Frequently Asked Questions

Kinovia is a private family management app built for families who want more than a chat group. It gives your family a secure, invite-only digital space where you can build a visual family tree, store important documents, record family history, plan events, honour departed loved ones, and stay connected across generations — all in one place.

No. Kinovia is the opposite of a social network. Nothing you share on Kinovia is visible to the public or to other families. Every family has a completely private space. You can only see information belonging to your own approved family group. There are no public profiles, no public feeds, and no strangers.

WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages are general-purpose tools that families have adapted for their own use — but they were not designed for families. Kinovia is purpose-built. It includes a visual multi-generational family tree, document vault, memorial pages, blood finder, member safety alerts, heritage profiles, role-based permissions and admin approval — none of which exist on general messaging or social platforms. Everything is also completely private and invite-only, unlike Facebook pages.

Kinovia is currently available as an Android app (Android 8.0 and above). An iOS version is in development. You can download the Android app free from the Google Play Store.

Yes — this is exactly what Kinovia is designed for. Large multi-generational families with hundreds of members spread across multiple countries are the core use case. The family tree handles complex structures including multiple branches, multiple parents, and polygamous family relationships, so every member can clearly see their full ancestry no matter how large or complex the family is.

Download Kinovia from the Google Play Store, create an account, and choose Create Family. You become the Super Admin. You can then name your family, start adding root ancestors, and share your unique invite code with relatives so they can request to join.

Ask your family's Super Admin or Admin for the family invite code. Open Kinovia, choose Join Family, enter your details and the invite code, and select your parents or close relatives if they are already in the tree. Your request is then sent to the admins for review. You cannot access the family space until an admin approves your request.

An invite code is a unique 8-character code generated when a family space is created. Only people who have this code can submit a join request. By default invite codes are valid for 48 hours, after which the Super Admin can regenerate a new one. This prevents old codes from being shared indefinitely without the admin's knowledge.

You need an invite code to submit a join request. Contact your family's Super Admin or any Admin and ask them to share the current invite code with you. If they are unsure, the Super Admin can regenerate a fresh code from within the app.

Currently each Kinovia account is connected to one family space. If you belong to multiple families — for example your father's family and your mother's family — you would need separate accounts for each. We are exploring support for multiple family memberships in a future update.

The family tree is built automatically from approved members and the relatives that admins add. It displays root ancestors at the top and expands downward through generations, showing parents, children, spouses, siblings and branches. Admins can link new members to their correct parents when approving their join request.

Yes. Admins can add family members as tree entries even if those people have not joined Kinovia. This is how you build a complete family tree before everyone has downloaded the app. If that person later joins, their account is linked to their existing tree entry.

Yes. Family members who have passed away can be added to the tree with their details and marked with their living status. This helps preserve the family history and ensures everyone can see their full ancestry. Memorial pages can also be created to honour departed members.

Yes. Kinovia was built from the ground up to support complex family structures of all kinds. The tree supports multiple spouses, multiple sets of children from different parents, and deep multi-generational relationships. Whether your family follows a polygamous structure, a joint family system, a blended family model or any other configuration, every member can clearly see all their parents, grandparents and wider ancestry. No family structure is treated as unusual or unsupported.

When you submit a join request and an admin approves it, they can link your new account to your existing tree entry rather than creating a duplicate. This connects your live account to your family tree position without any duplication.

Only approved members of your family space can see your profile. People outside your family — including members of other Kinovia families — cannot see anything about you. Your private documents are visible only to you unless emergency access conditions apply. Your location is only visible to family admins if you have been inactive beyond your chosen safety threshold.

No. Kinovia does not sell your data to anyone and does not serve advertisements. The app is funded by subscription fees only. Your family's data belongs to your family.

Yes. All data is stored on Google Firebase infrastructure with encryption at rest and in transit. Access is controlled by Firebase Security Rules that enforce role-based permissions — you can only read data that your role allows. Authentication uses Firebase Auth, and the app uses Firebase App Check to block non-app clients from accessing the database.

No. Your family tree, member profiles, documents, events and all other content are completely private to your approved family group. No other Kinovia user or member of the public can access your family space.

We do not routinely access individual family data. We may access data in very limited circumstances — to resolve a support issue at your explicit request, or where required by law. We do not browse family content for any commercial or analytical purpose.

Member Safety allows you to choose how long you can be inactive in the app before your family admins are alerted. You set the threshold yourself — anywhere from 1 to 7 days. If you do not open the app within that period, your family admins receive an alert so they can check if you are okay. You can also leave a travel note explaining where you are going and for how long.

No. Kinovia is not a live tracking app. Your approximate location (at city or district level, not street level) is recorded only when you open the app. It is only visible to your family admin when you have been inactive beyond the threshold you set yourself. It is a welfare tool, not a surveillance tool.

If you are about to go somewhere with limited connectivity or you know you will be away from your phone, you can tap "I'm Safe" to reset your inactivity timer. This tells your family admin you are fine and prevents an unnecessary alert.

If a member has been inactive well beyond their chosen safety threshold, family admins may be given emergency access to that member's private documents — for example, to find a will, insurance policy or medical record during a genuine emergency. This access is a last resort, limited to genuine welfare situations, and is logged in the family audit record.

Every member can save their blood group in their profile. In a medical emergency, any family member can open Blood Finder and immediately see which relatives have compatible blood types and how to contact them. The feature uses the standard ABO and Rh blood group compatibility chart so you always know which blood types are safe matches.

It is voluntary. However, the more family members who add their blood group, the more useful the feature becomes in a real emergency. We strongly encourage all members to add this information since it could save a family member's life.

Blood Finder works within your family space only. It is designed around the idea that family members are often the first people you call in an emergency and the most willing to help. It is a complement to hospital blood banks, not a replacement.

Kinovia has a permanent free tier that supports up to 20 family members, 500 MB of document storage, and 3 memorial pages. You never have to pay to use the core family tree and connection features. Paid plans unlock larger families, more storage and additional features.

Only the Super Admin pays. The Super Admin holds the subscription and every member in that family space enjoys the full plan benefits at no extra cost to them. One person pays, the whole family benefits.

The Family plan ($5/month or $50/year) supports up to 50 members, 5 GB storage, and unlimited memorial pages. The Heritage plan ($10/month or $100/year) supports unlimited members, 20 GB storage, and all features. Annual plans save two months compared to monthly billing.

The family space moves back to the free tier limits. Existing members can still access the app and the family tree, but features above the free tier limits become restricted until the subscription is renewed. No data is deleted.

Yes. You can change your plan at any time through the Subscription section of the app. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the end of the current billing period.

Yes. You can purchase a printed Relationship Certificate ($2) that officially documents a family connection verified by your Super Admin, or a printed Family Book ($50 plus shipping) — a professionally formatted printed record of your family tree. These are one-time purchases, not subscriptions.

On the Kinovia login screen, tap Forgot Password and enter your email address. You will receive a password reset link in your inbox. If you do not see the email, check your spam or junk folder. The link expires after one hour.

Inside the app, go to Help & Support and tap Report a Bug or Send Feedback. Please describe what happened and what you expected to happen. You can optionally attach a screenshot. Our team reviews every report.

Go to Settings inside the app and select Delete Account. You will be asked to confirm. Your account and personal data will be removed from our active systems within 30 days. Family tree entries you created remain as part of the shared family history but are de-linked from your account.

Kinovia requires Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later. Most Android phones from 2017 onwards meet this requirement. If you are unsure of your Android version, go to Settings › About Phone › Android Version.

Not yet. Kinovia is currently Android only. An iOS version is in development. If you would like to be notified when the iOS app launches, contact us through the website.

An internet connection is required to load live family data, submit requests, and sync changes. Some basic information may be available briefly when offline, but the full feature set requires an active connection.