This page walks you through your first minutes with TrialPilot: installing the app, creating an account, and setting up your profile. None of it is hard, and you can pause at any point and come back later.
If a research team invited you, you may already have a study link, QR code, or invite code. Hold on to it — you will use it after setup, in Join a study.
Download the app and create an account#
TrialPilot is built for iOS and Android. Once it is installed, the first run looks like this:
- Open the app.
- Review the welcome screens.
- Create an account or sign in.
- Review the platform consent screen.
- Complete the required profile setup.
- Choose notification and email preferences when prompted.
Your account can use an email address and password, or a supported external sign-in method when enabled. If you create a password, it must be at least 8 characters.
The platform consent screen explains how TrialPilot itself handles your data. It is separate from any study consent — every study you join later asks for its own consent, and you can read more about that in Join a study.
Notifications and email#
During setup, the app asks how you want to hear from it. Notifications can remind you about check-ins and assessments; email keeps you updated without opening the app. Choose whatever fits your life — you can change both later from More, where you can manage notifications, reminder times, and email updates.
The optional health profile#
The health profile helps studies understand whether you may be eligible, and gives your own reports more context. It is optional, and you can fill in as much or as little as you like.
The profile wizard can include:
- Name and date of birth.
- Sex and gender.
- Weight and height.
- Background, ancestry, and ethnicity.
- Chronic conditions.
- Medications.
- Diet, allergies, activity, and activity duration.
- Health goals.
- Symptoms you want to track.
- A final review of your answers before you submit.
Nothing here is set in stone. You can return to More > Health Profile later to update many of these details as things change.
Take it at your own pace
If your connection is unstable#
TrialPilot is designed to be honest about your connection, rather than pretending everything worked:
- Reading saved study information keeps working when the network is unstable.
- Some app actions can be saved on your phone and synced later, when you are back online.
- A few things genuinely need an internet connection: giving consent, deleting your account, and changing your password.
- The app shows you saved or pending data instead of pretending it already synced.
If you want to check what is still waiting to send, open More > Sync & saved data to review pending or saved entries.
Next: join a study with a link, QR code, or invite code.