Set up KidzVault in about 10 minutes.

KidzVault is a web app you install from your browser — no App Store or Play Store. The install puts an icon on your home screen that opens KidzVault fullscreen, just like a regular app, and it works offline.

Once installed, open KidzVault from your home screen — not your browser. That's important because the installed version has its own storage that's slightly more protected from accidental browser-cache clearing.

The first time you open KidzVault, you'll see a sample family (Emma, Noah, Ava) on the home screen. That's there so you can poke around and see how the app works before committing.

When you're ready to add your own kids:

1. Find the small "Demo family · Start fresh" banner at the top of the home screen
2. Tap "Start fresh"
3. Confirm in the popup

The demo kids will disappear and you'll see a welcome card asking you to add your first kid.

Tap the big "+ Add a kid" button on the welcome card. Fill in:

• Name — first and last (or whatever you call them; you'll only see the first name on most screens)
• Grade — Pre-K through 12, or "Other" for younger
• School — optional, but useful (and it auto-fills the School category on their hub when you tap in)
• Card color — pick a color for their card on the home screen. Helpful for visual differentiation with multiple kids.

Tap Add kid. Their card appears on the home screen.

Tap your kid's card to open their hub. You'll see filter chips at the top (All · Medical · School · Sports · Logins) and a list below organized into six categories you can populate as needed:

How to add an item

Tap the floating + button at the bottom right of the kid's hub. Pick a category (Medical, School, etc.), enter a label like "Doctor" or "Teacher," then the value like "Dr. Chen — (555) 555-1234." Optionally set a reminder date if it's an upcoming appointment.

Any item can have a reminder date. When you're adding an item (the + button on a kid's hub), there's an optional date field at the bottom of the form.

What dates do:

• Show as a small color-coded pill on the item
• Appear in Up Next on the home screen — your top 3 things across all kids, sorted by date
• Appear in the Reminders tab at the bottom — grouped by Today / Tomorrow / This week / Later

Pill colors: red for today, amber for tomorrow, sage for this week, neutral for later.

One of KidzVault's main jobs: when the kids spend a week with another caregiver, you can hand over everything they need in one PDF.

1. Go to Settings (bottom nav)
2. Find the Share section
3. Tap "Share <kid name>'s info"
4. A new tab opens with a styled, printable handout — your phone's print dialog will fire automatically
5. Pick "Save as PDF" (or send to printer), save the file, then email, text, or AirDrop it

The handout includes all categories except Login hints, so you can safely share with babysitters or grandparents without exposing any login info.

KidzVault stores everything on your phone, not on our servers. That means privacy is built in — but it also means if something happens to your phone, you could lose it all. Backing up is your safety net.

How to back up

1. Go to Settings → Export data (backup)
2. A file like kidzvault_backup_2026-09-01_0830.json downloads
3. Email it to yourself, save to iCloud / Google Drive, or AirDrop to your laptop — somewhere outside the phone

Do this every couple of weeks, or after any major change. Two minutes of habit can save hours of re-entry later.

How to restore

If you ever need to recover (new phone, accidental clear, etc.):

1. Open KidzVault on the new device
2. Go to Settings → Import data (restore)
3. Pick the backup file from your Downloads, email, or cloud drive
4. Confirm — your kids and all their info are back

If you want an extra layer of privacy — particularly handy if you share your phone with kids or family members — you can encrypt your KidzVault data with a PIN or password.

1. Go to Settings → Security
2. Tap App lock
3. Pick PIN (4–6 digits) or Password (8+ characters)
4. Enter it twice, optionally add a hint, confirm the acknowledgment
5. Tap Enable lock

From then on, every time you open KidzVault you'll see an unlock screen. Your data is encrypted on your device using AES-256 — even if someone dumps your phone's storage, they can't read it without your PIN.

To change or disable: Settings → Security → App lock (you'll need to verify your current PIN first).

How do I add a second (or third) kid?

On the home screen, tap the + Add a kid card at the end of the grid. Or in any kid's hub, the floating + button has a kid-picker if you have more than one.

Can I edit something I already added?

Tap the small pencil icon next to any item to edit it. Tap a kid's name in their hub header to edit their name/grade/school/color. Settings → Your name lets you set your own first name for the home greeting.

Will this work on my laptop or iPad?

Yes — KidzVault works on any modern browser, including iPad and desktop. But it's optimized for phones since that's where you'll use it most. Data is per-device, so installing it on a laptop and a phone means two separate data stores. Use export/import to sync.

How do I quickly add a reminder without going through a kid's hub?

On the home screen, tap the floating + button at the bottom right. If you have multiple kids, you'll be asked to pick which kid this is for. Then fill in the item and date.

Where's the calendar export option?

Settings → Export reminders to calendar. Downloads an .ics file that Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook can all import.

What happens if I clear my browser cache?

On a browser you visited (not the installed app), clearing site data wipes your KidzVault data. The installed PWA is slightly more isolated but can still be affected by "Clear all website data" actions. Always back up before clearing anything (step 7).

I think I found a bug or have an idea.

Email hello@kidzvault.com. Real bug reports and feature ideas get read every time. KidzVault is built by parents-of-friends, not a faceless company — your feedback shapes what ships next.