GrandkinsChinese–English family video calls, translated as you talk
What a family call in Chinese and English sounds like
This is the kind of thing families actually say, and what each side hears:
Mandarin, with simplified characters
Grandkins translates Mandarin Chinese. Nai Nai hears a spoken Mandarin translation, and her captions are in simplified characters. Cantonese, Taishanese and other Chinese languages aren’t covered yet, so check which one your grandparents speak at home before you start.
How it works
- Live translated video calls. One-to-one or the whole family. Everyone speaks normally; each person hears the others in their own language a moment later, with captions.
- Translated messages. Voice, video and text messages arrive in Chinese for Nai Nai and in English for the kids, as text and as a spoken translation.
- Any phone, any country. Nai Nai in Chengdu, the family in San Francisco, an uncle in Vancouver: everyone uses the same app over Wi-Fi or mobile data, so there are no international calling rates.
- Not just Chinese and English. Any pairing of 36 languages works, so a Chinese-speaking grandparent can talk with a Spanish-speaking in-law too.
More than a call
Between calls there’s the family room, one group chat where everyone reads everyone else in their own language, and a question every Sunday, like "Who was your best friend in school?", to get Nai Nai telling stories.
Common questions
Can Nai Nai use it if she doesn’t read English?
The app’s buttons are in simple English, so someone may need to show her once. After that, answering is one tap, the phone can say out loud who’s calling, and calls can pick up by themselves while the app is open if you turn that on. Everything the family says reaches her in Chinese, spoken aloud and as captions.
How does Nai Nai join?
She installs the same Grandkins app as everyone else, on iPhone or Android, taps "Join my family" and types the 6-letter code you send her. No email, no password. If you’re not with her, read her the code over an ordinary phone call.
Does it translate Chinese into languages other than English?
Yes. Grandkins translates between any two of its 36 languages: English; ten Indian languages (Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi and Urdu); and Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Thai, Indonesian, Malay, Burmese, Khmer, Nepali and Swahili.
Are calls recorded?
No. Calls are never recorded. The written words of each call are kept in your family’s Memories, and anyone can turn Memories off during a call.
How much does it cost?
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 up to 15 people, and every family starts with a free trial: 14 days or 60 translated minutes, whichever comes first.
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