Reset a kid's PIN or change their details

This is for the grown-up whose kid has forgotten their PIN, or who needs to change a kid’s name, age, color or username. It covers resetting the PIN, the PIN rules, editing the details, and the username rules.

Reset the PIN

The app never shows a kid’s current PIN, so a forgotten one is replaced rather than looked up. “Reset PIN” sits on every kid’s row under Manage family and on the Edit kid screen:

1. Go to More.
2. Tap “Manage family”.
3. Tap “Reset PIN” on the kid’s row.
4. In “Reset {name}’s PIN”, type a “New PIN” and “PIN again”.
5. Tap “Save PIN”.

On a computer, Family (or Settings) sits in the sidebar instead of More.

The sheet says what happens: “Pick a new 4–6 digit PIN. This signs {name} out everywhere; they get back in with the new PIN.” It also clears any pause: five wrong PINs in a row pause sign-in for 15 minutes, and a new PIN lifts the pause at once, so nobody has to wait. Sign in as a kid with a PIN covers what the kid sees during a pause. If a tablet signed in from “Kids on this device” is showing that kid, the tablet is signed out too; see Sign a shared tablet in for the kids.

PIN rules

The rules are the same as when the kid was added: 4 to 6 digits, not all the same digit, and not a run like 1234 or 4321. If the two fields differ, the sheet says “Those PINs do not match.”

Change the details

To edit a kid:

1. Go to More.
2. Tap “Manage family”.
3. Tap the kid’s row.

You can also open Kids, choose the kid and tap “Edit kid” in the header; both land on “Edit {name}”. The screen holds “Name”, “Age” (a stepper from 3 to 20 with “Younger” and “Older”), their color from the same swatches as on sign-up, and “Username”. Tap “Save”; only the fields you changed are sent, and a form with nothing changed simply goes back. The PIN is not on this form; “Reset PIN” sits beside it.

Username rules

A username is 3 to 20 characters, starts with a letter, then letters, numbers, _ or -. It is stored lowercase and only has to be unique within your family; a clash shows “Someone in your family already uses that username.” and a bad shape shows “Use 3-20 letters or numbers, starting with a letter.” Changing the username does not sign the kid out; they use the new one the next time they sign in, so tell them. Adding a kid in the first place is covered in Add a kid and share the family code.