Child Got a New Phone? Keep the Same Kroni Profile
By Erik Nilsen · Kroni7 min read
Yes, your child can switch phones and keep the same profile. The profile belongs to your family, not to the phone. When you connect the new phone, you choose the child profile that already exists. The chores, balance and savings goals are already there. The one thing you shouldn't do is delete your child and set them up again to get a "fresh start" on the new phone. If you do, you could lose the history you've built up.
Below you'll find a simple order of steps, a filled-in example and a template you can copy. There's also a section for when the old phone is lost, broken or already traded in.
Think of the profile and the phone as two separate things
It helps to keep these apart:
- The child profile is your child's place in the family inside the app. It holds their name, chores, recorded balance of virtual coins, savings goals and the rewards you've agreed on.
- The phone is just a door into that profile.
A new phone means a new door. The room behind it doesn't change. That's why you always start on your own device, not on your child's new phone.
Step 1: Check the profile on your own device first
Before you touch the new phone, open the app on your own device and look at your child's profile. Jot down:
- your child's name as it appears in the app
- how many active chores they have, plus a couple of their names
- the recorded balance
- which savings goals exist
- whether anything is marked done and waiting for your approval
This is your "before" snapshot. It only takes a couple of minutes, and afterward it makes it easy to see whether everything matches. If something is waiting for approval, it can help to deal with it before the switch. That way nobody has to wonder which chore was done on which phone.
Step 2: Connect the new phone to the existing profile
On your own parent phone, select the child profile that already exists and get fresh pairing details. Install the app on the child's new phone, choose the child role, and use the code, link or QR code from that selected profile. Don't create a new child with the same name. Two profiles called "Ella" look alike at a glance, but each one has its own balance and its own chore list.
Your child doesn't need their own email address for this. The profile is linked to the family you already have.
Step 3: Compare before and after
Now open your child's profile on the new phone and compare it with your notes from step 1. Here's a fictional example of how that might look.
Filled-in example (fictional family)
Jonas, 11, has inherited his older sister's used phone. His dad checks before and after:
| Check | Before (Dad's device) | After (Jonas's new phone) | Match? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Profile name | Jonas | Jonas | Yes |
| 2. Active chores | 4: Empty dishwasher, Tidy bedroom, Take out trash, Read 20 min | Same 4 | Yes |
| 3. Recorded balance | 86 coins | 86 coins | Yes |
| 4. Savings goals | Soccer cleats, Movie trip | Soccer cleats, Movie trip | Yes |
| 5. Only one Jonas in the family | One profile | Still one profile | Yes |
The coin amount is just an illustration. The balance in the app is virtual. If your family trades coins for real allowance, the actual payment happens outside the app, in cash, by bank transfer or with a mobile payment app, however you've agreed.
Copyable worksheet: before-and-after card
Copy this into a note or write it out on paper.
| Check | Before (my device) | After (new phone) | Match? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Profile name | |||
| 2. Active chores (number + two names) | |||
| 3. Recorded balance | |||
| 4. Savings goals | |||
| 5. Only one profile for this child in the family |
If something doesn't match: Don't disconnect the old phone yet. First check that the new phone is connected to the right profile. If you see two profiles with the same name in your family, that's most likely where the problem is.
Step 4: Disconnect the old phone, if you have it
Once all five checks match, the old phone can be retired. On the old phone, open your child's Profile screen. You'll find Disconnect for that device there.
A few things worth knowing:
- Disconnect only applies to the phone you're using. It doesn't delete your child, and it doesn't disconnect every device.
- Do this after you've checked the new phone, not before.
- If the phone is being sold, given away or handed down to a sibling, it's especially worth disconnecting first so it doesn't keep opening the wrong profile.
If a younger brother inherits the old phone, he can later be connected to his own profile in the usual way.
When the old phone isn't available
Sometimes the old phone isn't around to disconnect. It might be smashed, left on the bus or already traded in. In that case:
- Connect the new phone to the existing profile anyway, and run the five checks above. Your child's chores and balance live on the profile, not on the old phone.
- Don't delete your child and recreate them to "lock out" the old phone. It isn't the right fix, and it could cost you your history.
- Use the app's current help for accounts and devices, and explain that a phone that used to be connected to your child's profile is no longer available. It helps to mention roughly when it went missing.
- If the phone is lost, also use the phone maker's own tools to locate or lock it. That's a separate matter from the child profile.
Keep an eye on the profile for the first few days. If anything shows up that you don't recognize, include it when you contact help.
What might not carry over to the new phone
The profile's contents come along. Settings stored locally on the phone itself may not. So go through these on the new phone:
- Language: The app is available in Norwegian, English, Swedish and Danish. Pick the right language again if it's wrong.
- Notifications: The phone will usually ask for permission to send notifications again.
- Timers: If a timed reward was running on the old phone, agree how much time has been used and what remains. Do not start a new paid reward just to recreate a countdown. Timed rewards keep track of a family agreement. They don't block other apps or replace the phone's own parental controls.
- Sign-ins and other local choices may need to be set up again.
A good moment for a small tidy-up
A new phone is a natural pause. Since you already have the chore list in front of you, ask whether the chores still fit. Maybe "tidy bedroom" has become too easy, or maybe your child wants to try something new. What should kids be able to do at home? A complete list by age can give you ideas, but you know your own child best.
The same goes for rewards. Are the savings goals still relevant, or have the soccer cleats already been bought? Several savings goals can sit side by side, so you don't need to remove one to add another. If you want to rethink the whole setup, see Reward Systems for Kids: Stars, Points or Money? What Works Best.
The order, in short
- Look at your child's profile on your own device and note the five points.
- Connect the new phone to the existing profile.
- Compare before and after.
- Disconnect the old phone from your child's Profile screen, if you have it.
- If the old phone is gone, use the app's current help for accounts and devices, and never delete your child.
- Set up language, notifications and timers again.
With Kroni, the profile carries the history. The phone can be swapped out, and your child can pick up right where they left off.
Frequently asked questions
- Will my child lose their balance when they switch phones?
- No, not if the new phone is connected to the existing child profile. The balance, chores and savings goals belong to the profile. Compare the balance on your own device with what the new phone shows before you disconnect the old one.
- Should I delete my child and create a new profile on the new phone?
- No. Choose the profile that already exists when you connect the new phone. Deleting and recreating your child risks losing chores, balance and savings goals. If an old phone is missing, use the app's current help for accounts and devices instead.
- What if the old phone is lost and can't be disconnected?
- Connect the new phone to the existing profile and check that the name, chores and balance match. Then use the app's current help for accounts and devices and explain that a previous phone is no longer available. If the phone is lost, you can also use the phone maker's own tools to locate or lock it.
