Estavo on Mobile: iPhone and Android App for Landlords
Estavo is a Progressive Web App (PWA) — install it on your iPhone or Android home screen and it runs like a native app, with no App Store download required. Self-managing landlords spend time at their properties, not at a desk. The mobile experience is designed for real fieldwork: photographing repairs, logging expenses from the property, checking who’s arriving today, and revealing a door code for a guest.
Everything in the web app works on mobile. These are the workflows that are especially fast on your phone.
What You Can Do From Your Phone
| Task | How long it takes |
|---|---|
| Check today’s obligations and guest check-ins | Tap app icon → Today view — 10 seconds |
| Log a repair expense with a receipt photo | Money → Add transaction → Take photo → Save — under 60 seconds |
| Submit a maintenance request from the property | Work → New request → Take photo → Save — under 90 seconds |
| Reveal a door code or WiFi password | Portfolio → Unit → Access & Details → Reveal — under 30 seconds |
| Confirm an obligation draft transaction | Money → Draft → Confirm — under 20 seconds |
| Check what’s due this week | Today view — immediate |
Installing on iPhone (iOS)
Open Estavo in Safari
Go to app.estavo.net in Safari — not Chrome, not Firefox. PWA installation on iOS requires Safari.
Tap the Share button
Find the Share button at the bottom center of Safari (iPhone) or top-right (iPad). It looks like a square with an upward arrow.
Tap “Add to Home Screen”
Scroll down in the share sheet to find Add to Home Screen. Tap it.
Confirm the name and tap Add
The name defaults to “Estavo.” Tap Add in the upper-right corner.
Open from your home screen
Estavo now appears on your iPhone home screen. Tap it to open in full-screen mode — no Safari address bar, no browser chrome. It looks and behaves like a native app.
iOS 16.4 or later is required for push notifications (obligation reminders, check-in alerts) on iPhone. Go to Settings → General → Software Update if you need to update.
Installing on Android
Open Estavo in Chrome
Go to app.estavo.net in Chrome on your Android phone.
Tap the three-dot menu
Tap the ⋮ menu in Chrome’s top-right corner.
Tap “Add to Home screen”
Select Add to Home screen (may also appear as “Install app” depending on your Chrome version).
Tap Add to confirm
Chrome shows a dialog with the Estavo name and icon. Tap Add.
Open from your home screen
Estavo appears on your Android home screen. Launch it for a full-screen native-app experience.
PWA Features
Works Offline
When you’re at a property with poor signal, Estavo loads the last-seen Today view from its local cache. You can review your obligations and check-in list without a connection.
Transactions entered offline are queued and sync automatically when signal returns. A status bar shows when you’re offline and when sync completes.
Camera Integration — Log Repairs and Expenses From the Field
Tap Take photo anywhere in Estavo to capture a receipt, a maintenance issue, or a completed repair — directly with your phone camera.
- Money → Add transaction → Attach receipt: Photograph invoices and receipts immediately without scanning
- Work → New request → Add photo: Document damage before any work starts
- Work → [Request] → Add photo: Capture during-work progress or after completion
No separate scanning app needed.
Push Notifications
Estavo can send push notifications to your phone for:
- Obligations due within 7 days
- Insurance or warranty policies expiring within 30 days
- Today’s check-ins (a reminder each morning when guests arrive)
- Maintenance requests assigned to you
To enable notifications:
- Open Estavo on your phone
- Go to Settings → Notifications
- Toggle on the types you want
- Allow when your browser/OS prompts
Push notifications work on Android (Chrome) and iOS 16.4+ (Safari).
Install Prompt
After your third visit to Estavo, an “Add to Home Screen” banner appears automatically at the Today view. Tap it to install — no need to go through the share menu manually.
Comparing PWA vs. Native App
| Feature | PWA (available now) | Native Android App |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone home screen icon | ✓ | — (Android only for now) |
| Android home screen icon | ✓ | ✓ |
| Full-screen experience | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline viewing | ✓ | ✓ (local cache) |
| Log income & expenses | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create & progress maintenance requests | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add properties | ✓ | ✓ |
| Account registration & deletion | ✓ | ✓ |
| Push notifications | ✓ (iOS 16.4+, Android) | ✓ |
| Subscription management | ✓ | Opens in browser |
| Biometric login (Face ID) | ✗ | Planned |
| Credential vault biometric reveal | ✗ | Planned |
| Play Store listing | ✗ | Submission in progress |
Why PWA first: The PWA covers 90%+ of mobile use cases for landlords, ships with the web app, and requires no App Store review cycle or separate codebase. It works on any phone that can run a modern browser.
The Native Android App
The native Estavo app for Android (built with Expo / React Native) is real and feature-complete for day-to-day operations: sign up or sign in, view Today / Portfolio / Money / Work, log income and expenses (including bookings with check-in/check-out dates), create and progress maintenance requests, add properties, and manage your account — including account deletion with the standard 30-day grace period.
A few things to know:
- Subscription changes happen in the browser. Tapping Manage subscription in the app opens your plan settings on the web — payment is never handled inside the app.
- Offline: read yes, write not yet. The app caches your data locally so you can review it without signal; recording a transaction still needs a connection.
- Play Store listing is being prepared. Until it’s live, the PWA is the way to install Estavo without an app store.
Still planned: an iOS native app, biometric login, Face ID/fingerprint-gated credential reveal, and receipt auto-crop. The native app shares the same backend API and data as the web app — anything you do in one is immediately reflected in the other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an Estavo app in the App Store or Google Play?
The native Android app is built and its Google Play listing is being prepared — until it’s live, install Estavo as a Progressive Web App (PWA) from your browser for a native-like experience on any phone. An iOS native app is planned; iPhone users get the full experience through the PWA today.
Why do I need to use Safari to install on iPhone?
Apple restricts PWA installation on iOS to Safari. Other browsers on iOS (Chrome, Firefox) use Safari’s rendering engine anyway, but the “Add to Home Screen” option that enables full PWA installation is only available in Safari. This is an Apple platform restriction, not an Estavo limitation.
Can I use the camera in Estavo from my iPhone?
Yes — when you tap Take photo anywhere in Estavo (iOS Safari or installed PWA), it opens your camera. You’ll be prompted to allow camera access the first time. This works for receipt photos, maintenance issue documentation, and property photos.
Do push notifications work on an older iPhone?
Push notifications for web apps require iOS 16.4 or later. If you have an older iOS version, you’ll still see all your obligations and check-ins in the Today view — you just won’t get proactive push alerts. Update to iOS 16.4+ for full notification support.
Will the PWA work on a tablet (iPad or Android tablet)?
Yes. Estavo’s responsive layout adapts to tablet screen sizes. Install via Safari on iPad (same process as iPhone) or Chrome on Android tablets. The tablet experience is similar to the desktop experience — wider layout with more visible at once.