Quick questions
Things families usually ask.
Does my kid get a say in the rewards?
Yes, that is the whole point. Family Stars works best when you and your kid agree on the rewards together, like a little family pact. You write them in once, and they stay. Kids feel heard, parents feel less like the referee, and the app stays out of the way.
Is this a way to control my kid?
No. There is no monitoring, no screen-time blocking, no “strikes,” no nagging notifications. Family Stars only does what you and your kid decide it does, like a paper chart on the fridge used to. It is a shared little game, not a surveillance tool.
What does this app not do?
Family Stars is a reward chart, not a parental control tool. So you know exactly what you are getting:
- It does not block or limit screen time.
- It does not lock your child’s phone.
- It does not restrict, hide, or filter any other app.
- It does not track your child’s location.
- It does not monitor messages, calls, or browsing.
- It does not send any data to a server. It cannot connect to the internet at all.
- It does not nag your kid with notifications.
You and your family decide what a star is worth, and you grant the actual rewards (extra screen time through your normal parental controls, a movie night, an ice cream) outside the app. The app’s only job is to keep score, fairly and visibly, so the rest of the conversation can happen the way conversations are supposed to.
Is there a free version?
No, and there is a reason. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, and no tracking. The €1.69 is what pays for the app to stay that way. Pay once, use it for as long as you have an Android phone.
Does it need an internet connection?
No. Family Stars works fully offline. Phones in the same family sync to each other directly over Bluetooth, or by scanning a QR code shown on the other phone’s screen.
What if my child loses their phone or it breaks?
Set the child up again on a new phone. The parent phone shows the family QR code, the child phone scans it, and the stars catch up on the next sync.
How many children can I add?
Up to eight children per family. Each one gets their own colour, their own star total, and their own history.
Does it work on iPhone?
Not yet. Family Stars is Android only. If you have a parent on iPhone, let us know at appshaide@gmail.com. That helps decide what to build next.
Will my kid see ads or be tracked?
No. There are no ads anywhere in the app, no analytics, no third-party SDKs. The app does not even ask for an internet permission. Kids see only their own stars, their own rewards, and the kind notes you write them.
What age is this for?
It works best when your kid can read the reward names. That tends to be from around five or six up to early teens, but families with several kids of different ages use it too. Each child gets their own colour and their own goals.
