Kids Remote help

Getting started

Kids Remote is a family app for jobs, rewards, Banjo and safe internet. A grown-up (a Big Boss) sets it up first, then links the other phones.

Safe internet uses NextDNS, a separate service you sign up to yourself. Kids Remote sends your rules to NextDNS. It can only filter a phone once that phone has been set up to use NextDNS (see "Who sets up what on each phone").

Who sets up what on each phone

Kids Remote can't change another phone's settings. iPhone and Android don't let an app do that. So safe internet is a hands-on step on each kid's phone.

1. Your phone (Big Boss): install Kids Remote, add your NextDNS key and profile ID, and set the rules. You only do the NextDNS key step once for the family.
2. Each kid's phone: link it to the family, then turn on safe internet on that phone. On iPhone that means installing the NextDNS profile. On Android that means typing the address into Private DNS. Do this on every kid's phone, one at a time.
3. A second Big Boss phone: link it to the family. It doesn't need the NextDNS step unless you want that phone filtered too.
4. Want to block a site for one kid only? That kid's phone needs its own filter. You remove the family one from their phone and put their own on (see "Block a site for one kid").

Kids Remote does not install anything on a phone by itself. It shows you the steps, a QR code and the address to type. You tick each phone off yourself, because the app can't see another phone's settings.

Linking phones to your family

1. On your phone, open Family phones and tap "Link phone" next to the person.
2. On the other phone, open kids-remote.pages.dev (Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android) and tap "Add to Home Screen". Already there? Open it.
3. Tap "Join your family".
4. Tap "Scan QR code" and point it at your screen. Scanning not working? Type the code shown under the QR code.
5. Done when your screen says the phone joined.

Keep your spare key somewhere safe. It lets you get back in if the main Big Boss phone is lost.

Add your NextDNS key and profile ID

1. Make a free NextDNS account at my.nextdns.io.
2. In Kids Remote, open the Safe internet tab.
3. On NextDNS, open the Setup tab and copy your profile ID (6 letters and numbers).
4. On NextDNS, open the Account page, scroll to API Key and copy it.
5. In Kids Remote, paste both and tap "Save my pass". Kids Remote checks them with NextDNS, then saves them. (Your "pass" is your NextDNS key and profile ID together.)
6. You should see "Pass saved. Line is open." That means the Kids' phones tab is now open, with the "Set up the kids' phones" steps (the app calls this the Line setup). If the key is wrong, it will tell you. Check for extra spaces and paste it again.

Your NextDNS key is only ever pasted on a Big Boss phone. Kids never see it.

Turn on safe internet on an iPhone

Do this on the kid's iPhone, with Kids Remote open on your phone at the Kids' phones tab, step 2 ("Turn on safe internet on each kid's phone").

1. On the kid's iPhone, open the Camera and point it at the QR code on your screen. Or open the apple.nextdns.io link shown under it in Safari.
2. Tap "Allow" when it asks to download. Then tap "Close".
3. Open Settings. Near the top, tap "Profile Downloaded".
4. Tap "Install" (top right), then type the kid's phone passcode.
5. Tap "Install" again, then "Done".
6. Check it's there: Settings, General, VPN & Device Management.
7. Back on your phone, tick that kid as "Safe internet on".

No "Profile Downloaded"? Open the link again and tap "Allow".

Turn on safe internet on an Android phone

1. On your phone, open the Kids' phones tab, step 2, pick "Android" and tap "Copy" next to the address. It looks like abc123.dns.nextdns.io.
2. On the kid's phone, open Settings and search Private DNS.
3. Tap "Private DNS provider hostname".
4. Type the address exactly.
5. Tap "Save". You should see the address under Private DNS.
6. Back on your phone, tick that kid as "Safe internet on".

Menu names differ a little between Android brands. Searching Settings for "Private DNS" is the quickest way in.

Check it works

1. On the kid's phone, open test.nextdns.io in the browser.
2. It should say the phone is using NextDNS. If it doesn't, go back over the iPhone or Android steps.
3. You can also open your NextDNS Logs page and look for that phone.

Stop safe internet being switched off (optional)

Takes about 3 minutes. On an iPhone you do this yourself, on your kid's phone. On Android you do it in Family Link on your own phone.

1. iPhone: open Settings, then Screen Time. Set a Screen Time passcode your kid doesn't know.
2. iPhone: tap Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on. Tap Account Changes, then Don't Allow.
3. iPhone: check VPN & Device Management is greyed out in Settings, General.
4. Android: on your own phone, open Family Link and tap your kid.
5. Android: tap "Controls", then "App limits" or "Content restrictions". Turn on approvals, so new apps (like VPNs) need your OK.
6. Android: Family Link can't lock Private DNS. Now and then, check Private DNS on your kid's phone still shows the address.

Whole house through your router (optional)

For TVs and game consoles on your home Wi-Fi. You do this in your modem or router settings, not in Kids Remote.

1. Open your NextDNS Setup page and find the Routers section.
2. In your modem or router settings, find DNS and put in the addresses NextDNS gives you.
3. In Kids Remote, tick "I set my router". This is a reminder only. Kids Remote can't see your router.

It only covers the home Wi-Fi. A phone on mobile data, or a device with its own DNS or a VPN, skips it. Keep NextDNS on each kid's phone as well.

What safe internet can and can't do

1. It filters and pauses only the phones set up with NextDNS.
2. It doesn't lock the phone, and it doesn't turn off your Wi-Fi.
3. A VPN, or a phone set to its own DNS, can skip it. That's why the locking step helps.
4. Apps already connected may keep working for a short while after a pause.

Pause the internet

1. On your phone, tap the big Internet button on the main screen.
2. It pauses the internet on the phones set up with NextDNS. If you did the router step, it also pauses devices on your home Wi-Fi. Tap it again to turn it back on.
3. To pause for one kid or for a set time, open Safe internet and tap "Pause the internet for one kid, or for a while". A one-kid pause reaches only that kid's phone, not the router.

Block a site for everyone

1. On a Big Boss phone, open Safe internet and find "Block a site".
2. Under "Who for", leave "Everyone" picked.
3. Pick "How long".
4. Type the site, like tiktok.com, and tap "Block it for Everyone".
5. It shows in the list. Tap "Lift" to undo it early.

Blocking tiktok.com also blocks addresses that end in it, like www.tiktok.com.

Your kids don't get a message or alert when you block something. It's up to you whether to tell them.

Block a site for one kid

A kid's name is greyed out until their phone has its own filter. Tap "How" under their name to set it up.

1. Tap "Give [name] their own filter". They get a copy of your family rules. Nothing changes on their phone yet.
2. iPhone: on their phone, Settings, General, VPN & Device Management. Tap the old NextDNS profile and tap "Remove".
3. iPhone: in Safari on their phone, open the link shown and tap "Download" (the app's words here; iOS may say "Allow"). Then Settings, "Profile Downloaded", "Install".
4. Android: on their phone, Settings, search Private DNS. Pick "Private DNS provider hostname", type the new address shown, then tap "Save".
5. Tap "Done, [name]'s phone is set up". You can now pick their name under "Who for".

The new address is different from the family one. Typing the old one means the one-kid block won't reach them.

How long a block lasts

1. "1 hour": lifts an hour after you set it.
2. "Tonight until 7am": lifts at 7:00 am by your phone's clock.
3. "Until I turn it off": stays until you tap "Lift".

"Still reaching some phones" means NextDNS hasn't confirmed every filter yet. Check again in a minute.

Troubleshooting

1. "That key didn't work": copy the API key again from the NextDNS Account page. Check for spaces.
2. "That profile ID wasn't found": it's the 6-character ID from your NextDNS Setup page.
3. "Couldn't reach NextDNS": check your internet and try again.
4. A site still opens: check the phone on test.nextdns.io, and that it isn't on a VPN.
5. A kid's name is greyed out: their phone needs its own filter first.

Jobs and rewards

1. On a Big Boss phone, open the weekly jobs list and tap "Add a job", or "Pick from list".
2. Kids see their jobs on their own phone and earn points.
3. Set rewards they can save their points for.

Banjo

Banjo is the family's talking helper, a cartoon cat from outback Queensland. She uses your family's own xAI key, added on a Big Boss phone.

Kids can only use Banjo chat or voice after a Big Boss says yes for that kid. The Banjo safety page in the app explains what she can and can't do.

For kids under 13 in the United States, a parent does a one-off check first. See "The parent check (US kids under 13)" below.

Privacy and deleting your account

1. On the main Big Boss phone, open Settings and tap "Delete family account".
2. Read what will be deleted and tap "Continue".
3. Type DELETE and tap "Delete everything".
4. Lost the phone? Use your spare key to join on another phone, then delete there. Or email hello@kidsremote.app.

Your NextDNS account is separate. Close it on NextDNS if you no longer want it.

The parent check (US kids under 13)

Before a child under 13 in the United States can use Banjo chat or voice, a parent confirms who they are. The check is run by Kids Web Services (part of Epic Games) on their own page.

Full details are on the parent check help page: https://kids-remote.pages.dev/legal/parent-verification-help

Contact us

Email hello@kidsremote.app. We're in Queensland, Australia.