My child's phone is stuck locked

Work through these in order. Step 1 solves it in almost every case, and you can always unlock your child's phone without our help.

A locked phone can always call for help. The TaskKidz lock screen keeps emergency calls available at all times, and gives your child one-tap buttons to call or message you. Your child is never cut off.

1Release the device from your own phone

This is the fastest fix and it works even if your child's phone is in your hand or across town.

TaskKidz → Settings → find your child under "Kids in Family" → Release device

The phone unlocks within a few seconds, as long as it has mobile data or Wi-Fi. If nothing happens, the phone is probably offline — see step 2.

2Check the phone is online

TaskKidz needs a connection to receive the unlock. If the phone is in aeroplane mode, out of data, or has no signal, the release cannot reach it.

Turn Wi-Fi or mobile data back on, then wait about ten seconds.
If you cannot get past the lock screen to reach settings, swipe down from the top of the screen — the quick settings panel is still available.

Once the phone is back online it will pick up the release on its own. You do not need to press anything again.

3Turn TaskKidz off on the child's phone

If you have the phone in your hands and want it unlocked right now, you can switch off the TaskKidz device administrator directly. This ends all locking on that phone immediately.

Settings → Security and privacy → More security settings → Device admin apps → TaskKidz → Deactivate

Wording varies slightly between Android versions and brands. Look for "Device admin apps", "Device administrators", or "Phone administrators" under your security settings.

Nothing is lost by doing this. Chores, balances and history all stay exactly as they are, and you can switch locking back on later from inside the app.

4Uninstall TaskKidz

If you would rather remove the app entirely, deactivate the device administrator first using step 3, then uninstall as normal. Android will not let an app with device admin active be uninstalled until it is deactivated.

You should not need a factory reset. Steps 1 and 3 both fully unlock the phone, and step 3 works with no internet connection and no access to your own device. If you have tried both and the phone is still locked, please email us before resetting anything — a reset erases your child's photos and messages, and it is almost never necessary.

Still stuck? Email support@taskkidz.com and tell us the phone model and what you have already tried.