app mode

For guests (PWA):

1. Guests receive a link to their booking portal in their pre-arrival message
2. Opening the link in a mobile browser shows a prompt: "Add to Home Screen"
3. Once added, the portal behaves like a native app — full-screen, fast, with offline access to key information

Enabling push notifications

After signing in:

1. The app prompts you to allow notifications — tap Allow
2. Go to Settings > Notifications in the app to customize which alerts you receive
3. Choose notification categories: messages, task updates, check-in/out alerts, payment notifications

Note: Push notifications only appear when using Vanio as an installed app (either downloaded from app stores or added to your home screen). Regular browser tabs won't show notification prompts to keep your browsing experience clean.

How it works

Manager experience

The mobile app mirrors the full desktop dashboard. You can:

• View and respond to guest messages across all platforms
• Check the Operations Dashboard and Schedule Board
• Review task progress and completion photos
• Access the calendar and reservation details
• Run AI commands through the chat interface
• Approve or decline time-sensitive requests (early check-in, late checkout)

Team member experience

Staff who log in see a simplified view focused on their assigned tasks:

• Today's task list — All assigned tasks with property details and directions
• Task checklists — Step-by-step checklist items to complete, with photo upload prompts
• Clock in/out — Start and complete tasks with timestamps
• Navigation — One-tap directions to the next property via Google Maps or Apple Maps

Guest portal (PWA)

The guest portal provides guests with:

• Check-in instructions and access codes
• Property information and house rules
• Local recommendations and guidebook content
• Direct messaging with the host or AI assistant
• Booking details and payment receipts

Offline support

The app caches essential data locally so your team can access task details and checklists even in areas with poor connectivity. Photos taken offline are queued and uploaded automatically when a connection is restored.

Key features

• Push notifications — Real-time alerts for messages, tasks, check-ins, and payments (app-only)
• Full dashboard access — Every feature available on desktop works on mobile
• Task management — Checklists, photo uploads, and clock in/out for field teams
• Offline mode — Access task details and upload photos without connectivity
• Guest PWA — Lightweight portal guests can add to their home screen
• Proper branding — Correct logos and app names when installing on your device
• Cross-platform — Native apps for iOS and Android built with Capacitor

Tips & best practices

Require your cleaning team to use the app. Task check-ins, checklist photos, and completion timestamps only work when team members use the app in the field.

Install as an app for notifications. Download from app stores or use "Add to Home Screen" to receive push notifications. Regular browser tabs won't show notification prompts.

Customize notification preferences. Managers should enable all notification categories. Cleaners should focus on task assignments and updates to avoid notification fatigue.

Encourage guests to add the portal. Include instructions in your pre-arrival message for adding the PWA to their home screen. Guests who use the portal send fewer repetitive questions.

Check the app after hours. Push notifications ensure you do not miss urgent guest requests or task failures outside business hours.

Common questions

Why don't I see notification options in my browser? Push notifications only work when Vanio is installed as an app on your device. Either download from your device's app store or use "Add to Home Screen" from your mobile browser.

The app shows the wrong logo when I install it. What's wrong? This was a previous issue that's now fixed. If you installed Vanio before this update, try removing and re-adding it to see the correct branding.

Can my team use the browser instead of installing the app? Yes, but they won't receive push notifications for new tasks or updates. Installing the app ensures they stay connected to urgent alerts in the field.