Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most common questions about Our Fam! If you don't find what you're looking for, contact us at [email protected].

Privacy & Encryption

Can you read my messages, lists, or location?

No. Your messages, list contents, and location coordinates are end-to-end encrypted on your device before they are uploaded. We cannot read them, and neither can our cloud provider. Only members of your family, on their own devices, can decrypt this content.

How does the encryption work?

Private content is encrypted on your device using ECDH key exchange and AES-256-GCM encryption before upload. Your private keys never leave your device. For full detail, see our Privacy Policy.

What happens if I lose or replace my phone?

Each device has its own keys, so when you sign in on a new device it gets its own keys and can read content shared with it from that point on. Content encrypted only for a device you no longer have access to cannot be recovered — this is a normal property of end-to-end encryption, not a bug.

Location

Why is my location stale or not updating?

The most common cause is the location permission being set to "Only while using the app." For background updates to work, set it to "Allow all the time": Settings → Apps → Our Fam! → Permissions → Location → Allow all the time.

How do arrival and departure alerts work?

A family admin can define named places (like "Home" or "School"). When a watched family member arrives at or leaves one of those places, the family is notified. You can choose which places and members you're alerted about in the app's settings.

      Safety note: Location can be delayed, inaccurate, or unavailable.
      Never rely on Our Fam! as your only way to locate someone, and never rely on it in an
      emergency. In an emergency, contact local emergency services.
    

Can I turn off location sharing?

Yes. You can turn location sharing on or off at any time from your profile. When it's off, your location is not shared with anyone.

Families

Can I be in more than one family?

Yes. You can belong to multiple families at once and switch between them in the app. One family is shown as active at a time, but notifications arrive from all of them.

How do I join a family?

Use the family's invite code or scan its QR code from the Family Setup screen. Your request is sent to that family's admin, who approves it before you're added.

What are the different roles?

Admin — manages the family: invites, removals, places, and member settings.
Member — a regular adult member.
Child — a member on an account marked as belonging to a minor, which enables additional protections.

Children & Minors

What does marking an account as a minor do?

Marking an account as belonging to a minor enables added protections for that account, such as family-managed location settings. Whether an account is a minor is controlled by the account holder and cannot be changed by another family member.

How does someone confirm they are now an adult?

An account marked as a minor can be upgraded to an adult account through a verification flow: confirm your birth year, confirm by email, and follow the link back into the app. Once verified, the minor protections no longer apply.

Account & Data

How do I delete my account?

Open the app, go to Profile → Manage My Data, and tap Delete Account. For the full steps and details of what is removed and what remains, see how to delete your account.

What happens to my data when I delete my account?

Your account, profile, location data, device tokens, and direct messages are deleted. To keep your family's shared history intact, some content — such as your messages in group chats and items you added to shared lists — is kept but is no longer linked to your account. See the account deletion page for the full breakdown.