Support

A parent iPhone and a kid iPhone or iPad, all running iOS 18 or newer. You run everything from your phone; the kid's device is where chores get checked off and apps lock and unlock.

Yes — your kid needs their own Apple child account in your Family Sharing group. That's how Apple lets an app lock and unlock things the official way. Never set one up? The app walks you through it step by step during setup.

Honest answer: we use Apple's official parental controls — the same system behind Screen Time — and we block everything Apple lets an app block.

For the things no app can block, like deleting the app or switching off its permission, we do the next best thing: the app tells on itself — you get a tamper alert on your phone, and your dashboard shows enforcement has stopped instead of pretending everything is fine. Anyone who promises "unhackable" is selling you a story. We'd rather tell you the truth.

Not yet — we're building for iPhone and iPad first, and building it properly. If enough families want it, Android and a web dashboard are next on the list.

On your phone, go to Settings → Kid device pairing codes and make a code for that kid. On their iPhone or iPad, open Chore Lock, tap "This is a kid's device," and type the code in. Then approve Apple's Screen Time permission when it asks — that's the step that lets the app actually lock things.

Each code works once and lasts about ten minutes, so if you get distracted mid-setup just make a fresh one. Nothing is lost.

Your kid gets a 5-minute heads-up — no surprise cut-offs mid-game. At zero, the apps they earn time for lock again.

Emergency calling is protected by iOS itself and nothing we do can take it away. Beyond that, you pick what's earnable and what stays always free — Chore Lock asks you to keep at least three apps free and nudges you toward the ones that matter, like phone, messages and maps. Worth doing deliberately: Apple hands apps to us as anonymous tokens, so the app genuinely can't see which one you picked and can't double-check the list for you.

Real app locking, photo proof, approvals, and schedules for one kid on one device, with up to 8 chores to get going. The Apple Watch app is included too. No ads, ever.

Premium Solo and Premium Family add more kids and devices, unlimited chores, AI photo checks, Chore Bucks and the Market, rollover and streak bonuses, and school-calendar import. Premium Family also adds pool chores, the Jackpot, the leaderboard, guest caregivers, and unlimited co-parents, and comes with a 14-day free trial for new subscribers when Apple confirms you're eligible.

Everything billing runs through Apple, so it lives in your Apple settings, not in ours: on your iPhone, open Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions and pick Chore Lock. That's where you switch between monthly and yearly, change plans, or cancel.

Cancelling stops the next renewal — you keep everything you paid for until that period ends. Refunds are Apple's to give, so ask them at reportaproblem.apple.com. If a subscription lapses, nothing is deleted: your family drops to the free plan and picks up where it left off whenever you come back.

In the app: Settings → Account & PIN → Delete household & account. It's a real delete — kids' profiles, chores, history, photos, balances, paired devices, and your sign-in all go, and every paired device is cut off.

One thing it does not do is cancel your subscription — that has to happen in your Apple settings (see above). If you'd rather we handled the deletion, or you just want confirmation it's gone, email support@getchorelock.com.

Install Chore Lock on the new device, tap "This is a kid's device," and pair it with a fresh code from your parent app — the same quick steps as the first time, including approving Apple's Screen Time permission on the spot.

Your kid's chores, earned time, and history all stay put — they belong to your kid's profile, not to the old device.

Yes — every plan includes two parents with full control, and approvals land on both phones. Whoever sees it first handles it.

Premium Family goes further: unlimited co-parents, plus a guest role for grandparents and sitters who can approve chores but can't change your settings.

Vacation mode is one tap, for one kid or the whole household. Apps stay free, chores become optional, and nobody's streak is broken. Turn it off when real life resumes and everything picks up where it left off.