How to use TockStar

Getting started

1. Install TockStar on your iPhone and choose I'm a parent.
2. Enter your email. We'll send you a 6-digit code. There's no password to remember.
3. Name your family and tap Create family.
4. Start your free trial. One subscription covers every parent and child in the family.
5. Open the Kids tab and tap + to add each child. A first name is all it needs.

Adding a co-parent: go to Settings → Invite a co-parent and enter their email. When they sign in to TockStar with that email, they join your family automatically with the same abilities you have.

Setting up your kid's device

Kids don't need an email address or an account. Their iPhone or iPad is paired to them with a short code.

1. On your phone, open Kids, tap your child, then tap Pair [name]'s device. You'll see a code.
2. On your kid's device, install TockStar, choose I'm a kid, and enter the code.
3. That's it. The code expires after 15 minutes, so make a new one if it runs out.

Kids can see their missions, scores, rewards and privileges, and tap "I'm doing it". They can't change missions, scores or settings.

Creating missions

Open Kids, tap a child, then tap Add mission. Pick a type first:

Beat the clock

For anything with a deadline: "Upstairs for bed by 8:45", "Backpack by the door by 8:00", "Homework started by 4:30". The mission starts at 100% and loses points the later it's done.

• Deadline: the time it's due.
• Late penalty: how many points it loses, and how often. For example, 2 points every 5 minutes. Partial blocks count, so 1 minute late into a 5-minute block loses the points.
• Mark missed after a cutoff (optional): after this many minutes late, it's marked missed at 0%.
• Reminder: how many minutes before the deadline your kid gets a heads-up.

Parent scores it

For things a clock can't measure: "Stay at dinner for 20 minutes", "Practice piano", "Room picked up". You give it a score from 0 to 100%. For example, staying 15 of 20 minutes could be 75%. A time of day is optional; if you set one, you'll get a nudge to score it then. If you never score it, it's simply left out of the grade.

Schedule

• Every day, Weekdays, Once a week or Certain days (pick the days).
• School nights: Sunday through Thursday nights, skipping any night before a no-school day on your family calendar.
• Just once: a one-off mission on a date you choose. It disappears from the list after that day but still counts in that week's grade.

Weights: on the child's page, tap Weights to decide how much each mission counts. For example, homework could be 30% of the grade. Missions you leave blank share whatever's left equally.

Editing: changes apply going forward. Anything already scored keeps the rules it was scored under. To delete a mission, open it and tap Delete at the bottom.

The daily routine

1. Your kid sees today's missions with countdowns, and gets a reminder before each deadline.
2. When they start, they tap "I'm doing it". For parent-scored missions, they tap "I did it".
3. You get a notification, and it shows up under Needs your approval on your Today screen.
4. Tap Approve, or Score for parent-scored missions. If it isn't really done, tap Not done yet; the clock keeps running.

The score uses the time your kid tapped, not the time you approved. So if you're busy and approve an hour later, it doesn't cost them anything.

Approved by mistake? On the Today screen, swipe right on the mission or press and hold it, then choose Undo. You can undo until the week closes.

You can also mark a mission done yourself from the Today screen, or excuse a single one (for example, if plans changed).

How scores work

• Each mission starts at 100% and loses points only if it's late (or gets the score you give it).
• The weekly grade is the weighted average of that week's missions.
• The big score on your kid's screen is the average for the current grading period: week, month, quarter or year (you choose in Settings). Each week counts equally, and the current week counts live, so it moves as the day goes on.
• Closing the week locks in the grade and awards rewards. It happens automatically on the day and time you choose, or you can close it yourself from the child's page.
• Fresh start: tap Reset score on the child's page to save the current score to history and start a new period right away.

Past weeks and periods are saved under History on each child's page, like report cards.

Rewards

On the child's page, tap Reward tiers, then +. Choose the score needed (for example 90% or higher) and add one or more rewards. A reward can be anything ("Pick Saturday breakfast") and can include a money amount.

• Rewards are checked every time the week closes, against the grading period's average.
• Tiers stack: a 95% earns the 90% rewards too.
• Earned rewards appear in the Rewards tab with a running total of money owed. Tap the circle to mark one delivered.

Privileges

Privileges are ongoing perks, like iPad time or picking the Friday movie, that stay available as long as your kid keeps their score up.

1. On the child's page, scroll to Privileges and tap Add privilege.
2. Name it and set the score it needs, for example 80% or higher.

Each privilege shows as unlocked or locked right under your kid's score, on their screen and on yours. It changes automatically as their score moves, and your kid gets a notification when one locks or unlocks. Before they have any score in a new period, privileges count as unlocked.

Time off and school holidays

• Time off: on the child's page, tap Time off to excuse a single day or a range (sick days, vacations, camp). Excused missions don't count for or against them.
• No-school days: add holidays and breaks to your family calendar in Settings → No-school days. "School nights" missions skip the night before each one.

Family settings

• Words: what to call tasks. Changes everywhere, for everyone.
• Week close: automatic (pick the day and time) or manual.
• Grading period: week, month, quarter, year, or manual (runs until you reset it).
• Time zone: deadlines use your family's time zone, which is taken from your phone when you create the family.
• Invite a co-parent: add another parent by email.
• No-school days: holidays and breaks for school-night missions.

Settings save automatically as you change them.

Subscription

TockStar is $4.99 a month after a 30-day free trial, and one subscription covers your whole family. The parent who started the family manages it. To cancel, open the iPhone Settings app, tap your name, then Subscriptions.

Tips for kids with ADHD

• Start small. Two or three missions they can win beat ten they'll dread. Add more once the habit sticks.
• Make the penalty gentle at first. 1 point per 5 minutes keeps it encouraging. Being a little late should still feel like a win.
• Reward starting, not perfection. "Homework started by 4:30" works better than "Homework finished".
• Pick privileges they already care about. Screen time and choosing something for the family are strong motivators.
• Set thresholds they can reach. If a privilege is always locked, lower it a little and raise it later.
• Celebrate the score, not just the rewards. A quick "you're at 92% this week!" goes a long way.
• Use a longer grading period (a month) so one rough day doesn't undo a good stretch.

Troubleshooting