It locks. It unlocks. By itself.

The daily cycle

Morning after morning, on its own.

You set it up once. After that the lock runs the routine, every single day.

🔒 Morning: locked

The day starts with the fun apps shielded — automatically, every single day.

→

🧹📸 Chores + proof

Missions get done, the photo gets checked, the work gets approved.

→

🔓 Unlocked — by itself

The instant work is approved, the tablet frees up. Nobody argues with an app.

Prefer a meter instead of all-or-nothing? Earned XP buys screen-time minutes on a countdown. You choose per child.

Why it holds

What the lock survives.

Most screen-time apps ask nicely. This one works at the level of the operating system.

⚙️

Apple system-level lock

The shield comes from iOS itself, through Apple's Family Controls — not from a timer inside our app.

🌙

Re-locks itself every morning

Yesterday's unlock doesn't carry over. Each day starts locked until the new missions are done.

🛡️

Survives app-closing and restarts

Closing ChoreUnlock or restarting the iPad doesn't lift the shield.

📶

Works anywhere

Home Wi-Fi, cellular, a friend's house. The lock lives on the device, not on your network.

👨‍👩‍👧

No Family Sharing setup

You set it up right on your child's device. No Apple Family Sharing maze first.

✅

ChoreUnlock itself never locks

The missions, the books and the proof camera are always within reach — even when everything else is shielded.

Your rules

You decide what locks.

🎯

Pick exactly which apps

Games, video, the browser, social — you choose what gets gated and what stays free. Duolingo can be free forever; the games can wait for the chores.

🚫

An always-blocked list

Some apps you want off, period. Anything on this list stays locked even after the chores are done and the screen time is earned.

📱

Lock the whole device

You can lock entire app groups, even "All Apps." A one-time safety step makes ChoreUnlock itself un-lockable, so the missions are always reachable.

🌆

Evening re-lock

A bedtime mission can re-lock the tablet in the evening until it's done, so nighttime routines actually happen.

You stay in charge

The lock answers to you.

Nothing unlocks until a parent approves the work — marking a chore done just sends you the request. If you opt in, AI can check the proof photo and clear it for you.

✓Approve from anywhere. You review and approve from your own phone, wherever you are.
✓Grant bonus time any time. A tap from your phone adds minutes on their device, no questions asked.
✓See the protection per device. The dashboard shows each child's device and whether its protection is on.
✓Know if it's switched off. If someone turns the protection off on a device, that device is flagged and your phone gets a push alert right away.

FAQ

Questions parents ask

How does ChoreUnlock actually lock the apps?

It uses Apple's built-in Family Controls system. You pick exactly which apps to gate — games, video, browser, social — and they stay shielded until the day's chores are approved. Then they unlock automatically, or work on a metered XP system if you prefer. It works everywhere: home Wi-Fi, cellular, anywhere.

Can my kid uninstall it or get around it?

The shield runs at the system level, so closing the app or restarting the device doesn't lift it. No lock on any platform is beyond every determined teenager, so instead of pretending otherwise we watch for it: if the protection is turned off on a device, that device is flagged on your dashboard and your phone gets a push alert right away. You'll know within moments, not at the end of the week.

Do I need a separate device or account for my child?

No. You set it up right on your child's iPhone or iPad, and each child gets their own profile, emoji and a 4-digit PIN. Parents manage everything from the Parent Dashboard behind a parent PIN.

Is it automatic, or do I have to unlock manually?

On Premium it's fully automatic — apps lock when chores aren't done and unlock the moment they're approved. On the free plan, one child gets the full daily experience and you lock and unlock with a tap. Premium is $8.99/month or $89.99/year after a 7-day free trial.

Can I block an app permanently — like a social app?

Yes. Alongside the "earn to unlock" apps there's an always-blocked list: anything you put there stays off at all times, even after chores are done or screen time is bought.

Can I lock the whole device?

Yes. You can lock entire app groups, even "All Apps." A one-time safety step makes ChoreUnlock itself un-lockable, so the missions — and the books — are always within reach.