Help for parents

Common questions

1. How do I set Gakumi up?

   Install Gakumi on your child's iPad and sign in with your parent account (Apple, Google or an email link). Family setup then walks you through adding your child, choosing a four-digit parent passcode, setting play hours and turning on Screen Time. Your child can start practising once setup is finished. If you want to follow along from your own iPhone, install Gakumi there too and connect it (see the question about connecting a second device).

2. What does Gakumi need from Screen Time on the iPad?

   Screen Time is what lets Gakumi keep the apps you choose locked until play time has been earned. The play controls need iPadOS 18 or later on the child's device, and a parent has to approve Apple's Screen Time permission there. Then you pick the apps with Apple's own app picker. The apps you pick stay on that device; they are not sent to Gakumi. Without Screen Time, your child can still practise and earn medals and play time, but Gakumi cannot lock any apps, and the app tells you what is missing. If you cannot see the Screen Time step, check the iPad's software version in Settings, General, Software Update.

3. How do I connect a second device with the 10-character code?

   Sign in to Gakumi with the same parent account on each device, and tell Gakumi how the device will be used: "Parent phone" or "Child device". On a device that is already connected, create a connection code in the parent area. It is a one-use code of 10 characters and it expires after 10 minutes. Type it into Gakumi on the new device. Once the devices are connected, family settings such as play hours and reward minutes follow along, while Screen Time permission and the chosen apps stay on the child's device. Connecting needs an internet connection on both devices. If a code stops working, create a fresh one.

4. How do the free trial and the plans work?

   Every family starts with a 7-day free trial. Nothing is charged during the trial; afterwards you choose a plan in the app. The trial begins once family setup is finished, and during it your family can use the features of both plans. To keep going after the trial, a parent chooses Explorer or Adventure in the app and confirms it with Apple. Plans are subscriptions that Apple bills and renews for you, and you will see the price and billing period on the plan screen and in Apple's own purchase sheet before you confirm anything. You can manage or cancel a subscription at any time in your Apple account's subscription settings (on an iPhone or iPad: Settings, your name, Subscriptions); deleting Gakumi does not cancel it. If a trial or plan ends, your child's stars and progress stay saved.

5. I forgot the parent passcode. What do I do?

   On the passcode screen, tap "Forgot your passcode?". Gakumi asks you to sign in again, the same way you signed up (with Apple, with Google, or with an email link or password). Once Gakumi has confirmed it is you, you choose a new four-digit passcode. After several wrong tries the passcode screen locks for a short time, and the wait grows with repeated wrong tries, so it is quicker to use "Forgot your passcode?" than to keep guessing.

6. How do chores work?

   In the parent area you can add chores and choose how many play minutes each one is worth. When your child says a chore is done, you approve it, and the minutes you set are added to their saved play time. You decide what counts: nothing is added until you approve it.

7. How do I delete my data?

   There are two choices. "Erase all data" in the parent settings clears the family data kept on that device only; it does not delete your Gakumi account, and data on other devices has to be cleared on those devices. To delete the parent account and the family data Gakumi stores for it, open Settings, Family & privacy, Delete parent account, and confirm. Deleting your account does not cancel an Apple subscription, so cancel that first in your Apple account settings. If you signed in with Apple, you may also need to remove Gakumi from Sign in with Apple in your Apple ID settings. If you have trouble, email us with "Gakumi privacy request" in the subject; the privacy notice has the details.