Running your window cleaning round from your phone, without another app to install
Most of a window cleaner's day happens on a pavement with a phone in one hand. Here is what a round needs from that phone, and how TradeYoke works in your browser and from your home screen with nothing to download.
A window cleaner's office is a van and a pavement. The round, the next address, who pays by bank transfer and who is away this week all end up on one small screen, usually used with wet hands between two houses. This guide covers what your phone needs to do on a round, how to set it up with nothing to install, and what to check before you trust any software with the working day.
Key takeaways
- Work from the phone you already carryTradeYoke works in the browser on any modern phone today. There is nothing to download or update.
- Add it to your home screenIt then opens full-screen, without the browser bar, like an app on your phone.
- It is built for thumbsOn a phone the bottom bar and buttons get out of the way while you scroll or type, buttons are thumb-sized and the menu slides out.
- It works with no signal tooOpen it once with signal and it keeps working with no signal too. The Android, iPhone and Windows apps, which also send your changes in the background, are in pilot, not yet in the app stores.
- Try it on a real roundThirty days of Essentials free, no card, so you can test it on your own streets.
Quick answer
Quick answer: you can run a window cleaning round from your phone today without installing anything. Sign in to TradeYoke in your phone's browser, open Plan my day, work through the jobs in order and mark each one done. For an app-like feel, use your browser's Add to Home screen option so TradeYoke opens full-screen, with no browser bar, from its own icon.
What a window cleaning round actually asks of a phone
On a round the phone is not for browsing. It has about five jobs, and each has to work with one thumb, in glare, and sometimes in the rain:
- Show today's stops in the right order, with the address and any gate or dog notes, so you are not scrolling a spreadsheet at the kerb.
- Mark a house done or skipped in a tap, so the diary stays honest without evening admin.
- Move or add a job when a regular is away or a neighbour asks for a quote on the spot.
- Get the money in, by sending an invoice with a pay link rather than writing a figure on the back of a hand.
- Stay out of the way. A bar glued to the bottom of the screen that covers the button you need is worse than paper.
Plenty of software is designed at a desk and shrunk. The test is simple: do your whole morning on the phone, standing up, and see what annoys you by the third street.
Do you need an app, or is the browser enough?
Quick answer: for most rounds the browser is enough, and once you have opened it with signal it keeps working without one. An app helps most where there is none, which is why TradeYoke's Android, iPhone and Windows apps are being piloted. Until they are in the stores, the web app on your phone is the way to use TradeYoke in the field.
The honest trade-off is signal, and it is smaller than it was: open the web app once with signal and it keeps working with no signal after that, and the apps that are in pilot also send your changes in the background (more on the offline-first mobile app). If your streets have good coverage, the browser means no installs, no updates and no storage used. If you work in basements and country lanes, ask about early access to the apps at hello@tradeyoke.net.
How to put TradeYoke on your home screen
Quick answer: open TradeYoke in your phone's browser, open the browser's menu and choose Add to Home screen. A TradeYoke icon appears with your other apps, and opening it shows TradeYoke full-screen, without the address bar.
- Sign in at tradeyoke.net in Chrome (Android) or Safari (iPhone).
- Open the menu. On iPhone tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android tap the three dots, then Add to Home screen or Install app. The exact wording varies by phone and browser.
- Open it from the icon from then on. It is the same TradeYoke, with the same jobs and customers as on your computer.
What changed for phones in TradeYoke 0.3.25
The latest release was a pass over every main screen at phone width, driven by real use on a phone. On a phone browser you will now find:
- A lighter bottom bar. The trial strip and floating buttons hide as you scroll down, and the fixed bars step aside while the keyboard is open, so you can see what you are typing.
- Nothing hidden behind buttons. The Create menu opens as a sheet from the bottom, and screens such as planning, settings and invoices no longer run off the side.
- A proper slide-out menu with a close button; tap outside it or swipe left to close.
- Thumb-sized buttons, with a larger minimum tap size on phones.
- Maps that do not hijack scrolling, so swiping past a job's map moves the page instead of dragging the map.
On a computer, nothing looks different.
A round on the phone, start to finish
- Morning, at the van. Open Plan my day. TradeYoke lists what is due, you decide what is in, put it in the order that saves the most driving and go.
- Between houses. Check the next customer's address and notes, tap done or skip, and glance at the diary if a regular asks to move.
- On the doorstep. Add a new customer or job in the moment instead of promising to remember it.
- Evening. Send the invoices with a pay link from the same phone, and see who still owes you. Our guide to planning a window cleaning round covers the planning side in more depth.
Before you trust any app with your round
A quick field test
- Do a whole morning on the phoneStanding up, in daylight, with damp hands. Note every time you reach for a laptop.
- Check the bottom of the screenCan you still reach the button you need when the keyboard is up or a banner is showing?
- Find out what happens with no signalBe clear whether it is an online app or an offline-first one, and what is saved.
- Check the money pathCan you send an invoice and a pay link without leaving the app?
- Ask what it costs after the trialCheck the plans and prices on the pricing page before you load a round into anything.
Questions people ask
Is there a TradeYoke app for window cleaners?
TradeYoke works in the browser on any modern phone today, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens full-screen like an app. Android, iPhone and Windows apps are in pilot and are not yet in the app stores; email hello@tradeyoke.net for early access.
How do I add TradeYoke to my phone's home screen?
Open TradeYoke in your phone's browser, then use the browser's menu: on iPhone tap Share then Add to Home Screen; on Android tap the three dots then Add to Home screen or Install app. TradeYoke then opens from its own icon without the browser bar.
Does TradeYoke work without a signal?
Yes, after one visit. Open the web app once with signal and it keeps working with no signal; in Chrome or Edge it even sends your changes after you close the tab, and in Safari or Firefox they send the next time you open a tab. A few pages need a connection and say so. The Android, iPhone and Windows apps in pilot also send your changes in the background.
Can I use TradeYoke on a tablet or computer as well?
Yes. It is the same web app on a computer, a tablet and a phone, with the same jobs and customers, and on a computer it looks as it always has.
What does it cost to try?
Thirty days of Essentials are free, with no card required. See the pricing page for plans after that.
Try your next round on your phone
Start with 30 days of Essentials, no card required, and run a real round from your pocket.
