Family OS, explained in plain words

What is a Family Operating System?

A Family Operating System (Family OS) is the single system a household runs on, the way a phone runs on its operating system. It starts and ends the day with routines, holds the apps for everything in between, and connects them with one currency.

Bravo Family HQ is a credit-based Family OS. The currency is credits. Kids earn them for real effort, and everything else in the system runs on what they have earned.

The Smith family: Ryan, Jamie, Jack, Hunter, Keller, and BlakeThe Smith family · Orlando, Florida

1 of 4 · Boot the day

The Daily Launcher counts the morning down to launch on the kitchen tablet.

The four jobs of a Family OS

An operating system starts up, runs your apps, keeps track of everything, and shuts down. So does a family's day.

  1. 1

    Boot the day

    The Daily Launcher opens the morning routine on a kitchen tablet: a column for each kid, a countdown to launch time, and a voice that calls out the minutes left.

  2. 2

    Run the work

    Between launch and lights out, 40+ apps cover what a family actually does: chores, schoolwork, workouts, Bible reading, money lessons, and games. Each child sees only the apps you allow.

  3. 3

    Keep the books

    Every app pays into the same ledger. Credits land in three pockets (Spending, Savings, and a Tithe Jar), and the chores, workouts, and purchases that need your yes wait in your Approvals inbox.

  4. 4

    Power down

    The evening routine counts down to lights out. At the deadline the board pays each kid for what they finished, and tomorrow morning is already on the screen.

See the Daily Launcher, the part that boots and shuts down →

The currency

What credit-based means

Effort comes first. Nothing is unlocked by asking again or by a parent giving in. It is earned, and kids can see exactly how.

Follow one day of credits

Amounts shown are Bravo's defaults. You can change what every app pays and what every reward costs.

Earn

Credits come from effort a parent can see. Routines pay when they close; chores and workouts pay when you approve them.

A finished morning routine
+10
Each evening routine task
+2
An approved chore
+10
A logged workout
+10
A finished book
+20
A confirmed Home School day
+20
A memory verse
+50
An A on the report card
+50

Give

The Tithe Jar is a pocket that can only be given. A child adds to it by hand, or chooses to give a part of what they earn. When it is full they ask, and you give the money to your church yourself.

Jar goal
500 credits
Worth, at 10 credits to $1
$50
A part of what they earn
up to 25%

Save

Savings is kept apart from spending money, so a child can build toward something bigger. A wishlist shows how many credits are still needed.

Move credits to Savings
any time
Wishlist progress
“Need 13 more”
A reward draws on
Spending first

Spend

The Family Marketplace holds the rewards you choose. A child asks, you approve, and you hand it over. The Arcade is there for small change.

Most Arcade games
1
Extra screen time, 30 min
20
Ice cream date
30
Movie theater trip
75

These are the amounts a new family starts with. You can change what the apps pay in Settings (most under Adjust App Economics, a few beside the app they belong to) and what every reward costs in Settings › Marketplace. Credits are a family currency, not money; if you want them to have a cash value, the default is 10 credits to $1.

One system instead of five workarounds

Most families already run on a system. It is just spread across the fridge, a few apps, and a lot of reminding.

What you have nowWhat a Family OS does
A chore chart on the fridgeChores that pay credits the moment you approve them, and a record of every one.
A morning of remindersA countdown board that does the reminding, in the Voice Pack character your family picks.
An allowance with no stringsCredits earned for effort, in pockets for giving, saving, and spending.
Screen-time negotiationsScreen time as a reward kids buy with what they earned, on a schedule you set.
A different app for every subjectOne login per person and one currency across schoolwork, faith, fitness, and money.

Everyone signs in to their own view

One family, up to 10 people, three kinds of account.

The admins

Parents

Set what every app pays and what every reward costs. Approve chores, workouts, and purchases in one inbox. Choose which apps each child can open, and when.

The users

Kids

Sign in to their own account, pick a Voice Pack character, and get a Mission Briefing with three ways to earn. Their credits, their routine, and their progress are theirs to run.

The encouragers

Grandparents

See what the grandkids are doing, send encouragement cards, pray for the family’s requests, and read the same Bible passage together from anywhere.

What comes installed

Every app belongs to one of five pillars we call the 5 F's.

Faith
Bible reading, memory verses, Bible trivia, Sword Drill, the Pray Ground, gratitude, and daily devotions.
Family
The Daily Launcher, chores, Home School Mode, the Family Board, Family Footprints, and grandparent accounts.
Freedom
Red, White & Who (presidents, states, and US history) and Salute (the Armed Forces, their heroes, and their battles).
Finance
The credit economy, the Family Marketplace, the Tithe Jar, Scholar Dollars, Wall Street Warrior, Money Moves, and Property Profits.
Fitness
The Workout Log, with a workout of the day and credits for every approved workout.

Browse all 40+ apps →

Glossary

The words a Bravo family uses

Family Operating System (Family OS)
The single system a household runs on: routines that start and end the day, apps for the work in between, and one currency that connects them.
Credits
The currency every Bravo app runs on. Kids earn credits for routines, chores, schoolwork, workouts, and acts of faith, and spend them on rewards their parents choose.
Daily Launcher
The morning and bedtime routine board. It shows each kid’s tasks with a countdown and pays credits by itself when the routine closes.
Mission Briefing
The screen that greets a child when they sign in, with three ways to earn, announced by the Voice Pack character they picked.
Voice Pack
One of six characters: Drill Sergeant, British Butler, Fairy Princess, Pirate Captain, Dusty Wrangler the cowboy, or Rodeo Rose the cowgirl. Each child picks one for their own greetings and Mission Briefing, and the family picks one for the Daily Launcher’s countdown.
Approvals
The parent’s inbox. Chores, workouts, memory verses, reading logs, and Marketplace requests wait here until a parent approves them.
Spending, Savings, and the Tithe Jar
The three pockets a child’s credits sit in. Spending buys rewards, Savings is set apart for something bigger, and the Tithe Jar can only be given.
Family Marketplace
The family’s own reward store. Parents add the rewards and set the prices; a child requests one, a parent approves it, and then hands it over.
App Economics
The settings screen (Settings › Adjust App Economics) where parents decide how many credits most apps pay or cost. A few, such as the Daily Launcher and Scholar Dollars, keep their amounts in their own settings.
Scholar Dollars
Credits for report-card grades: by default 50 for each A, with a bonus for a straight-A quarter.
Home School Mode
One daily list per child that combines schoolwork and chores, with a Day Complete button and a parent’s one-tap confirmation.
The 5 F’s
Faith, Family, Freedom, Finance, and Fitness: the five pillars every Bravo app belongs to.

Questions about the Family OS

What is a Family Operating System?

A Family Operating System (Family OS) is the single system a household runs on, the way a phone runs on its operating system. It starts and ends the day with routines, holds the apps for everything in between, and connects them with one currency. Bravo Family HQ is a credit-based Family OS: the currency is credits, and kids earn them.

How is a Family OS different from a chore app or an allowance app?

A chore app tracks tasks and an allowance app moves money. A Family OS is the system around both: routines that run the morning and the evening, apps for schoolwork, fitness, faith, and money lessons, and one currency kids earn, give, save, and spend. Bravo does what those tools do and connects it.

What does “credit-based” mean?

It means effort comes first and the whole system runs on credits. A finished routine, an approved chore, a logged workout, or a memorized verse pays credits. Credits sit in three pockets (Spending, Savings, and a Tithe Jar) and buy rewards from a Marketplace that parents stock. Parents decide what earns credits, how many, and what they buy.

Are credits real money?

No. Credits are a family currency, and parents decide what they buy. Families who want credits to have a cash value can use the default rate of 10 credits to $1: a child can ask to cash credits out through a reward a parent approves, and a full Tithe Jar shows the child its value in dollars so they can ask a parent to give that amount to their church. The app never moves money.

What do kids earn credits for?

By default, 10 credits for a finished morning routine and 2 for each evening routine task, 10 for an approved chore or workout, 20 for a finished book or a confirmed Home School day, and 50 for a memory verse or an A on the report card. Bible trivia, history quizzes, and typing practice pay smaller amounts. Parents can change what the apps pay.

What can kids spend credits on?

Rewards their parents put in the Family Marketplace, such as 30 extra minutes of screen time (20 credits), an ice cream date (30), or a trip to the movies (75), plus games in the Arcade, most at 1 credit a play. A child requests a reward, a parent approves it, and the parent hands it over.

Do my kids need their own devices?

No. Each child has their own login and can use it on a shared family tablet or computer. The Daily Launcher is built to run on one kitchen device for the whole family, and kids who do have a device see their own routine there too.

How long does a Family OS take to set up?

Minutes. Create your family, add each person, and follow the Family Setup Wizard. It walks you through inviting members, routines, and Marketplace rewards in any order, and you can come back to it later.

Is Bravo only for Christian families?

Bravo is built by a Christian family and it shows: Faith is one of the five pillars, and Scripture appears in everyday places, such as the honesty check before a child marks a routine done. Parents choose which apps each child sees, but faith is part of how the system is made.

How much does Bravo Family HQ cost?

Every family starts with 3 months free. After that it is $9.99 a month or $59 a year for the whole family, up to 10 members. You can cancel any time.

Install it tonight. Boot it tomorrow morning.

Every family starts with 3 months free. After that it is $9.99 a month or $59 a year for the whole family. Cancel any time.