Frequently Asked Questions
CapitolBuddy is a tool for those that work in the capitol to easily find legislator contact info, biographical info, and take notes for each individual. We want to make you more efficient and savvy at what you do. If you don't see your question answered below, please contact us.
How do I switch to a different state?
Click "Change State" in the top right of the "Options" view. This will give you the chance to buy other states as well.
Where are my notes being saved? Will anyone else be able to see them?
Your notes are stored locally on your phone/tablet, then synced to our servers, so you can restore them if you ever lose your device. Your notes are only shareable if you take advantage of the "Email" button located in each legislators' notes. We imagined you would mostly email the notes to yourself.
I'm not sure my notes are syncing between devices... can I do it manually?
Your notes will be synced when you launch the app. And you can manually sync up notes between devices in the "Change State" view, by choosing your state again.
If any legislator information changes will the app update automatically?
We monitor the legislature websites for changes and will deploy updates to you as needed. Your app checks for these updates at each launch. To refresh your data manually, click on the state name in the "Change State" view.
Where did the 'Unsent' icons go?
This feature has been discontinued as of version 1.6. If you were using the icons to mark legislators, consider using the Vote Count tool as an alternative.
Why do I have to sign up and log in?
Sign in once and CapitolBuddy remembers at every launch. Signing in allows you to back up your notes, vote counts, and restore purchases if you ever get a new phone/tablet or reinstall the app.
I purchased a state, but I don’t see it anymore. How do I get that back?
The app should restore all purchases upon loading, so if you do not see your newly purchased state in your list, please let our support team know. It is likely that the purchase notification just never made it to our servers.
Where did the 'Restore' button go?
Your purchases now auto-restore upon loading the ‘Change State’ screen. Notes and Vote Counts are auto-synced every time the app is launched. So the ‘Restore’ button is no longer needed.
What about the 'Note Feed' menu item?
In version 1.6, we’ve added the capability of making relational notes. So you can tag legislators in each note, share the note with other CapitolBuddy users, and see recently updated notes in the ‘Note Feed’.
What are teams?
Teams are a way to quickly share notes with one group of people. You can edit teams either in ‘Edit Profile’ or through the ‘My Teams’ tab on ‘Note Feed’. Blue members of a team indicate that they are managers. Managers can add/remove team members.
Why do I need to edit my profile?
Add a picture, organization name, and your real name to your profile to make it easier for your colleagues to find you. You can also edit your teams, your username, or your password in the ‘Edit Profile’ section.
Click "Change State" in the top right of the "Options" view. This will give you the chance to buy other states as well.
Where are my notes being saved? Will anyone else be able to see them?
Your notes are stored locally on your phone/tablet, then synced to our servers, so you can restore them if you ever lose your device. Your notes are only shareable if you take advantage of the "Email" button located in each legislators' notes. We imagined you would mostly email the notes to yourself.
I'm not sure my notes are syncing between devices... can I do it manually?
Your notes will be synced when you launch the app. And you can manually sync up notes between devices in the "Change State" view, by choosing your state again.
If any legislator information changes will the app update automatically?
We monitor the legislature websites for changes and will deploy updates to you as needed. Your app checks for these updates at each launch. To refresh your data manually, click on the state name in the "Change State" view.
Where did the 'Unsent' icons go?
This feature has been discontinued as of version 1.6. If you were using the icons to mark legislators, consider using the Vote Count tool as an alternative.
Why do I have to sign up and log in?
Sign in once and CapitolBuddy remembers at every launch. Signing in allows you to back up your notes, vote counts, and restore purchases if you ever get a new phone/tablet or reinstall the app.
I purchased a state, but I don’t see it anymore. How do I get that back?
The app should restore all purchases upon loading, so if you do not see your newly purchased state in your list, please let our support team know. It is likely that the purchase notification just never made it to our servers.
Where did the 'Restore' button go?
Your purchases now auto-restore upon loading the ‘Change State’ screen. Notes and Vote Counts are auto-synced every time the app is launched. So the ‘Restore’ button is no longer needed.
What about the 'Note Feed' menu item?
In version 1.6, we’ve added the capability of making relational notes. So you can tag legislators in each note, share the note with other CapitolBuddy users, and see recently updated notes in the ‘Note Feed’.
What are teams?
Teams are a way to quickly share notes with one group of people. You can edit teams either in ‘Edit Profile’ or through the ‘My Teams’ tab on ‘Note Feed’. Blue members of a team indicate that they are managers. Managers can add/remove team members.
Why do I need to edit my profile?
Add a picture, organization name, and your real name to your profile to make it easier for your colleagues to find you. You can also edit your teams, your username, or your password in the ‘Edit Profile’ section.