Every screenshot below is the real app. Ten minutes of setup for you — then one tap for everyone else, forever.
You're the account holder — the one who does the tech for everyone else. Here's the whole journey, in order.
Open app.grandkins.com and tap "New here? Create your family account." Your name, your family's name (like "The Garcias"), email, and a password — that's it.
Your 14-day free trial starts right away. Nobody else in the family will ever need an account, a password, or an email address.
Go to Settings → + Add a family member. For each person you add:
Next to each family member in Settings there's a "Message page" button. Tap it and share the link on WhatsApp (or any messaging app). That link is their whole app:
Under each person in Settings is a "Can call directly" row. Tap the names you want to connect. Anyone you connect can call each other straight from their own pages — without going through you.
Connect Grandma to the kids and she can tap "I want to talk" on her page; everyone's phone rings, and whoever's free picks up. You stay the account holder — not the switchboard.
The home screen's "Getting set up" checklist tracks these steps and marks each one done as you go.
📹 Video call: tap "New Call" on anyone's card. Speak naturally — they see subtitles and hear a voice in their language while you talk, and you hear them in yours.
💬 Typed message: open any person's chat, type in English, hit send — it arrives in their language, with a voice they can tap to hear read aloud.
🎙️ Voice message: hold the microphone button and talk. They get your message in their language — text and voice.
In the screenshot: the parent wrote in English, Abuela replied in Spanish — and each of them read the whole conversation in their own language.
Grandkins works right in the browser, but it's nicer installed. On iPhone: open app.grandkins.com in Safari → tap the Share button → "Add to Home Screen." On Android: open it in Chrome → tap the ⋮ menu → "Add to Home screen" (or tap "Install" when Chrome offers). You'll get a proper app icon, full-screen app, and call & message notifications. Native App Store and Play Store apps are on the way.
Their whole experience is one page, in their language, with big buttons. Here's Abuela's actual page, in Spanish — every grandparent gets the same page in their own language. If they can tap a photo on WhatsApp, they can use Grandkins.
They tap the link you sent on WhatsApp. The page opens already in their language and offers to add itself to their home screen — big buttons, bilingual instructions, and it even detects whether they're on an iPhone or Android and shows the right steps.
After this one-time step there's a Family button on their home screen, like any other app. No app store. No password. Nothing to remember.
At the top of their page is one big button — "Quiero hablar", "എനിക്ക് സംസാരിക്കണം", "मुझे बात करनी है" — I want to talk, in their language.
They tap it, the family's phones ring, and whoever's free taps "Call now." Their page flips to a pulsing Join button and they're in the call — video, live subtitles, and a translated voice, automatically.
When family calls them, their page rings and shows one button to answer. And if you've connected them to the grandkids, they call each other the same way.
At the bottom of their page is a microphone button: hold it, talk, let go. The family gets their words translated — as text and as a voice.
Messages from the family appear right on the same page, already in their language, each with a ▶ play button that reads it aloud — perfect for anyone who'd rather listen than read.
In this screenshot: "Good morning! Maya scored her first goal today ⚽" arrived as "¡Buenos días! Maya metió su primer gol hoy ⚽" — nobody translated anything.
Spanish above, Malayalam here — the page speaks whatever you chose for them in Settings: English, Español, हिन्दी, മലയാളം, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ગુજરાતી, বাংলা, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ, اردو, मराठी, ಕನ್ನಡ, Tiếng Việt, Filipino, العربية, Português. Change it any time — their page updates instantly.
Grandkins handles real family chaos, but three habits make every call noticeably better — the app will also gently remind you on the call itself, in each person's language.
The translator follows one voice. When everyone greets at once (we know — it's a family call), the translations pile on top of each other. Short pauses between speakers keep everything clear.
A TV or busy street next to the phone competes with the speaker's voice. It doesn't need to be silent — just don't make the translator fight the cricket commentary.
The spoken translation follows a couple of seconds behind, like a human interpreter. Give it a beat before replying — the rhythm becomes natural within one call.
Video adapts to slow connections automatically, but a decent Wi-Fi signal keeps faces sharp and voices crisp on both ends.
Five steps for you, three taps for them. Start tonight — the trial is free for 14 days.
Start your family free →
Grandkins