GrandkinsCalling parents in India who speak Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu or Hindi
The gap Grandkins was built for
The translation built into phones today mostly leaves out Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu on calls, and it often only works when both people have a particular kind of phone. That's no help when Amma has an Android in Kerala and the grandkids have iPhones in New Jersey. Grandkins starts from the languages your parents actually speak, and everyone uses the same app on whatever phone they have.
The translation is tuned for how families talk: kinship words and the respectful forms elders expect, rather than stiff word-for-word output.
Setting it up from the other side of the world
You start the family in the app, add your parents with their language, and send each of them a 6-letter code on WhatsApp. They install Grandkins, tap "Join my family" and type the code. No email, no password. If they need help, read them the code over an ordinary phone call. The app's buttons are in simple English; everything the family says reaches them in their own language.
A few things help parents who aren't comfortable with phones: the app can say out loud who is calling, calls can be set to answer by themselves after a 10-second countdown (only if you turn it on), and an "Ask for help" button lets them tell you they're stuck.
Time zones: messages that arrive translated
With a ten-hour gap, live calls can't carry the whole relationship. You or the kids can leave a voice or video message in English, and it reaches your parents in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu or Hindi, as text and as a spoken translation. Their reply comes back to you in English the same way. A weekly call on the calendar sends everyone a reminder in their own time.
The grandkids get their own line
Once you connect them, your kids and your parents can call each other directly, without you scheduling and interpreting every call. There's even a way to read a children's picture book together on a call, with the words in each person's language where the book has them.
Common questions
Does it work on my parents' phone in India?
Yes. Grandkins is an app for iPhone and Android, and it works over Wi-Fi or mobile data anywhere with an internet connection. There are no international calling rates.
Which Indian languages are supported?
Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu, each with English and with the other Grandkins languages.
Do my parents need an email address or a password?
No. They join with the 6-letter code you send them. Only the organizer, the person who starts the family, signs in with an email, and even they don't need a password.
Are the app's buttons in Malayalam?
No. The screens are in simple English for everyone. What gets translated is what the family says: calls and voice, video and text messages arrive in each person's own language.
My spouse doesn't speak my parents' language. Can they talk directly?
Yes, that's one of the main reasons families use it. Your spouse speaks English, your parents speak their language, and the call translates both ways.
What does it cost for a family across two countries?
Starter is $9.99 a month or $99 a year with 100 translated minutes a month; Family is $14.99 a month or $149 a year with 200; Family Plus is $19.99 a month or $199 a year with 300. One plan covers the whole family, and every family starts with a free trial: 14 days or 60 translated minutes, whichever comes first.
Do calls get recorded anywhere?
No. Calls are never recorded. The written words of each call are kept in your family's Memories, and a short video moment is saved only if someone chooses to save one. Anyone can turn Memories off during a call.
Try it with your own family
Setup takes a few minutes: add your family, pick each person's language, and send each of them a 6-letter code. Plans start at $9.99 a month for the whole family, and every family starts with a free trial of 14 days or 60 translated minutes.
Start your family's free trial