Set up a child's device with a setup code
A setup code pairs the Kivvie app on a child's device directly to their profile, with no Google sign-in on that device. If the device is supervised by Google Family Link or Apple Screen Time, this is the only path, because Google won't let you sign in with a parent account there. On any other device it simply saves you the sign-in.
- 1
Generate a code on the dashboard
Sign in at kivvie.app and open Profiles. Next to the child you are setting up, click the setup code button. A 6-character code appears with a copy button. The code is valid for 10 minutes and is tied to that one child profile.
- 2
Open Kivvie on the child device
Install Kivvie from the App Store or Google Play on the child device. On the welcome screen, tap "I have a setup code". You do not sign into any Google account on this device.
- 3
Enter the code and pair
Type the 6-character code and tap "Pair this device". The app confirms the pairing and drops straight into the child's feed, showing only the channels you approved for that profile.
What a paired device can and cannot do
A code-paired device is a viewer only. It shows the assigned child's approved channels, search within those channels, and playback. It cannot approve or remove channels, change settings, or see other children's profiles. All management stays on the parent dashboard, so a child who finds the code cannot change anything.
The pairing lasts about six months. After that, or if you want to move the device to a different child, just generate a new code and pair again. Codes themselves expire after 10 minutes, and you can generate a fresh one whenever you need it.
Why this matters on Family Link and Screen Time devices
On a device supervised by Google Family Link or set up with a child's Apple ID, Google's account picker only offers the child's account and refuses to add a parent account. That makes a parent Google sign-in impossible on the device. The setup code sidesteps the sign-in entirely, so Kivvie works on supervised devices without touching the child's Google or Apple account.