Before you turn on EmbracePlus, make sure you have your login credentials for the Care App.
EmbracePlus arrives powered off. Follow the steps below to turn it on and pair it.
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Press the upper side button to turn on EmbracePlus. The small hand on the removable sticker shows you where the button is.
- The display shows ‘HI’. Remove the sticker and go to the next step. If nothing happens when you press the button, the battery is empty and you need to put EmbracePlus on the cable charger.
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Pair EmbracePlus with the Care App on your compatible phone by following the in-app instructions.
Keep EmbracePlus and the phone next to each other while they pair. -
EmbracePlus usually opens the pairing screen on its own. If it doesn’t, press and hold the upper button for 5 seconds to open it manually:
If EmbracePlus was paired before, it won’t enter pairing mode while it’s still connected to another phone. Delete the pairing from that phone’s Bluetooth settings first.
- Tap ‘Start pairing’ in the Care App.
- Press the upper button (OK) once to send the pairing request.
If you don’t press OK, the request times out and pairing fails. Follow the app instructions to try again. - Follow the on-screen instructions and wait for EmbracePlus to connect to your phone. Accept any permissions the app asks for, because it needs them to work properly.
- Pairing is done when you see ‘EmbracePlus is paired and ready to collect data’.
If pairing takes longer than a few minutes, EmbracePlus turns itself off to save battery. Go back to step 1. - EmbracePlus is ready when the display shows the time and the Empatica heart icon.
- The app then shows a guide on how to wear EmbracePlus correctly. Read it carefully: wearing the device properly is what makes the data good.
- The Care App shows ‘Care is working correctly’ on a teal background. You’re now ready to use EmbracePlus with the Care App. See here for what the other Care App statuses mean.
Android Phone configuration
Many Android phones shut down background apps to save battery. This can include the Care App.
The Care App needs to keep running in the background. If it closes, your phone can’t communicate with EmbracePlus and the connection drops.
The steps below usually keep the Care App running. Exact menu names vary by phone model:
- Let the Care App run in the background by giving it unrestricted battery access.
- Settings > Apps > Care App (App info) > Battery > choose Unrestricted, or
- Settings > Apps > Care App (App info) > Battery usage > turn on Allow Background Activity
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Turn off battery optimization in your phone’s settings.
- Settings > Battery > turn OFF any power-saving features or modes
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Lock or pin the Care App in your Recent apps.
- Recent apps > Care App > Lock app (padlock icon)
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Turn off ‘deep sleeping’, ‘sleeping’, and ‘doze’ modes, or anything similar on your phone.
- Settings > Battery > Background usage limits > remove Care App from ‘Sleeping apps’, or
- Settings > Battery > top-right 3 dots > Battery Optimization > All Apps > find Care App > select Don’t Optimize
For steady data collection, we also recommend keeping EmbracePlus as the only Bluetooth device paired to your phone. On some phones (especially Android), other Bluetooth devices such as wireless earbuds or speakers can disrupt the data flow from EmbracePlus.
Disclaimer: These settings depend on your phone’s make and Android version. For best performance, check the compatibility requirements here.
Trouble Pairing Your EmbracePlus to the Care App?
The Care App asks you to pair EmbracePlus right after you log in. Pairing can fail in three ways:
- The app can’t find EmbracePlus.
- The app finds EmbracePlus, but the connection doesn’t complete.
- Your phone isn’t connected to the internet.
First, check that all of these are true:
- Your phone is compatible and runs at least android 13 or ios 18, with Bluetooth 5.0 or higher.
- Bluetooth is on and allowed for the Care App.
- android byod Location services are on and allowed for the Care App. (Android requires location services for Bluetooth scanning. The Care App will not access, share, or store any location information for any of its features.)
- EmbracePlus is not paired to another phone. To check, look at the EmbracePlus display: the Empatica heart icon should not be visible at the 12 o’clock position.
- EmbracePlus is ON and discoverable. Press the upper button on the right-hand side to confirm it has charge.
- Your phone is connected to the internet.
- You’re pairing from the Care App, not from your phone’s Bluetooth settings.
If pairing still fails, try this:
- Put EmbracePlus on the cable charger. The display shows a battery icon and the battery percentage.
- Restart the Care App:
- Force close the Care App, wait about 5 seconds, then open it again.
- Try pairing again.
- Reset your phone’s settings, then try pairing again:
- android Clear the Bluetooth cache. Check your phone’s user manual for how to do this.
- ios Reset Network Settings
Resetting your phone’s settings deletes all saved WiFi networks and paired Bluetooth devices. You’ll need to rejoin your WiFi networks and pair your other Bluetooth devices again.
If the problem continues, fill in the form by clicking Submit a request at the bottom of this page, or use this link. Please include as much detail as you can, and the Empatica Research Support Team will reach out to help you.