Everything you need to know to set up and use ChoreGuard with your family.
When you first open ChoreGuard, you'll sign up with an email and password. Then tap "Create Family" to set up your household. You'll get a unique family code (like SAGE-ARFC) that other family members can use to join.
After creating your family, you'll add your children. For each child you can set:
🧒 Name & emoji — how they appear in the app
🎂 Birthday — the app will remind you when it's coming up
🌙 Bedtime — apps automatically lock at this time
In the parent view, tap "➕ Tasks" to add chores or homework. You can choose from 40+ pre-built tasks or create custom ones. Each task can be:
📅 One-time — appears once
🔄 Daily — resets every day
📆 Weekdays / Weekends — only on specific days
📌 Specific day — only on a chosen day of the week
Tap "New Day" to reset all daily/recurring tasks. This re-locks the kid's apps and gives them a fresh set of tasks for the day. Streaks are tracked — if all tasks were completed the previous day, the streak increases!
⚠️ Important: App locking uses Apple's Screen Time API and must be set up on the child's device. Apps can only be blocked on the device they're installed on — this is an iOS restriction.
🔒 Apps lock when: New Day is pressed, bedtime arrives, or parent manually locks
🔓 Apps unlock when: All tasks are approved, or parent manually unlocks
📱 Kid opens ChoreGuard to apply the lock/unlock — the app checks the latest status and shields or unshields apps
🔔 Push notifications tell the kid when their apps are unlocked so they know to open ChoreGuard
💡 Tip: The app picker remembers your previous selections. Next time you open it, your selected apps are still checked — just add or remove as needed.
When a kid tries to open a blocked app, they see a custom "🛡️ App Locked" screen with an "Open ChoreGuard" button. Tapping it opens ChoreGuard so they can check their tasks.
The kid's view shows:
🔐 Lock status — whether their apps are locked or unlocked
🔥 Day streak — consecutive days with all tasks completed
⭐ Stars earned — one star per approved task, used to claim rewards
📋 Today's tasks — with submit buttons for each
🎯 Goals — personal and family goals with milestones
🎁 Rewards — things they can claim with earned stars
Kids cannot access parent settings. The parent tab is hidden on child devices. To access parent controls on a child's device, long-press the ChoreGuard logo and enter the PIN.
ChoreGuard supports 5 handler roles, each with different permissions:
👑 Parent — full access to everything
🛡️ Guardian — can manage tasks, approve, and manage apps
👵 Grandma / Grandpa — can approve tasks only
🍼 Babysitter — view only, cannot make changes
To add a handler, share your family code with them. They sign up, tap "Join as Parent/Guardian," enter the code, and select their role.
Create personal goals for each kid or family-wide goals. Add milestones to break big goals into steps. Set deadlines with countdown timers.
Set up rewards that kids can claim with their earned stars. Each approved task earns 1 star. Set star costs for each reward (e.g., "Extra screen time = 10 stars").
Set a bedtime for each child. When bedtime arrives, apps automatically lock regardless of task status. The DeviceActivity Monitor runs in the background to enforce this.
Tap the calendar icon in the parent view to see tasks and goals across dates.
The default PIN is 1234. Change it immediately in Settings → 🔐 Change PIN. The PIN syncs across all family devices.
Kids receive real iOS push notifications when:
✅ A task is approved
📝 A task is sent back for redo
🔓 Apps are unlocked
🎉 All tasks are completed
Yes! When you approve tasks or tap Unlock on your phone, it syncs to your child's device via Firebase. Your child will get a push notification telling them their apps are unlocked. When they open ChoreGuard, the apps will unshield. However, the app must be opened at least once to apply the change — iOS doesn't allow apps to run code when fully closed.
Apple requires Screen Time to be configured on the device where apps are installed. This is a privacy and security measure built into iOS. The initial setup takes 2 minutes and only needs to be done once.
If ChoreGuard is deleted, the Screen Time shields remain active — blocked apps stay blocked. To manage the locks, ChoreGuard needs to be reinstalled.
ChoreGuard is currently iOS only. An Android version is planned for the future.
On the sign-in screen, enter your email and tap "Forgot Password?" You'll receive a reset link via email. Note: check your spam folder, and if the link doesn't open when tapped, copy and paste it into a browser.
Yes! Share your family code with your partner or other caregivers. They sign up, join with the code, and select their handler role. Each role has appropriate permissions.
ChoreGuard — Parental Control & Chore Management
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Questions? choreguard.help@gmail.com