One PIN, kept on the phone, in your control
PIN approval is how a parent confirms finished tasks and unlocks settings, using a code that is hashed on the device rather than stored in plain text. Finished quests wait in an approvals queue where you approve them with your PIN, one at a time or all at once.
Coming to Android. Free during early access, no card required.
Approvals
Approved tasks credit screen time automatically.
How PIN approval works
Approval is the moment a kid's effort becomes real minutes and coins. Because it is the one gate that matters, Earnest treats the PIN like a local secret and keeps approving quick enough to do from the couch.
Hashed with PBKDF2
The PIN is stored as a PBKDF2 hash with a per-user random salt, using 120,000 iterations and a constant-time compare, so the raw code never sits on the device.
Lockout on repeated misses
After five wrong attempts, Earnest applies an exponential backoff. That slows guessing without punishing an honest slip of the thumb.
A fast approvals queue
Waiting tasks show who did what, the minutes and coins, and any photo. Approve one, approve all, or choose Not yet, a gentler wording than reject.
What works today
Creating and confirming a PIN during onboarding, the PIN-gated Parent Zone, and the hashing and lockout described above are built and verified on a real device. The full approvals queue shown here, including approve-all and notification approvals with a photo thumbnail, is coming to the first release. Read more on the security page.
Common questions
Where is my PIN stored?
Only on the device, and only as a hash. Earnest uses PBKDF2 with HMAC SHA-256, a per-user random salt, 120,000 iterations, and a constant-time comparison. There is no cloud copy because there is no account.
What if someone guesses wrong repeatedly?
After five failed attempts the app enforces an exponential backoff, adding a growing delay before the next try to discourage guessing.
Why does it say Not yet instead of Reject?
Because the goal is encouragement, not punishment. Not yet keeps a task pending so a kid can finish it properly, rather than marking their effort as failed.
Be there for the first release
Earnest is Android first and free during early access. Join the list and we will tell you the moment it is ready to install.