Support

Need help or have an idea? Email [email protected].

What you need

• An iPad with iPadOS 26 or later.
• The child's iPad signed in to a child account in your Family Sharing group, so Screen Time permission needs your approval. An iPad signed in to an adult account works too, but anyone who knows its passcode can turn Lockodile off.

Keep the lock working

Change these on your child's iPad so the lock can't be got around. Check them again after iPadOS updates.

• Use a child account. Sign the child's iPad in to a child account in your Family Sharing group. Then Lockodile can't be removed and its Screen Time permission can't be turned off without your approval. On an iPad signed in to an adult account, tap This iPad uses an adult account: Lockodile still locks apps, but anyone who knows the iPad's passcode can turn it off.
• Set a Screen Time passcode. Settings › Screen Time › Lock Screen Time Settings. Pick one your child doesn't know.
• Turn off deleting apps. Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions › iTunes & App Store Purchases › Deleting Apps › Don't Allow.
• Turn on Ask to Buy. On your iPhone or iPad: Settings › your name › Family › your child › Ask to Buy. New apps then need your approval, so they can't be installed unlocked.
• Lock web browsing too. In Parent settings › Screen Time › Locked apps, also choose Safari or the web categories, not just games and videos.
• Keep the date and time automatic. Settings › General › Date & Time › Set Automatically. Screen Time keeps it from being changed, so the daily max can't be reset by changing the clock.
• Check again after iPadOS updates. Updates can change these settings. Go through this list again after each one.

Locking and earning

How does earning time work? Each challenge passed unlocks the chosen apps for the minutes set in Parent settings › Earning time, up to the daily max. The daily max starts over at midnight.

The locked app's button doesn't open Lockodile. Apple doesn't let the locked screen open other apps. The button sends a notification instead; tap it to open Lockodile.

How do I give extra time or stop early? Parent settings › Right now. Add minutes unlocks right away without a challenge; Lock now ends the time that's left.

Can my child delete Lockodile or turn it off? Not without your approval, as long as the iPad uses a child account. On an adult account, anyone who knows the iPad's passcode can; a Screen Time passcode and blocked deleting make that harder. See the checklist for the other settings to change.

Challenges don't earn any time. Screen Time isn't set up, or no apps are chosen. In Parent settings › Screen Time, allow access, choose the locked apps, and switch on Lock apps until challenges are done.

Reading

Why was a word marked wrong? Every word is checked against what the iPad heard. Strict matching counts a real word read in its place as a miss; Forgiving accepts close sounds. Change it in Parent settings › Reading check.

Why did reading fail as too fast? Finishing faster than the fastest allowed speed fails as rushing, to catch skipping. Raise it in Parent settings › Reading check if your child reads well and fast.

Does reading need the internet? No. Speech recognition runs on the iPad, and nothing your child says leaves it.

Could someone else read for my child? It can't be fully prevented. The fastest allowed speed stops a quick read-through, and story questions check that your child understood.

How do I add stories or books? With Lockodile Plus: Parent settings › Stories › Add. Import PDFs or EPUBs (several at once), take photos of pages, or type or paste a story. Things shared to Lockodile from other apps wait under Shared to Lockodile for you to check.

How are books read? A book shows as one tile. Your child reads a part at a time and picks up from a bookmark the next time, with the book's pictures between paragraphs.

Where does new content come from? New stories, spelling lists, science facts, rhymes and language words arrive every week when Lockodile opens, with no app update. New stories show under New stories for your child's age, and Parent settings › New content lists each week and can turn one off. The free version gets each week's first story; Plus gets everything.

Settings and the PIN

How do I change settings for my child's age? Parent settings › Run the setup guide again, then pick an age. Stories, history and the PIN are kept.

I forgot the PIN. Delete and reinstall Lockodile to reset it. Deleting needs your Screen Time approval, and it also clears the history.

Lockodile Plus

What does Plus add? The full story library, your own stories, new content every week, story questions, the parent Report, every level of Math, Matching and Counting, and the Spelling, Tracing, Puzzle, Charts, Coding, Music, Science, Rhymes and Languages games. The lock is always free, with three stories for the child's age, the first level of Math, and easy Matching and Counting.

How much is Plus? $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, paid through your Apple ID.

How does the free trial work? New subscribers get the first 7 days free. Cancel before the week ends and you won't be charged.

How do I cancel or change my plan? Parent settings › Lockodile Plus › Manage subscription, or Settings › your name › Subscriptions.

Plus says purchases are turned off. Screen Time blocks purchases on this iPad. Buy Plus on your own iPhone or iPad instead; with Family Sharing on, it reaches your child's iPad. Then tap Restore Purchases there.

I have an offer code. Parent settings › Redeem a code.