KidRun

Help & FAQ

Everything you need to set up KidRun, share it with your partner and keep pickups on track.

Get started

  1. Add your first kid. A name, a color and, if you like, a photo.
  2. Add their school or preschool with the days, hours and pickup time. You can skip this.
  3. Add activities like soccer, swim or piano. Pick the days and times, and turn on pickup if someone needs to collect them.
  4. Allow notifications so KidRun can remind you before pickups and tell you when your partner is on it.

Add more kids any time from the Kids tab.

Invite your partner

  1. Open the Family tab and tap Invite Partner.
  2. Send the link, for example in Messages.
  3. Your partner installs KidRun, chooses Join Your Partner's Family and opens the link. Joining can take a minute.

Both of you need to be signed in to iCloud. To stop sharing or leave a family, open Family and tap Manage Sharing.

Pickups

Tap any activity with a pickup to open it, then:

  • I'm On It tells your partner you're doing this pickup.
  • Picked Up tells them the kid is with you.
  • Not Me After All opens the pickup again.

You can also tap I'm On It right in the reminder notification, or use the buttons in the Live Activity on your Lock Screen.

Reminders & Morning Digest

  • Default Reminder in the Family tab sets how long before a pickup you're reminded: at the time, or 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes before.
  • Each activity can have its own reminder time in its settings.
  • You're only reminded about pickups nobody has claimed yet. Tap Snooze 5 min if you need a moment.
  • Morning Digest sends a summary of the day, at 7:00 AM by default. Change the time or turn it off in the Family tab.

Reminder settings are per iPhone, so you and your partner can each pick your own.

Widgets & Live Activities

  • Home Screen: touch and hold the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and choose KidRun. The Today widget comes in small, medium and large.
  • Lock Screen: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, then add the KidRun Next Up widget.
  • Live Activities start before a pickup and count down to it. They're on for activities with a pickup, except school. Turn them off for a single activity in its settings.

Don't see a Live Activity? Check that Live Activities are on in Settings > KidRun.

Schedules

  • Weekly activities can have several days and times, like Monday and Wednesday at 4:00 PM.
  • A/B Weeks: turn this on when a schedule alternates every other week, then set what happens in the A week and the B week.
  • Seasons: give an activity a start and end date. After the end, it's marked Season ended and stops showing up.
  • One-off events like a tournament or a birthday party: tap + and add an event.
  • Just this once: open a session to Move it, Cancel This One, or add an Extra Session, each with an optional note.
  • Mute for Today: touch and hold the KidRun icon to silence reminders, the digest and Live Activities until midnight.

Changes not showing up on the other iPhone?

KidRun syncs through iCloud. The iCloud Sync row in the Family tab shows whether everything is up to date. If it isn't:

  1. Make sure both iPhones are signed in to iCloud and online.
  2. Check that iCloud isn't blocked for KidRun by Screen Time or a work or school device profile.
  3. Check that your iCloud storage isn't full. When it's full, changes can't reach your partner.
  4. Open KidRun on both iPhones and give it a minute. Low Power Mode can delay syncing.
  5. Still stuck? Make sure both iPhones run the latest version of KidRun and iOS.

Frequently asked questions

How much does KidRun cost?

KidRun is free to download, with no ads.

Do I need to create an account?

No. KidRun uses the iCloud account you're already signed in to on your iPhone. There's no separate KidRun account and no password.

Without iCloud, KidRun still works, but only on that one iPhone, and you can't share it.

Which devices does KidRun work on?

iPhone with iOS 26 or later. There's no iPad, Apple Watch, Mac or Android version.

Who can I share my family schedule with?

KidRun is designed for two parents sharing one family: you and your partner or co-parent. Both of you need an iPhone and an iCloud account. How to invite your partner.

Can my partner make changes too?

Yes. Everyone in the family can add and edit kids and activities, move or cancel sessions, and claim and complete pickups.

Does KidRun track my kids' location?

No. KidRun never uses your location. The place of an activity is plain text you type in, and tapping it opens Apple Maps.

Is Picked Up a safety feature?

No. Picked Up is a status message between parents. It depends on someone tapping it, and on notifications and iCloud working. Always check directly if you're not sure your child has been picked up.

Can I import from Google Calendar or Apple Calendar?

Not at the moment. You add kids and activities in KidRun itself, which takes about a minute per weekly activity. If calendar import matters to you, tell us.

Does KidRun work offline?

Yes. Your schedule is stored on your iPhone, so you can see and edit it without a connection. Changes sync with your partner once you're back online.

Where is my data stored?

On your iPhone and in your own iCloud account, where we can't see it. Only short pickup messages, like "Michael is on it", pass through our notification relay so your partner gets them right away, and they're deleted within a day. Read the privacy policy.

How do I delete my data?

Delete a single kid, activity or event right in the app.

To delete everything:

  1. If you share your family, stop sharing first in Family > Manage Sharing.
  2. Open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud and Manage Storage.
  3. Choose KidRun and delete its data.
  4. Delete the KidRun app from your iPhone.
What happens if we stop sharing?

If you created the family and stop sharing, you keep everything and your partner loses access. If you joined someone else's family and remove yourself, that family is removed from your iPhone. Your own family, if you had one, comes back from iCloud.

Why didn't I get a reminder?
  • Notifications may be off for KidRun. Check Settings > Notifications > KidRun.
  • Your partner may have already tapped I'm On It. You're only reminded about pickups nobody has claimed.
  • Mute for Today may be on.
  • A Focus may be silencing KidRun. Allow time-sensitive notifications for KidRun in your Focus settings.
Can I use KidRun for preschool or daycare?

Yes. Each kid can have a school or preschool with its own hours and pickup time, next to their activities.

Still need help?

Email us and we'll get back to you. In KidRun you can also tap Report a Bug or Suggest a Feature in the Family tab.

support@kidrun.app