Whose week is it? When is the handoff? Is the school play on your day or mine? Put it on one calendar you both can see.
FamShare is a free shared calendar app. You and your co-parent share a group for the kids. Set up week-on/week-off, 2-2-3 or every other weekend once with Repeat, give each child a label, and choose whether your co-parent can edit or only view. Your other plans, and any other groups you're in, stay out of it. Works on iPhone, iPad and Android, with a Web Version for computers.
In this article
- What each parent can see and edit
- Step 1: Make a group with your co-parent
- Step 2: A label for each child
- Step 3: Set up your custody schedule with Repeat
- Step 4: Handoff and exchange days
- School events, activities and costs
- Keep your own plans private (including a new partner)
- Swaps and changes
- What FamShare doesn't do
- FAQ
What each parent can see and edit
Everyone has their own calendar. You share with people through groups, and you decide what each group sees:
| When you add an event, you pick… | Who sees it | Who can edit it |
|---|---|---|
| The group itself (for example "Two homes") | Everyone in that group | Everyone in that group |
| One of your labels (for example "Emma") | The groups you show that label in | You, plus the groups where you turned on "can edit" |
| 🔒 Private, or a label you don't show in any group | Only you | Only you |
The badge at the top left of the screen switches between All, Mine and each group, so you can look at just the kids' schedule, or at everything together.
Step 1: Make a group with your co-parent
- Both of you install FamShare. To share, each of you needs an account: go to More > Account and tap Sign Up to Sync (Apple, Google or email). If you started with "Use Without Signing In", what you entered moves to your account.
- One parent goes to More > Invite, creates a new group and gives it a name (for example "Two homes" or "Kids"). Then send the invite code, link or QR code. The code is valid for 7 days, and anyone who has it can join, so send it only to your co-parent.
- The other parent opens the link, or goes to More > Join with Code and enters the code.
Step 2: A label for each child
Children don't need their own accounts. Give each child a label, so you both can see whose event it is by color.
- Go to More > Labels and tap Add Label. Enter the child's name and choose a color.
- Under Show in calendars, turn on your co-parent group. Your co-parent can now see everything under this label.
- If your co-parent should also add and change events under this label, turn on People in "Two homes" can edit. Leave it off if you'd rather they only view. (It is off at first.)
Labels belong to the calendar of the person who made them. If one parent creates the children's labels and turns on editing, both of you can use the same labels and colors.
Step 3: Set up your custody schedule with Repeat
In the event screen, enter the title, turn on All-day and set Starts and Ends. Then tap Label and choose the child's label (or the group). Under Details, open Repeat, choose Weekly, use Interval to set every 2 weeks, and pick the days of the week. Set Ends to never, a date, or a number of times.
A custody stretch of several days is easiest as one event that spans those days (for example Friday to Thursday). It shows as a single band across the month view. Make it repeat only on the day it starts.
Example 1: week-on/week-off (alternating weeks)
Your handoff day is Friday. Create an all-day event "With Dad" that starts on a Friday and ends on the following Thursday. Repeat: Weekly, every 2 weeks, on Friday only.
Then create "With Mom" starting the next Friday (one week later), ending on Thursday, with the same Repeat settings.
Example 2: every other weekend
Create an all-day event "Weekend with Dad" that starts on a Friday and ends on Sunday. Repeat: Weekly, every 2 weeks, on Friday only. If there's also a regular weeknight visit, add it as its own event (for example "Dinner with Dad", every Wednesday).
Example 3: 2-2-5-5
Each parent has the same two weekdays every week, and the weekends alternate:
| Event | Starts on | Repeat (Weekly) |
|---|---|---|
| With Mom (Monday to Tuesday) | A Monday | Every week, on Monday |
| With Dad (Wednesday to Thursday) | The Wednesday of that week | Every week, on Wednesday |
| Weekend with Mom (Friday to Sunday) | The Friday of that week | Every 2 weeks, on Friday |
| Weekend with Dad (Friday to Sunday) | The Friday one week later | Every 2 weeks, on Friday |
Example 4: a 2-2-3 schedule
A 2-2-3 schedule repeats every two weeks, so use more than one repeating event for each parent. FamShare counts the weeks of a repeating event from Sunday to Saturday, so give Sundays their own event:
| Event | Starts on | Repeat (Weekly, every 2 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| With Mom | Monday of week 1 | Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat |
| With Mom | Sunday at the end of week 1 | Sun |
| With Dad | Wednesday of week 1 | Wed, Thu |
| With Dad | Monday of week 2 | Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat |
| With Dad | Sunday at the end of week 2 | Sun |
| With Mom | Wednesday of week 2 | Wed, Thu |
After saving, check the first few weeks on the month view to make sure the pattern looks right.
Step 4: Handoff and exchange days
Add each handoff as its own timed event, so you both know the time and place.
Example: Friday pickup
"Handoff: Dad picks up from school, 3:15 PM" on the first Friday of Dad's week. Repeat: Weekly, every 2 weeks, on Friday. Turn on Important so the day stands out in yellow on the month view.
- Where: add the address or a map link in the event's note, for example the exchange spot when it isn't school.
- What to bring: keep a checklist note for the bag that goes between homes (medicine, chargers, sports kit).
- The day before: the evening Tomorrow's Plans notification lists the next day's events. You can turn it on or off in More > Notifications.
School events, activities and costs
- The school calendar: if your school or team publishes a calendar link, subscribe to it on your phone and show it next to your own plans. To share a date with your co-parent, import it into FamShare and choose the child's label. See See your school or team calendar in FamShare.
- Parent-teacher conferences, recitals and games: add them under the child's label so you both see them, whoever's day it is. Turn on Important for the ones neither of you should miss.
- Birthdays: add each child's birthday as an event and choose Details > Type > Birthday. It repeats every year.
- School costs: add school fees or activity costs as to-dos with due dates and amounts in a category for the group, so both of you see what's coming up. To show who is handling one, put the name in the title ("Soccer fee, $60 (Dad)"). FamShare doesn't send or track payments.
- Flyers and forms: attach a photo or PDF to a note, linked to the event.
Keep your own plans private (including a new partner)
- In the event screen, tap Label and choose 🔒 Private for anything that is just yours. Private events are visible only to you.
- A label you don't show in any group is also visible only to you. For example, a "Work" label with no groups turned on stays on your screen only.
- A new partner: make a separate group with them. Your co-parent doesn't see that group, and your new partner sees the kids' schedule only if you also show a child's label in their group. You decide this label by label.
- In the To-Do and Notes tabs, switch to All or Mine and use the Private side of the Shared | Private switch at the top for your own lists and notes.
- To check what your co-parent sees, switch the badge at the top left to your co-parent group.
Swaps and changes
- Swap one weekend: open that day's event and edit it. When you save, choose This Day Only, so the rest of the schedule stays the same.
- A new schedule from a certain date: edit the event and choose Change This and Following.
- Holidays and vacations: add them as their own events under the child's label (for example "Thanksgiving with Mom"), and change that day of the regular schedule with This Day Only.
- Ask before you change: each group has its own Board for quick messages. Use a date poll to agree on a day for a holiday swap.
- Deleted by mistake? Deleted events, to-dos and notes stay in More > Recently Deleted for 30 days. Shared items can be restored by the people who were in the group when they were deleted.
What FamShare doesn't do
FamShare is built for everyday family planning. It does not keep message logs or records for a court, handle payments or expense reimbursement, or record calls. Board posts can be unsent, and events can be changed by the people allowed to edit them. If a court order or your lawyer names a specific co-parenting app, or you need documented communication, use that app. Free vs. paid co-parenting apps compares the options.
FAQ
- Is FamShare free for co-parents?
- Yes. FamShare is free for both parents and shows small banner ads. A group can have up to 50 members.
- Can my co-parent see my private plans?
- No. Events with the Private label, and items under your labels that you don't show in any group, are visible only to you. Your co-parent sees only what is in your shared group and the labels you choose to show there.
- Can my co-parent change my events?
- Only if you allow it. Anyone in the group can edit items added to the group itself. For items under your own labels, you choose for each group whether its members can edit ("People in … can edit", off at first). If it's off, your co-parent can only view them.
- Will my new partner see the kids' schedule, or my co-parent see my new partner's plans?
- Only if you choose to share it. Make a separate group with your new partner. Each group sees only what is shared with it, so your co-parent doesn't see that group, and your new partner sees a child's label only if you show it in their group too.
- Is FamShare a record-keeping tool for court?
- No. FamShare is a shared calendar for everyday planning. It doesn't keep message logs or records for a court. If you need records for a court or a lawyer, use the tool or method they recommend.
- Do our kids need their own accounts?
- No. Use a label for each child. Children under 13 should not create an account.
- We use iPhone and Android. Does that work?
- Yes. FamShare works on iPhone, iPad and Android with the same account, and there is a Web Version for computers.
- How do we stop sharing?
- Either of you can leave the group in More > Group. Items under your own labels stay in your calendar. In a group of two, the group ends when one of you leaves, and items added to the group itself are deleted. Earlier Board messages stay readable for both of you.
Try it
FamShare is free and shows small banner ads. No limit on members.