Help & Support

Everything you need to set up Lifeboard, use it day to day, and fix the occasional hiccup. Can't find your answer? Email hello@lifeboard.io and a real person will get back to you.

Getting started

What you'll need

• An iPad running iPadOS 26 or later. See the list of iPads in the FAQ.
• A family that keeps its plans in Apple's Calendar and Reminders. Google and work calendars added to the iPad's Calendar app show up too.
• A stand or mount near an outlet, so the iPad can stay plugged in.
• Optional: the Lifeboard iPhone app, for points, meals and recipes on the go (iOS 26 or later).

Your first five minutes

The first time you open Lifeboard, it walks you through setup one step at a time. You can skip any step and change it later in Settings.

1. Connect Apple's apps. Tap Allow Access, then Allow on each prompt: Calendar, Reminders, Photos and Home. Each app gets a green check once it's connected.
2. Name your family. It appears at the top of the sidebar.
3. Pick a family crest. Use a photo, a badge or your initial.
4. Say where you live, for the weather.
5. Add your kids. Give each one an emoji and choose their chore list in Reminders, or create a new list right there.
6. Choose your tabs. Turn off anything your family won't use.
7. Choose voice control: Off, Tap to Talk or Hands-Free.
8. Start your free 14-day trial. Every tab is yours for two weeks, with nothing to cancel.
9. Keep it on Lifeboard with Guided Access (below).

Lock the iPad to Lifeboard

Guided Access is built into every iPad. It keeps the iPad in Lifeboard so little hands can't wander into other apps.

1. Open the iPad's Settings app, swipe down to show the search bar, and search for Guided Access. (It's also under Accessibility.) Turn it on.
2. Tap Passcode Settings and set a passcode the kids don't know.
3. Open Lifeboard, triple-click the top button (or the Home button), and tap Start.
4. To leave, triple-click again and enter your passcode.

Allow everything you plan to use before you start Guided Access. The iPad can't ask for permissions while it's locked to Lifeboard.

Everyday how-tos

Add an event

Add it in the Calendar app on anyone's iPhone, or on the hub's Calendar tab. New events from the hub go on your default calendar, which you can change in Lifeboard's Settings › Calendar. That's also where you choose which calendars appear.

Chores and points

Each kid's chores live in their own Reminders list, so you can add a chore from any iPhone. When a kid checks one off, on the hub or on a phone, they earn points. To change how many points a chore is worth, open it on the Tasks tab. To set the starting value for new chores, go to Rewards › Manage.

Rewards

On the Rewards tab, tap Manage to add kids, add rewards and set what each one costs. When a kid has enough points, tap Redeem. You can also give a bonus for a good deed from the same screen.

Meals and the grocery list

Plan dinners on the Meals tab and Lifeboard builds the grocery list for you, merging duplicates and adding your staples. Tap Sync to Reminders to send it to a shared list for whoever's shopping. Set the days you usually shop in Settings › Meals.

Save a recipe

On the Recipes tab, choose Import a Link, Browse the Web or Type It In. From Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok or Safari, tap Share and choose Lifeboard.

The photo frame

When no one's using the hub, it becomes a photo frame. In Settings › Screen Saver, choose the album, how long until it starts, how long each photo stays up, and whether the clock and today's events show on top.

Voice timers

Turn on voice in Settings › Voice Control. With Hands-Free, say "Hey Lifeboard" and wait for the chime. With Tap to Talk, tap the mic first. Try "Pasta timer for twelve minutes", "Cancel the egg timer", or "Stop" when an alarm rings.

Make it easier to read

If the hub is across the room, make everything bigger in Settings › Appearance › Text Size. For evenings, Settings › Night Mode dims the screen and tints it red between the times you choose.

Troubleshooting

My calendar, reminders or photos are empty

Open Lifeboard's Settings › Permissions to see what's allowed. If something shows as Off, open the iPad's Settings app, scroll to Lifeboard, and turn it on. If Guided Access is running, end it first.

Some calendars are missing

Check Settings › Calendar › Show Calendars. Google, Outlook or work calendars need to be added to the iPad's own Calendar app first. Then they'll appear in Lifeboard.

A kid's chores aren't showing

On the Rewards tab, tap Manage, open the kid, and check their Assigned Lists. Also make sure the list is turned on in Settings › Tasks.

Changes from a phone don't show up

Make sure the iPad is online and that Calendar and Reminders are turned on for iCloud on both devices. You'll find this in the Settings app, under your name, then iCloud. Changes usually appear within a few moments.

"Hey Lifeboard" doesn't respond

Check that Settings › Voice Control is set to Hands-Free, and that Microphone and Speech Recognition are allowed under Settings › Permissions. Voice control understands US English for now.

My lights or cameras are missing

Lifeboard shows what's in Apple's Home app. Make sure the device is added to Home, and that Home access is allowed under Settings › Permissions. Devices that only work with Alexa or Google Home won't appear.

The weather shows the wrong town

Add your town on the Weather tab, then pick it in Settings › Weather.

Still stuck?

Email hello@lifeboard.io. It helps to include your iPad model, its iPadOS version (Settings › General › About), and what you were doing when the problem happened. Screenshots are welcome.