Support
Write to us
Found a problem, have a question or an idea? Email
A person reads every email. Replies usually come within two business days. To help us understand what happened, tell us:
- your iPhone or iPad model and iOS version;
- what you tried to do and what appeared on screen;
- a screenshot, if you can.
Please don't send videos or photos of your child. We don't need them to help.
Common questions
How do I add videos?
In the parent library, tap + and choose:
- From Photos to pick videos from your library. Playlock only receives the ones you choose.
- YouTube link to paste a link. You'll see a preview before adding it.
You can also add from other apps: in YouTube, Safari or Photos, tap Share › Playlock. Playlock asks for your PIN or Face ID first, so your child can't add videos alone.
How does my child leave kid mode?
They can't on their own. To get back to the parent area, press and hold the lock button for about a second and a half, then enter your PIN or use Face ID. After five wrong PINs, the gate locks for 30 seconds.
How do I stop my child from leaving the app?
Use Guided Access, which is built into iOS and keeps the device inside one app.
- Open the Settings app, go to Accessibility › Guided Access and turn it on.
- Tap Passcode Settings and set a Guided Access passcode.
- Open Playlock, start kid mode, press the side (or Home) button three times, then tap Start.
To end it, press the side button three times again and enter the Guided Access passcode, or use Face ID. Playlock's settings show whether Guided Access is on.
How do session limits work?
In Settings › Session limit, choose a time, a number of videos, or both, in which case kid mode ends at whichever comes first. Time only counts while Playlock is open. When the session ends, your child sees an "All done for now!" screen, and only the parent gate leads out of it. Force-quitting the app doesn't reset the session.
A YouTube video won't add or won't play
Some videos can't be played outside YouTube: the owner turned off embedding, or the video is private or age-restricted. Playlock can't play those. YouTube videos also need an internet connection. Videos from Photos play offline.
I forgot my PIN
If Face ID is turned on, use it to get into the parent area, then go to Settings › Change PIN.
Otherwise there's no way to recover the PIN. That's on purpose, so a child can't get around it. You'll need to delete and reinstall Playlock, which removes its library. Your originals in Photos aren't affected, and YouTube videos can be added again from their links.
Where are my videos? Do they come with me to a new device?
Only on your device. Playlock has no account or server, and we never see your library. Playlock's data is part of your device backup like any app's, so restoring a new iPhone or iPad from that backup, or transferring from the old device, brings the library along.
Does Playlock show ads or collect data?
No. Playlock has no ads, no analytics and no tracking, and it collects no data. YouTube may show its own ads on some YouTube videos, which Playlock doesn't control. The details are in the privacy policy.