Family dashboard for iPad
A full-screen family dashboard designed for an iPad mounted on the fridge or counter. Calendar, chores, grocery, meals, weather — always on, always shared. Free forever.
One family account · No credit card · Free forever
Most families have an old iPad sitting in a drawer — replaced by a newer one, or by the kid's Chromebook, but still perfectly usable. Mounted to the fridge or kitchen counter, it becomes the household's command center: today's calendar, today's chores, the grocery list everyone can edit, the weather for the morning.
FamilyDash is built specifically for this use case. The kiosk layout is tuned for tablet portrait or landscape, touch targets are sized for casual fridge interaction, the kid PIN view works without a parent's account, and the dashboard refreshes automatically so it's always current.
No hardware purchase, no monthly device subscription. Free forever for the dashboard. Pro ($4.99/mo) adds the high-value automations. Compare to a Hearth Display ($699 + $86/yr) or Skylight Calendar ($319+ + $79/yr) and you save hundreds.
Install FamilyDash as a Home Screen PWA (Add to Home Screen from Safari). Opens full-screen with no browser chrome. Looks and behaves like a native app, refreshes automatically, never falls asleep on the right screen.
Big touch targets, high contrast, warm-paper aesthetic that doesn't fatigue when always-on. Works in both portrait (most fridge mounts) and landscape (counter stands).
Kids tap their face on the lock screen, enter a 4-digit PIN, see their own chores and streaks. No need for a parent to hand over their iCloud account or set up Family Sharing.
The dashboard layout shows today's calendar, current chores by kid, the active grocery list, this week's meal plan, and the local weather — all visible without tapping.
Runs in Safari on any iPad still getting iOS updates (roughly 2018 and newer). Equally happy on Android tablets in Chrome. Modern browsers only — no special hardware needed.
Hearth Display is $699 + $86/yr. Skylight is $319 + $79/yr. FamilyDash on your existing iPad is $34.99/yr (Pro) or free with one calendar. 3-year savings: ~$850 vs Hearth, ~$300 vs Skylight.
1) Sign in to familydash.app on the iPad's Safari. 2) Tap the Share button → Add to Home Screen. 3) Launch from the home screen — opens full-screen, no browser chrome. 4) In iPad Settings, set 'Auto-Lock' to Never (or use Guided Access for stricter kiosk mode) so it stays on. That's it.
Any iPad that still gets iOS updates — roughly iPad 6th gen (2018) and newer. The dashboard works on the iPad mini, the 11" iPad, and the 12.9" iPad Pro. Android tablets running Chrome work just as well.
In iPad Settings → Display → Auto-Lock, choose Never. For stricter kiosk behavior (kid can't accidentally exit the app), use Guided Access (triple-click the side button) or a dedicated kiosk mode like Single App Mode via Apple Configurator.
Same family-dashboard role, much less money. Hearth is $699 hardware + $86.40/yr. Skylight is $319+ + $79/yr. FamilyDash Pro is $34.99/yr on a tablet you already own (or pick up used for ~$200). Three-year totals: Hearth ~$958, Skylight ~$556, FamilyDash Pro ~$105. Full breakdowns at /familydash-vs-hearth-display and /familydash-vs-skylight.
Yes — kid PIN logins are designed for shared-device situations exactly like this. Each kid taps a 4-digit PIN and sees their personal chores and streaks. No iCloud account needed for the kids. The fridge iPad can stay signed in as the parent while kids tap into their own view for their chores.
Free forever for your whole household. Pro from $2.92/mo when you want recipe scanning and Kroger cart sync.