How Earnest works, start to finish
Earnest turns real tasks into screen time. Kids finish a quest, a parent approves with a PIN, and the earned minutes unlock the apps you both agreed on. One honest loop runs the whole app.
Coming to Android. Free during early access, no card required.
Hi, Mia
Today's quests
- Make your bedEarned
- Read 20 minutesWaiting…
- HomeworkDone
The five steps
There is no monitoring feed and no restriction dashboard. Just tasks that turn into real minutes, and a gentle lock when the time is up.
- 1
Write the quests
You add tasks worth minutes, coins, or both. Make your bed, read 20 minutes, homework, brush teeth.
- 2
Your kid marks it done
When a task is finished they tap Done, with an optional photo for proof. It moves to Waiting for you.
- 3
Approve with your PIN
Open Parent Zone, glance at what is waiting, and approve with a tap. No login and no account to manage.
- 4
Minutes land in the Time Bank
45minApproved minutes drop straight into the kid Time Bank, and coins add to their reward balance.
- 5
Spend minutes to unlock apps
Kids spend banked minutes to open the reward apps you picked. A countdown runs, then Earnest locks them, gently.
Set the tasks, your kid checks them off
A kid opens Earnest and sees their Time Bank, their coins and streak, and today's quests. They finish a task in the real world, tap Done, and it moves to a Waiting state until you approve it. An optional photo can travel with it as proof.
Tasks can be one-off, daily, or weekly, sorted into categories like Chore, Learning, and Health. Learning tasks can pay a bonus. Read more about quests and photo proof or the minutes Time Bank.
Hi, Mia
Today's quests
- Make your bedEarned
- Read 20 minutesWaiting…
- HomeworkDone
Approve with your PIN, in seconds
Waiting tasks land in an approvals queue in Parent Zone. You see who did what, how many minutes and coins it is worth, and any attached photo. Approve one at a time, or approve all of them at once. When you are not ready, the gentle option is Not yet rather than a hard reject.
Your PIN is hashed on the device with PBKDF2, and repeated wrong guesses trigger a lockout. See how PIN approval works.
Approvals
Approved tasks credit screen time automatically.
Minutes bank, then unlock the apps
Approved minutes credit the Time Bank automatically, and coins add to the reward balance. To use screen time, a kid spends banked minutes to open the reward apps you picked. A countdown runs while they play, a five minute warning appears, and then Earnest softly locks the reward apps again.
Coins are a separate currency for real rewards you set, like a movie night or ice cream, in the Reward Shop. Minutes handle screen time on your chosen apps.
Tap an app to start using your time.
- Videos
- Blocks
- Racing
- Draw
- Music
- Puzzles
Two currencies, one honest deal
Minutes and coins are both earned by finishing quests. They are spent on very different things, so kids can save toward a treat while still earning daily screen time.
Minutes buy screen time. Kids spend them to unlock the reward apps you chose, and Earnest counts the time down as they go.
Coins buy real rewards you define. Kids save up and send a request, which lands in your queue to approve.
Honest about what locking can and cannot do
Bedtime and school windows lock the reward apps on a schedule, and you can override them anytime. There are two levels of enforcement, and we are upfront about the ceiling.
Basic mode
Works on any Android phone with no special setup. It uses a bedtime device lock and re-locks reward apps if they are reopened after time runs out.
Max protection mode
Blocking uninstalls and locking the whole device to an allowlist needs Device Owner, a factory-reset setup you turn on yourself. It is optional and never required.
Every non-enterprise parental app hits this same ceiling on a stock phone. Read the full, candid breakdown on how enforcement works and schedules and bedtime.
Parent Zone
2 waitingQuick adjust
Every part of the loop, explained
The whole app is being built in the open. Here are the pieces, each on its own page.
Time Bank
Earned minutes bank up and get spent to unlock apps.
Learn moreQuests
One-off, daily, or weekly tasks with photo proof.
Learn moreReward Shop
Coins buy the real rewards you set.
Learn moreScreen time rewards
Earned minutes unlock your chosen apps.
Learn moreSchedules and bedtime
Lock windows with an easy parent override.
Learn morePIN approval
A PBKDF2-hashed parent PIN and an approvals queue.
Learn moreGamification
XP, levels, streaks with bonus minutes, and badges.
Learn moreMultiple kids
Per-child banks and an age-tiered interface.
Learn moreEnforcement
How locking works, and where the honest ceiling is.
Learn morePrivacy
Offline, no account, no ads, no data collection.
Learn moreSee it on your family's phone
Earnest is Android first and free during early access. Join the list and we will tell you the moment it is ready to install.