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Family Messages

Leave notes, reminders, and messages for family members that appear on their displays. Perfect for quick communications, daily reminders, and staying connected.

Overview​

Family Messages lets you send text messages that appear on specific displays or to all family members. Think of it as a digital sticky note board that everyone can see.

Key Features:

  • Send messages to specific displays or all displays
  • Schedule messages for specific times
  • Temporary messages with auto-expiration
  • Priority levels (normal, important, urgent)
  • Emoji support for fun communication
  • Read receipts (when family members see messages)

Perfect For:

  • Daily reminders ("Don't forget your lunch!")
  • After-school instructions ("Snack in fridge")
  • Motivational notes ("You got this!")
  • Schedule changes ("Practice canceled today")
  • Love notes and encouragement

Creating Messages​

Quick Message​

  1. Go to Messages in the dashboard
  2. Click New Message
  3. Enter your message text
  4. Select displays (or "All Displays")
  5. Click Send

Message appears immediately on selected displays!

Scheduled Message​

Send a message to appear at a specific time:

  1. Create new message
  2. Enable Schedule Message
  3. Choose date and time
  4. Message appears at scheduled time
  5. Automatically expires after set duration

Example Uses:

  • Morning reminder at 7 AM: "Remember to feed the dog"
  • After-school at 3 PM: "Homework before screen time"
  • Evening at 6 PM: "Dinner ready in 15 minutes"

Message Types​

Quick Note:

  • Short, informal messages
  • No expiration
  • Remains until manually dismissed
  • Example: "Love you! Have a great day!"

Reminder:

  • Specific action item
  • Auto-expires after completion time
  • Can mark as "Done"
  • Example: "Take out trash before bed"

Announcement:

  • Important family news
  • Shows on all displays
  • Highlighted prominently
  • Example: "Family movie night Friday 7 PM!"

Alert:

  • Urgent, time-sensitive
  • Flashing or prominent display
  • Sound notification (optional)
  • Example: "Tornado warning - basement now"

Message Settings​

Display Targeting​

All Displays:

  • Message appears on every family display
  • Good for general announcements
  • Everyone sees the same message

Specific Display:

  • Target individual room displays
  • Example: "Emma's Room" only
  • Private messages for specific family members

Display Type:

  • All Kids Displays
  • All Photo Displays
  • All Hub Displays

Examples:

  • "Kids Displays": Reminder to brush teeth
  • "Kitchen Display": Dinner menu for today
  • "Emma's Room Only": Personal encouragement note

Duration and Expiration​

Show Until:

  • Manually dismissed (default)
  • Specific date/time
  • After X hours (1, 4, 8, 24 hours)
  • Event occurs (after calendar event)

Auto-Expiration:

  • Message disappears after set time
  • Prevents old messages from cluttering displays
  • Good for time-sensitive reminders

Repeating Messages:

  • Daily (every morning at 7 AM)
  • Weekly (every Monday)
  • Custom schedule
  • Example: "Monday trash reminder"

Priority Levels​

Normal (Default):

  • Regular message display
  • Appears in message queue
  • No special highlighting

Important:

  • Yellow highlight or border
  • Stays visible longer
  • Example: Schedule changes

Urgent:

  • Red highlight, flashing (optional)
  • Optional sound alert
  • Top of message queue
  • Example: Emergency notifications

Message Display​

On Family Displays​

Messages appear in a designated message area on your layouts:

Small Message Area (20% of layout):

  • Shows 1-2 recent messages
  • Rotates if multiple messages
  • Compact text

Medium Message Area (30-40%):

  • Shows 2-4 messages
  • More detail visible
  • Recommended for most layouts

Large Message Area (50%+):

  • Full message board
  • Shows all active messages
  • Best for dedicated message displays

Message Formatting​

Text Styling:

  • Bold: **Important**
  • Italic: *emphasis*
  • Large text for headings

Emojis:

  • ❤️ Love and encouragement
  • ⏰ Time reminders
  • 🎉 Celebrations
  • ✅ Completed tasks
  • ⚠️ Warnings

Colors:

  • Normal messages: Black text
  • Important: Yellow background
  • Urgent: Red background
  • Completed: Green checkmark

Common Use Cases​

Morning Routine Reminders​

Setup:

  • Display: Kids' bedroom displays
  • Schedule: 7:00 AM daily
  • Duration: Until 9 AM

Messages:

  • "Good morning! Don't forget to make your bed ✨"
  • "Breakfast is ready downstairs 🥞"
  • "Bus arrives in 30 minutes ⏰"

After-School Instructions​

Setup:

  • Display: Kitchen or entryway
  • Schedule: 3:00 PM school days
  • Duration: 2 hours

Messages:

  • "Snack in fridge, homework first 📚"
  • "Practice at 4:30, be ready!"
  • "Mom home at 5:30"

Chore Reminders​

Setup:

  • Display: Specific child's room
  • Schedule: Daily or weekly
  • Can mark as complete

Messages:

  • "Monday: Take out trash 🗑️"
  • "Wednesday: Empty dishwasher"
  • "Friday: Clean room before weekend"

Schedule Changes​

Setup:

  • Display: All displays
  • Priority: Important
  • Immediate

Messages:

  • "⚠️ Soccer practice CANCELED today"
  • "Early dismissal at 1 PM tomorrow"
  • "Grandma visiting this weekend!"

Love and Encouragement​

Setup:

  • Display: Specific child's room
  • No expiration
  • Surprise messages

Messages:

  • "You are amazing! ❤️"
  • "So proud of you today!"
  • "You've got this - big test today! 💪"

Advanced Features​

Message Templates​

Create reusable message templates:

Weekly Chore Template:

Monday: Take out trash
Tuesday: Feed dog
Wednesday: Empty dishwasher
Thursday: Set table
Friday: Clean room

Morning Routine Template:

Good morning, [Name]! ☀️

Today's schedule:
- [Event 1]
- [Event 2]

Have a great day!

Quick Reminders:

  • "Don't forget your [item]!"
  • "Practice at [time]"
  • "[Name] has [event] today"

Message Replies​

Family members can respond to messages:

From Dashboard (Parents/Teens):

  • Click message
  • Type reply
  • Appears on sender's display

Simple Acknowledgment:

  • ✓ Seen
  • ✅ Done
  • ❤️ Thanks

Response Options:

  • Text reply (keyboard)
  • Quick reactions (emojis)
  • Mark as complete (checkmark)

Conditional Messages​

Show messages based on conditions:

Weather-Based:

  • If temperature < 40°F: "Wear a jacket! 🧥"
  • If raining: "Don't forget umbrella ☔"

Calendar-Based:

  • If event "Soccer": "Pack soccer gear ⚽"
  • If school day: Show morning routine
  • If weekend: Different schedule

Time-Based:

  • Weekday mornings: School routine
  • Weekend mornings: Chore reminders
  • Evenings: Homework reminders

Message Management​

Message History​

View all sent messages:

Filter By:

  • Date range
  • Display
  • Family member
  • Priority level

Message Details:

  • When sent
  • Who saw it
  • Responses received
  • When dismissed

Editing Active Messages​

Update Message:

  • Edit text
  • Change displays
  • Adjust expiration
  • Update priority

Delete Message:

  • Remove immediately from all displays
  • Shows in history as deleted
  • Cannot be undone

Message Queue​

See all active and scheduled messages:

Active Messages:

  • Currently showing on displays
  • Time remaining until expiration
  • Who has seen them

Scheduled Messages:

  • Upcoming messages
  • When they'll appear
  • Edit or cancel before sending

Best Practices​

Message Effectiveness​

Keep It Short:

  • 10-15 words ideal
  • One main point per message
  • Use bullets for lists

Be Specific:

  • Include times: "Leave at 3:30 PM"
  • Not: "Leave soon"
  • Include names: "Emma's soccer game"
  • Not: "The game"

Use Visuals:

  • Emojis add clarity and fun
  • Colors indicate urgency
  • Icons for quick recognition

Time It Right:

  • Morning messages: Send at wake-up time
  • After-school: Right when kids arrive home
  • Evening: Before bedtime routine

Family Communication​

Morning Messages:

  • Keep positive and motivational
  • Include day's key events
  • Reminders should be supportive, not nagging

Chore Reminders:

  • Frame positively: "Time to..." not "You forgot to..."
  • Include appreciation: "Thanks for helping!"
  • Mark completion for satisfaction

Schedule Updates:

  • Send as soon as you know
  • Mark as "Important" for changes
  • Include what they need to do differently

Encouragement:

  • Random love notes mean the most
  • Before tests or big events
  • After tough days
  • Just because!

Privacy and Safety​

Kid-Safe Messages:

  • No private information on shared displays
  • Check which displays show which messages
  • Consider who else might see messages

Guest Mode:

  • Hide family messages when guests visit
  • Switch to public-safe display layout
  • Re-enable after guests leave

Sensitive Topics:

  • Don't use messages for discipline
  • Avoid embarrassing messages on shared displays
  • Private conversations stay private

Integration with Calendar​

Link messages to calendar events:

Before Event:

  • 1 hour before: "Soccer practice in 1 hour - pack your bag"
  • 30 minutes before: "Leaving for practice in 30 minutes"

After Event:

  • After school: "Great job at practice today! 🎉"
  • After appointment: "How did the dentist go?"

Event Preparation:

  • Night before: "Soccer game tomorrow - lay out uniform"
  • Morning of: "Game day! Bring water bottle ⚽"

Troubleshooting​

Message Not Appearing​

Check:

  1. Display is online and active
  2. Message area included in layout
  3. Correct display selected
  4. Message not expired

Solutions:

  • Verify display status (should be green)
  • Check layout has message content area
  • Resend message to correct display
  • Check message expiration settings

Message Stuck on Display​

Issue: Old message won't disappear

Solutions:

  • Manually dismiss from dashboard
  • Delete message
  • Refresh display browser
  • Check expiration settings

Can't Send Messages​

Check:

  1. Account permissions (need message permission)
  2. Display exists and is active
  3. Internet connection working

Solutions:

  • Contact account owner for permissions
  • Verify display is registered
  • Check network connection

Tips for Success​

Start Simple:

  • Begin with 1-2 daily messages
  • Use for important reminders only
  • Add more as family gets comfortable

Build the Habit:

  • Check messages as part of morning routine
  • Respond to messages promptly
  • Kids feel heard and valued

Make It Fun:

  • Use emojis liberally 🎉
  • Leave surprise love notes ❤️
  • Celebrate accomplishments ✨
  • Random acts of kindness via messages

Keep It Positive:

  • More encouragement than reminders
  • Celebrate successes
  • Support during challenges
  • Express love often

Next Steps​

Enhance Communication:

Display Setup:

Family Management:

Questions? Contact [email protected] or check Common Issues