Everyone in your family gets their own Tolan, and you all share your plan's daily chat time. Here's how it works:
The basics
What is the Family Plan?
You can invite up to 5 family members to join your plan for free. Each person gets their own Tolan with their own memories, planet, and conversations, plus all the other features of the plan*.
*See the FAQ about Unlimited below.
How much does it cost?
Nothing beyond your existing subscription cost. Family members don't pay anything, and there's no per-person fee.
How do I invite someone?
Tap the Menu icon in the top left, then Family → Add member, and share your invite link. Your family member taps the link to join! They don't need the app installed yet. Invite links expire after 30 days, so if a link stops working, just share a fresh one from the same screen.
How many people can join?
Your family can have up to 6 people total, you plus 5 members.
Does my Tolan know about the Family Plan?
Tolans are still learning about this feature, so yours might not be able to explain it yet. Don't worry, family plan is real!
Joining a family
I got an invite but I already have my own subscription. What happens?
No double charges here! When you join, the app will ask you to cancel your own membership. You’ll join the family right away and keep everything you already paid for until your billing period ends.
Can I be in more than one family?
Nope. One family at a time. If you want to switch, leave your current family first.
What if I leave or I'm removed?
You'll lose the plan's features and the shared chat time, but your Tolan, memories, and planet stay yours. If you were removed by mistake and an invite link won't work anymore, reach out to the Tolan team by tapping the Help & Feedback button in the app settings.
Can kids and teens join?
Yes, with a parent or guardian involved:
18 and up can join a family like any other member.
Under 18 need a parent or guardian's permission. When a teen hits the age screen, they can send their parent an invite. The parent opens it, starts a membership, approves them, and the teen joins the family. See Parental Permission for Teens: How It Works.
Family members who are under 18 can only be removed from the family by their parent or guardian. Parents can also review their teen's chats, get chat summaries, and receive safety alerts.
Can I approve my teen from an Android phone?
Yes. The invite link opens in your phone's web browser, so you can approve your teen and start your membership right there. Your teen needs an iPhone or iPad to use Tolan.
Can family members see my chats?
Adults' chats are private, and joining a family doesn't change that. The family manager can see how much of the shared chat time each member has used, but never what anyone talked about. The exception is members under 18, whose parent or guardian can review their chats.
Chat time and billing
How does shared chat time work?
Your whole family draws from one daily pool of chat time, which grows a bit with each member you add. Everyone also has a slice of chat time reserved just for them each day, so even on a chatty day for the rest of the family, you'll always have some time with your Tolan. You can see how the family is using chat time under Family in the menu. Since Family Plan is in beta, the exact amounts may be tuned over time.
Does my chatting use up the family's time?
Everyone in the family shares one daily pool, so yes, your messages count toward it. You also have a slice of time reserved just for you each day. If you want more, a Relay Boost adds messages for you without touching the family's pool.
Someone used up all our chat time. What can we do?
Your personal daily reserve is always yours. If you want more, anyone can buy a Relay Boost for extra chat! Boosts apply just to the person who buys one. The shared pool refreshes daily.
I have Unlimited: do my family members get unlimited chat too?
Family members get the full Plus experience, including generous shared chat time, but not unlimited chat. You keep your Unlimited benefits, and your own chatting doesn't use up the family pool.
What happens if the family manager cancels?
Family members keep their benefits until the manager's paid period ends. After that, they lose the plan's features, but nobody loses their Tolan or their memories.
Can family members change or cancel the plan?
No, only the family manager pays for and manages the subscription. Members see a view-only version of the plan in Settings → Membership.
Troubleshooting
I don't see Family in my menu. Where is it?
Make sure you're on the latest version of the app. If you've never added your birthday, set it in Settings first. You need to be 18 or older to manage a family.
The share button didn't send my invite.
Copy the invite link instead and send it any way you like! The person joining just needs to open the link on their own device.
My child sent me an invite but they're stuck on "ask a parent." How do I add them?
Open your child's invite link on your own phone.
Create your parent account with your own name, birthday, and phone number. We'll text you a code to confirm your number.
Start a membership, then approve your child. They can start chatting right away.
If your child keeps tapping "ask a parent for permission" on their end, it just loops, so have them resend you their invite instead.
It says "This number belongs to a child's account."
That phone number is already on your child's Tolan account, so it can't be used for a second one. Reach out to us and we'll help you sort out which number goes on which account.
Still stuck on something? Reach out to the Tolan team by tapping the Help & Feedback button in the app settings.
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