Only adults, parents, guardians, grandparents etc. may create a Xoink account. Kids’ profiles are linked to adults’ accounts. A maximum of 15 kids’ profiles may be linked to one guardian’s account. Opening an account is extremely simple, and the app will lead you through the process. You only need to enter your email address and other data you probably know by heart. After completing the registration form, you will receive an email confirmation. Having successfully created an account, you may proceed to adding kids’ profiles.

In case you forgot your PIN, select the “Can't remember your PIN?” option on the screen where you’re supposed to enter your PIN. Then enter your email address and we will send you a single-use PIN for opening the reset screen, where you can enter your new PIN. In order to change your PIN, select the “Personal parental settings” option, then “Change PIN”, and you may then select your new PIN after entering the old one.

A Home screen (Launcher) is an app/program which, once installed on your device, becomes a customisable interface. In the Xoink app, the Launcher will offer you an interface specifically designed for kids. The Launcher can be changed in a straightforward manner without permanently altering the layout of your interface.

An interface is defined as the point of interaction between the human user and computer. When we say interface, we mean everything you see on your smartphone screen – the app menu, navigation options, keyboard, and everything clickable that enables you to control your smartphone. When we say kid’s interface, we mean all options and apps the kid may see on their device.

After you create your personal account, the app offers an interface selection. Once you select the younger or older kid’s interface, you need to grant a series of permissions necessary for Xoink’s operation. In the next and final step you create the kid’s profile and enter their name, age, and school grade.

Younger kid: The Younger kid’s interface uses the so-called Launcher (Home screen), a program that displays a special customised device interface. The parent uses the interface to allow their kid access only to particular apps, with limitations set by the parent. The Younger kid’s interface is recommended for kids aged up to 7 years.

Older kid: The Older kid’s interface works with background services enabling the parent to set different app usage limitations on the kid’s device. The kid may freely use the device interface, however, with the limitations set by the parent. This interface is recommended for kids aged 7 to 18 years.

If you want to change the interface that you initially set up for your child, you can do so via the parent settings on the child's device. The interface cannot be changed from the guardian device.

Within the guardian settings on the child's device through the Child Profile, the Interface can be changed.

Changing from Younger to Older kid interface: 

After changing the interface in your child's profile settings, the next step is to change the Home screen (Launcher) back to the Home screen of the device. After the change is done, by pressing the Home button on your device, the device Launcher is activated and an interface for Older Children with existing settings is set up within the Xoink application.

Changing from Older to Younger kid interface: 

After changing the interface item in the child profile settings, the next step is to change the Home screen (Launcher) to the one from Xoink on which the Younger kid interface is based. Selecting Xoink from the Home screen list automatically opens a new interface with existing settings.

Xoink automatically connects the devices of the primary guardian and kid, while the secondary guardian needs to scan a QR code to connect with the kid’s device. If the guardian creates an account on their own device, they can manage the kid’s device in two ways: they can become a secondary guardian by scanning a QR code from the kid’s device or a primary guardian by downloading Xoink from the kid’s device, logging in with their existing account and creating the kid’s profile, and voilà – the devices are automatically connected.

Knowledge quizzes allow kids to earn extra screen time by responding correctly to quiz questions, even after they use up their allowed screen time. Quiz questions have been prepared by experts and their content is connected with kids’ school curriculum. In this way the app encourages research and learning through play, rewarding kids’ knowledge and positive behaviour. For every correct answer, the kid gets 30 seconds of extra screen time for that day, up to a total daily maximum of 30 minutes.

The parent can disable quizzes at any time in the parental settings for the kid.

The Kid’s corner is a special option within the parental interface, intended for situations when the guardian allows the kid to use their device and starts the Launcher (Home screen) displaying only allowed apps.

The Kid’s corner option is displayed on the home screen of the guardian’s interface. Having selected this option, you need to start the Xoink Launcher (Home screen) opening the kid’s customised interface. 

The guardian may uninstall Xoink from their interface in the same way as any other app. In case kids’ interfaces have been installed, first you need to remove the administrator settings selected upon installation of the Xoink app, i.e. cancel the permissions for Xoink to block and limit apps on the kid’s device. The permissions are under the “Device Admin” option on the kid’s device.  After you remove them, you may uninstall Xoink in the same way as any other app. An older kid can delete the app from their device only with their parent’s PIN.

The Daily limit is the daily device usage time limit the guardian sets for the kid. In addition, special time limits may be set for individual apps within the Daily limit. If the kid has an account on multiple devices, the time is distributed among them. The app running in the background does not affect the time allowed. The parent can opt for an Unlimited daily device usage, meaning that the kid may use apps that are not blocked or severely restricted without any limitations.

Recommended screen time varies for different age groups as detailed below:

• Up to 18 months: not recommended
• From 18 to 24 months: very restricted
• From 3 to 5 years: up to 1 hour per day
• From 6 to 10 years: up to 1 / 1.5 hours per day
• From 11 to 18 years: up to 2 hours per day.

Block – If you block an app, your kid cannot access it. When kids try to access blocked apps, Xoink prompts them to enter the parental PIN. If the parent enters the PIN, the app may be used. This type of use of a blocked app is not recorded in the statistics.

Mild restriction – in case of a Mild restriction, the kid may use all app functionalities, but only within the set daily time limit.

Severe restriction – This setting enables limiting the kid’s specific app usage time within the daily limit. For example, you may limit Instagram use to 10 minutes within a certain daily limit.

Unlimited access – Apps with this setting may be used regardless of the daily limit set. The use of these apps does not affect the outstanding daily usage time, and they may be used once the allowed daily limit has been used up.

Add instant time – 10 minutes – This option enables the guardian to increase the allowed usage time by 10 minutes with just one click on their interface. Usage time can be increased only for the current day and cannot be carried forward.

 

Night-time usage is an option available to the guardian ensuring additional control of the kid’s screen time and discouraging their kid from spending time looking at screens instead of sleeping. Night-time usage is calculated with a predefined multiplicative factor as selected by the parent (e.g. 2.0). If this option is turned on, the multiplicative factor is applied to both severe and mild restrictions. Beginning and end of night-time have been set as default times; however, the guardian may adjust these times to each kid.

The kid’s device can be blocked from the guardian’s interface. When you decide to block your kid’s device, you disable their device usage. Once you block the device, you may unblock it at any time. In case the guardian does not unblock the kid’s device, the device will automatically unblock after 24 hours for safety reasons.

Apps may be blocked individually in apps’ parental settings by selecting the “Block” option.

Location options on the kid’s device have two modes: “On demand” and “Always allowed”. We recommend selecting “Always allowed” for younger kids and “On demand” for older kids. If you select the “On demand” option, a request for location approval will be sent to your kid as a notification requiring them to approve or refuse their guardian’s request. By approving the request, they share their location with their guardian. If the “Always allowed” mode is set as default, the guardian may request and receive the kid’s location at any time. Location consents are required for sending location information. 

Web filters are a tool for limiting access to individual websites. Xoink includes a predefined set of blocked websites, and the guardian may add other sites at their own discretion (inserting URLs manually). The website blocking mechanism is implemented through a VPN network on the kid’s device. In case the kid tries to access a blocked website, a page with a notification that the website is blocked will appear. During the initial setup of the Xoink app, you need to allow VPN use on the kid’s device to enable the functioning of this option.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, which creates a secure connection between your device and the Internet. In the case of the Xoink application, allowing a VPN allows you to manage that connection, which means blocking certain content (web pages).