# Rachio App: Quick Start Guide > Now that you have your Rachio controller on your account, this guide will show you how to navigate the Rachio app (iOS and Android) and use all of the great ... Source: https://support.rachio.com/en_us/rachio-app-quick-start-guide-HJ_mNilgK Last updated: 2026-05-26T21:25:47.355Z # Welcome to Rachio! This guide will show you how to navigate the Rachio app (iOS and Android) and use all of the great water-saving features.  If you're looking for help installing and setting up your controller, check out the [Wiring Your Sprinkler Controller - Basic and Advanced Wiring](https://support.rachio.com/en_us/wiring-your-sprinkler-controller-basic-and-advanced-wiring-B1njPIyYD). ## Contents 1. [Initial Setup](#section-1) 2. [Account Settings](#section-2) 3. [Device Main Menu](#section-3) 4. [Home Tab](#section-4) 5. [Zones Tab](#section-5) 6. [Schedules Tab](#section-6) 7. [Settings Tab](#section-7) ### **Related Articles** * [Understanding Sprinkler Controller Schedule Types](https://rachio.kustomer.help/en_us/understanding-sprinkler-controller-schedule-types-ryGGSWcfZe) * [Adjust Watering Duration & Frequency of Flex Schedules](https://rachio.kustomer.help/en_us/how-do-i-edit-duration-and-frequency-on-flexible-daily-schedules-r10FDLkFw) * [Creating, Editing, Duplicating, and Deleting Schedules](https://support.rachio.com/en_us/creating-editing-duplicating-and-deleting-schedules-r15XepFfbe) * [Rachio Weather Intelligence](https://support.rachio.com/B153wIJKD) ## Initial Setup: Getting up and running with the Rachio app is very easy: 1. **Download the** [**Rachio App**](https://support.rachio.com/HJodD8JYD)**.**  2. **Create a Rachio account.** Creating an account is required to utilize the Rachio app, but don't worry, it's free! Open the Rachio App and select "DON'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT?" on the sign-in page. ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/483e3432b445019c6fada1d17029456e.png) 3. **Adding your device.** You can skip this step if a device has been shared with you. Rachio devices are organized together into Properties – the real spaces you connect to. After selecting the device you are trying to add, you’ll be prompted to create a new property: simply enter your address, refine the location if needed, and pick a name. ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/5ab40c1c88812ce24dd56ef5b222aa16.png) ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/bb48dc9e098721e3052c3cf743b2ecbd.png) If you have Rachio devices at multiple properties, you can filter through your Properties from this drop-down menu. Check out the [Rachio Properties](https://support.rachio.com/HkAsbAufZe) article for more information.  **![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/5042ab7377bc80a70871fa8d83cffd67.png)** ## Account Settings Select the icon at the top right corner of the home screen to view your account settings. ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/32a0050790d74f55c8b55a3cc81233a6.png)![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/23f48112808e5c4da35e233139de49c7.png) You can edit the following here: 1. **Profile** * Name * Email * Phone number * Account type (regular or for professional installers) * Update Password * Delete Account 2. **Properties** * Change your properties' names and locations. 3. **Notifications** * Change the notification Settings for all your devices and shared devices.  4. **Measurement and Usage Units** * Select unit measurements between **US Standard** (°F, MPH, Inch) and **Metric** (°C, KPH, mm). * Select usage units between **time** and **gallons** used/saved.  5. **Copy your API Key.**  ##   Device Main Menu To manage your Rachio devices, select the devices to access their settings, programming, and remote operation features. #### **Controller** **![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/955fa28e35d9ad0e21fc7f3c4e57bb19.png)** #### Hose Timer ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/cec354fc3588460d68bd5e20841a8fb4.png) ### Back Arrow Allows you to return to the previous screen. This is featured on several screens of the app in the upper left-hand corner. ## Home Tab This tab gives you Quick Access to all the settings you'll be using most of the time with your device. At the top of the screen, you'll find the name of your device. If you have more than one device in this property, you can tap the arrow next to the device name to select another device without returning to the previous screen. Afterward, you'll see a brief calendar view with the daily forecast and drop icons below it with a number depending on the number of schedules set to run for those days. We also have a button to change the **Weather Source** and **Thresholds**. As well as the **Heat Wave Boost settings** (if you've purchased the feature). ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/7167c53dc4e896789091866f44d7abea.png) ### Events Section Here we can see the Upcoming and Past events (schedules, Quick Runs, and **manual and Weather** skips). You can check the details of future and past events by tapping on the **dropdown arrow next to the name** of the event. You can also **Manually Skip an Upcoming Run** here. A manual skip will remove or skip over the next immediate watering event (not multiple watering events). Recommended for skipping a specific schedule run. It can be used to skip watering if you decide your plants have enough water. If you'd like to manually skip your schedules more than once, we recommend using **_Water Delay_**.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/77e60701e891a5cba2d28fc51676a405.png) ### #### Heads Up! If you manually skip a schedule, cancelling that skip will override any Weather Intelligence checks that would otherwise occur. As a result, skip thresholds may still be met, but the schedule **won't skip.** Also, if a Manual Skip is applied to a schedule and then changes are made to that schedule (such as run time, zones, interval, enabling/disabling a schedule, etc.), the Manual Skip will be overridden, and the schedule will run. The same rules hold true for Weather Intelligence skips (Rain Skip, etc.). ### ### Usage details At the bottom of the tab, we have the monthly usage chart, where you can see the **monthly estimated usage** (by tapping on the < > arrows), and the number of **Weather Skips performed** that month. This information can also be checked on a Zone-by-Zone basis in the Zones tab.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/269bac1924a8aa4f81d1bef76f597a2a.png) Usage details can be displayed in both **gallons used****/****saved** and **time used/saved**. We recommend sticking with the default usage setting, which reports in watering time used/saved, for the most accurate readings (usage in time reports actual usage; usage in gallons reports only **estimated** usage). The "Estimated Gallons" value is calculated from your zone area and nozzle precipitation rate. We recommend selecting "Time" if these settings are not correctly configured.  This value will be replaced with actual usage if a flow sensor is enabled on your controller. If you'd like to switch your usage view, go to **Account Settings** and select "**Usage Units**". The Rachio web app allows you to download a CSV file of all historical water use in both time and volume (gallons or liters). To access your historical water usage on the web app, do the following: 1. Log in to the **[web app](https://app.rach.io/login)** and scroll down to the **USAGE** chart: ![Screen_Shot_2018-04-05_at_12.20.00_AM.png](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/e770eb0a6117d0cad6eedd3311c8cf1d.png) 2. Click on the **DOWNLOAD** link, then check your download folder for a file named _water\_usage\_and\_savings.csv._  #### Note If your controller comes back online after an extended period of time, the water usage displayed in your history may be much higher than expected. No need to be alarmed! This is because the controller aggregates all of the cached watering events that took place while the controller was offline and reports them at one time; your controller is still watering normally. ### ### Quick Run button (Manual Run)  Last but not least, we have the Quick Run button, located at the bottom right corner of your screen at all times. There is another Quick Run button in the Zones tab, too. You can manually run your zones or schedules here. Follow these steps to perform a Quick Run: 1. Tap the **Quick Run button**. 2. Select the Zones (or schedules) you'd like to run and hit **Next**.  3. Set the time you want your zones to run for.  4. Hit **Done**. ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/acbf73eeb39c455021e6c5987fe5a777.png) ## The Quick Run button will change from a Play Symbol   to 3 dots ●●● when there's an active run. If you tap on the Quick Run button during an active run, you can do the following: * Pause and Resume runs ▶️/⏸️ * Run the previous or next zone **[⏪](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%8F%AA+%28rewind%29&sca_esv=125e8b9873143113&rlz=1C5CHFA_enHN1104HN1104&ei=TSk7adf0E5yLwbkP3IbdwQw&ved=2ahUKEwil1aTar7aRAxUpjLAFHZodPPUQgK4QegQIARAE&uact=5&oq=forward+backward+music.+symbol&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiHmZvcndhcmQgYmFja3dhcmQgbXVzaWMuIHN5bWJvbDIHECEYoAEYCjIFECEYnwVIjQtQ6wJYqQpwAHgAkAEAmAG4AaABtgeqAQMyLja4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgigAuEHwgIHEAAYsAMYHsICCRAAGLADGAgYHsICDhAAGIAEGLADGIYDGIoFwgIIEAAYsAMY7wXCAgYQABgWGB7CAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICBRAAGO8FwgIFECEYoAGYAwDiAwUSATEgQIgGAZAGCpIHAzEuN6AHiyWyBwMxLje4B-EHwgcFMS41LjLIBxaACAA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp&mstk=AUtExfD87yIOdIj1JZQX-ZMqzk2jdaSuh3ZgxciGsjlUSdV61slM-21oRvtCVW0Q0iXjULK9xxlvGNKJud7kzMdvV-KqEhIwGBEyxElIJLxCqTJpaEbCzyzQpps6OhL5CXl3s1-k3m_ZCW5sGDB2Wwjjy8rXLNdrksM1oyEyqmAUJsyY5HUnc9IBzdvI1QYni6FgjlGD&csui=3)/⏩** * Stop and end the run ⏹️ ## ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/39f1ba3d28be6f8e9db78e3e21d2198a.png) ## Zones Tab You can edit your Zone settings, disable zones, and we also have another Quick Run button here. To edit or disable a specific Zone, you can tap on the picture of the Zone and hit "**Edit**" or the "**Enabled**" button. You can also edit the **Advanced Zone Settings** here. Valve Monitoring can be found here (one-time purchase).  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/3084a0d8494a8ea1d0ab5152737ac8c2.png) The "**Set up zones**" button runs you through setting up every zone. Check out this article on [How to set up your zones](https://support.rachio.com/H1U5vUJYP). To see a disabled zone, tap on the "**Show Disabled**" icon; the zone will pop up with a **greyed-out picture**. To enable it, select the zone and tap on the "**Disabled**" toggle. And the [Quick Run button](#section-QR) is the same as the one in the Home tab.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/5a8b1e06288bbd1b6079c51e3ab8fdbb.png) ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/ccba1a06150745a2b322cc063841959b.png) ## Schedules tab In this tab, you can create schedules, edit and duplicate existing schedules, edit Heat Wave Boost settings, and check the calendar for scheduled runs and skips (similar to the **Events section** in the **Home** tab).  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/a6945bfd2562a1d4e8d5075bf0faa51c.png) To create a schedule, tap on the "+ CREATE SCHEDULE" button. The app will run you through every step to set up your new schedule. For more details, you can check out the article **_Creating, Editing, and Duplicating Schedules_**. The "**_Adjust Watering"_** button in an existing schedule will take you directly to the menu where you can a**djust the watering of every zone in that schedule**. By tapping on the circle with 3 dots in an existing schedule, a menu will be revealed, and you'll be able to: * Edit it.  * Duplicate it.  * Disable it.  * Quick Run it.  * Delete it.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/0c2ce03ba9f0ccd72afb56cda1a49e73.png) ### Calendar Section Monthly calendar view showing water drops at the scheduled watering days. Waterdrops can be color-coded under schedule settings to best identify in the calendar view. Weather Intelligence Plus skipped schedules will show on the calendar in orange with a line across. By selecting a day on the calendar, you can review the scheduled start and end times, broken down by zones, including cycle and soak if applicable. You can scroll through previous and upcoming months by swiping up and down, too.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/6b7f6dc13a789c57a1041a42b1964ac9.png) #### Water Delay Water Delay postpones watering events within a chosen period of time (up to 7 days). Recommended for pushing off or delaying a watering for a certain time period (for example, if you don't want to water during a BBQ or open house). If a longer pause is desired, the schedules can each be disabled, or the controller can go into [Hibernation (formerly Standby](#section-hibernation)[Mode)](#section-hibernation). ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/186308c3df3dcd4fed043327cc13ceab.png) #### Note Changed your mind and need to cancel a watering delay? Tap "Calendar" in the Schedules tab, then select "Delay Water" and tap "Off" to cancel the delay. Once successful, "Delay Watering OFF" will appear in your History feed.   ## Settings Tab You can access and edit several basic and advanced controller Settings here.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/e57ad3130f946081aec2e3f12a825873.png) ### #### Hibernation mode (formerly Standby Mode) All automatic runs will be paused when Hibernation mode is on; schedules will only resume when Hibernation mode is turned off.  Manual runs will still work. You'll see a banner in the Home tab when Hibernation mode is on.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/37cb9728e27d4e79f2724c944e5b91e1.png) ### #### Name Change the name of your controller.  ### #### Weather Source and Weather thresholds Change the Weather Source (between Weather Network and a specific Weather Station) and the Weather thresholds. To select between weather stations in your location, tap on Weather Station, and a list with a map of nearby Weather Stations will pop up. Each station ID will be indicated by four capitalized letters. If you select "More Info" for a station, you'll be redirected to weather reports for the station.  ### ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/b731dcb820c4f941b9713a9450e3b258.png) #### #### Update Wi-Fi network You can find instructions to reset the controller's Wifi settings and connect to your network. #### #### Shared access and Limited access Share access with another user (only if you are the main owner). ### #### Move device location Move the controller between properties. You can find more details in the article [Sharing a Rachio Device](https://support.rachio.com/Byu6vUkFD).  ### #### Transfer device Transfer ownership of the device to another user (the recipient must have a Rachio account created beforehand).  ### #### Flow Notifications To remove the “High Flow Detected” or "Low Flow Detected" banner from the zones. ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/0ee802b84be49b37dfab3c2e551b8590.png) #### Accessories To enable or disable S1 and S2 terminals (for sensors). #### Device Brightness Adjust the brightness level for the Rachio 3's LED bar.  Under "Brightness", tap how brightly you would like the light bar to display while the controller is idle. You can choose between Normal, Low, or Off. ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5f775c7b7cad407e578daa84/3f11c782cb3c656b044a15f1f8f17654.png) #### Note If "Off" is selected, the light bar will not be lit while the controller is idle; however, the controller will still light up during controller events (such a when a schedule is watering). #### Event History Consolidates all the historical information on your Rachio system, including updates and changes like: * Watering history * Weather Intelligence skips * Seasonal Shift updates * Manual watering skips and any skip cancellations  * Schedule updates (Schedule Started, Schedule Paused, etc.) * Controller updates  * Limited and Complete Access shares * Integration trigger/events #### Yard Map Allows you to draw your zone boundaries and customize sprinkler heads to create a unique picture of your landscape and improve water usage reporting.  #### Advanced Wiring (M Terminal) This allows you to enable the M terminal in your controller if you have a Master Valve or Pump Start Relay.  #### Minimize Water Hammer Allows your controller to help with regulating the pressure surge that can be caused when a zone is abruptly shut, and subsequently diverted to a different zone.  With this setting, your Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller will open the 'next' scheduled zone to run in a watering schedule 10 seconds prior to the end time of the current zone that is running, in order to smoothly transition between zones and stop the knocking noise in your pipes. #### Flow Settings (if using a flow meter) Allows you to change the Pressurize and Settle time for your flow meter, as well as enable or disable the "Inactive Flow Check" feature. This feature checks for leaks after a manual or scheduled run to uncover problems such as stuck valves.  #### #### Technical Info You can find your controller's serial number and MAC address here (keep in mind that you can also find this information on the controller's sticker located behind the faceplate).  ## **Do you still need help?** We have a chat support team ready to assist you! You can submit a support request by selecting the chat icon in the bottom right of this page and a member of the support team will contact you live. ### **Summer Hours (April-September)** 7 am - 5 pm (MST), 7 days a week. ### **Winter Hours (October-March)** 8 am - 5 pm (MST), Monday - Saturday. We are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. [Go to Top ^](#top)