Most problems with Banked. come down to a declined permission, a paired device that has not synced yet, or an Apple framework reporting later than expected. The checks below cover the current app, including solo mode and phone-down blocks.
One person answers this address Expect a reply, not a ticket number
§ 01Reaching a person
Email rayyan.zahid.anwar@gmail.com. There is no telephone line or chat widget. Banked. is made by one person, and the address goes directly to Rayyan Anwar.
Include the device model, iOS or iPadOS version, whether it is in family or solo mode, which role had the problem, and roughly when it happened.
§ 02Pairing a child's device
Pairing starts on the parent device:
- Open the Children tab, tap +, and enter the child's name.
- Review and accept the data notice for that child.
- Keep the resulting QR code and ten-character code on screen.
- On the child's device, choose the child role, then scan the QR code or type the code.
- Leave the pairing screen open until the parent side confirms the child's setup.
A child pairing code accepts one device and then closes. To move the child to another device, reopen pairing for that existing child instead of creating a second child. That preserves the same token, rules, and ledger.
Both devices must be online and signed into the Apple services required by CloudKit. A code reported as already used has been claimed; reopen pairing from the existing child's page. If scanning is slow, hold both devices steady, fill the scan frame with the QR code, and avoid glare. Typing the code uses the same pairing path.
Solo mode does not pair and does not need CloudKit. If you intended to manage only the current device, return to setup and choose solo.
§ 03Health activity is not counting
Banked. reads two daily values from Health: step count and flights climbed. Check these separately from Motion & Fitness:
| Control | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Health access | Health › Profile › Apps & Services › Banked. | Lets the app read steps and flights climbed. |
| Fitness Tracking | Settings › Privacy & Security › Motion & Fitness | Lets the device collect movement data used by Health. |
First confirm that Health itself shows today's steps or flights. If Health has no value, Banked. has nothing to read. If Health has a value but the app shows zero, review the Health permission, then reopen the app and allow a few minutes for refresh and family sync.
iOS may show a Health authorization sheet only during the request flow. If permission was declined, return through the Health app rather than waiting for Banked. to ask again. The app requests read access only and does not write Health data.
§ 04How phone-down blocks work
Choose a block length, then point the back camera at a well-lit, flat horizontal surface. ARKit places a box on a surface it can map. Lower the device into that box and leave it flat until the green ring closes.
- Once the block starts, the camera and AR session stop; motion sensing watches whether the device remains down.
- Lifting the device starts a short red grace ring. Put it back before the ring closes to continue.
- If the grace ring closes, the block is broken and earns nothing.
- A fully completed block adds its configured minutes to the daily ledger.
- A soft, reflective, dark, or featureless surface can be harder for ARKit to recognize. Try a textured table in brighter light.
Camera permission is required to find the starting surface. The camera feed and temporary room map are never saved or uploaded.
§ 05Apps are not restricting
Check these in order:
- The app may be allowed. Only apps, categories, and websites placed in a limited or blocked tier can be restricted.
- The balance may still be above zero. Limited apps use available minutes before their shield appears.
- A temporary override may be active. Review the current rules and access state.
- Screen Time authorization may be missing. The managed device must grant the Apple permission shown during setup.
- Setup or sync may be unfinished. In family mode, confirm both devices show the child as fully paired.
- The app may have been deleted. Removing Banked. removes the restrictions it was applying.
§ 06A device that has gone quiet
If a child's device stops reporting, the parent dashboard can mark it unavailable. That does not prove the app was removed: a powered-off device, flat battery, network outage, signed-out Apple Account, or background delay can look the same.
Open Banked. on the child's device, confirm Screen Time permission and an internet connection, and leave it open long enough to sync. If deleting apps is a family concern, the parent can use Apple's device-wide deletion restriction; it applies to all apps, not only Banked..
When the original device resumes syncing, its rules and minute ledger can return. There is no need to create a replacement child first.
§ 07Adding a second parent
A second parent is a Pro family feature. On an existing parent device, choose Add another parent to create a parent invite for the shared roster. On the second parent's device, choose the option to join an existing family and scan or type that invite.
A parent invite is not a child pairing code. It adds an authorized parent to the roster without claiming or replacing the child's device. Keep it private because it carries the family tokens needed to follow those children.
§ 08Unpairing, re-pairing, and deleting
Releasing or unpairing a child stops that device from syncing and lifts its restrictions when it receives the release. The parent dashboard can keep the released child and rules so the same child can be paired again without starting over.
Permanent deletion is a separate action. Once the child is released, deleting that child from the parent dashboard removes the parent-created family record, rules, and consent record. Let the released child device connect once so it can remove the CloudKit record it created. Contact us if that device can no longer connect and you need deletion help; do not include the full pairing token in the first email.
§ 09Subscriptions and refunds
Apple handles subscriptions, localized prices, renewal, and refunds. We cannot see your payment details, cancel for you, or approve a refund.
- Manage or cancel: Settings › your name › Subscriptions.
- Request a refund: reportaproblem.apple.com.
- Restore after reinstalling: use Restore Purchases on the Plan screen.
Deleting the app does not cancel an App Store subscription.
§ 10What the app cannot do
- Screen Time usage and restrictions may update late because iOS schedules the reports.
- Scheduled windows shorter than fifteen minutes may be ignored by Device Activity.
- Anyone with the necessary device or Apple Account access can revoke permission, sign out, erase the device, or delete the app.
- Family sync needs CloudKit and a network connection; offline devices show their last known state.
- Health totals, camera repetition counts, photo-proof judgments, AR plane detection, and location points can be inaccurate.
- Banked. is not a security, medical, emergency, or real-time location service.
§ 11Reporting something broken
Email rayyan.zahid.anwar@gmail.com with the device model, system version, role and mode, the screen where it happened, and what you expected. A screenshot is useful, but do not include a visible pairing or parent-invite code.
The rules for using the app are in the Terms of Service. The data the app stores and syncs is listed in the Privacy Policy.