There are two Ask A Vet apps and one role picker, which trips a few people up. This article explains which app you need and what the I'm a pet owner / I am a vet choice actually does.
Two apps
| App | Who it's for |
|---|---|
| Ask A Vet | Pet owners. It's the one this help center is about, and the one you'll find in the App Store and Google Play. |
| Ask A Vet Partners | Veterinarians. It's a separate app. |
Please note: if you're testing a pre-release build, the app name will be prefixed — for example "STG" or "Preprod". Those are not the public apps.
The role picker on the welcome screen
At the bottom of the welcome slides there's a two-tab picker:
| Tab | What you'll see |
|---|---|
| I'm a pet owner | A Register button, plus "Already have an account?" → Log In |
| I am a vet | A Log In button only |
Tapping Register always creates a pet-owner account, whichever tab is highlighted. Tapping Log In keeps the tab you selected.
Important: veterinarians cannot sign themselves up. Vet accounts are created by the Ask A Vet team, and you log in with the details you're given. [CONFIRM: how a veterinarian applies to join the Ask A Vet platform, and where the Partners app is downloaded from]
If your account is both
Some accounts hold both a pet-owner and a veterinarian role. In that case the experience you get is decided by the tab you chose when logging in. If your account has only one role, you're taken straight to it — no picker decision needed.
"Access restricted"
If someone shares a pet with you, the pet's owner decides what you can see and do. When you tap something you haven't been given access to, a modal appears:
Access restricted — "You don't have permission to perform this action. Please contact the pet owner for access."
You may see wording specific to the action you tried — editing a pet, tracker access, vet chat, booking a call or the calendar. The fix is always the same: ask the pet's owner to grant you that permission. See the Family Sharing section of this help center for how permissions are set.
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