Family
Linked households
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Two homes: who is where, and what you share
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What it's about
A household link lets you share specific content with another household deliberately, without merging it.
Why it's here
In blended-family setups, two households often need just a few points of contact: the shared child, a handful of events, maybe the shared paediatrician contact. But they shouldn't see everything about each other. The link is patchio's answer – minimal, targeted data sharing.
How it works
You'll find links under Family, in the expandable “Linked families” section (rather than on a page of its own). It's enough for one admin (or a member with the permission for links) to enter the other family's invitation code – the link takes effect for both sides immediately, there's no need to swap codes both ways. You'll find your own code to pass on under Household & settings → Household invitation code. Once the link is in place, you can share specific events or personal profiles with the linked household. You share contacts separately with a code, which works without a link too (see Contacts); with a link, your household's name shows alongside them. Everything else stays strictly separate – tasks, shopping lists, internal notes stay isolated per household. Links can be dissolved at any time; anything already shared is then withdrawn.
If the other family still knows your invitation code, they can restore the link with it without asking. That's why Generate new invitation code is already ticked for admins when you unlink. If you're not an admin, you won't see this choice: ask an admin to renew the code under Household & settings.
Shared event series
Share a whole series, and every occurrence goes with it – including ones you change individually afterwards. So if you move just the event on the 31st to 17:00 in the sports hall, the other household sees exactly that, not the old time. Cancel a single occurrence, and it disappears there too. Withdraw the series share, and the changed version is gone immediately too.
The other way round, you can share just a single occurrence without sharing the series: open the event, choose “Only this event”, and tick the box for the household. The rest of the series' events stay private.
Person codes work once
Individual people have two codes of their own, both in the member's edit dialog: the link code (the same person in two households) and, for members without a login, the share code (a copy of the profile for another family). Each of these codes works only once. After it's been redeemed, the dialog shows a new code, and the old one can't be used again. People also get new codes when they're unlinked, when a babysitting arrangement ends or is paused, and when someone leaves your household or a shared group. A code someone read earlier is then useless. A link or copy that already exists isn't affected; you can undo a link in the edit dialog. If you passed on a code that hasn't been redeemed yet, check the dialog for the current one.
Linking a child with a babysitter
While a babysitter has access to a child, that child's link code only works in the child's own household. If the other household enters it, the link is turned down. Enter the other profile's code in your child's profile instead. If a babysitter has access on both sides, pause one of them briefly, link the profiles, then give access back. Pausing gives the child new codes.
Linking a person doesn't link the households. If you want to share events, you also need the link under Linked families. You share contacts with a code, so they don't need a link.
In practice
Say you and your child's other parent activate a link. You share your child's identity (for shared core details), the shared paediatrician, and individual events like a parents' evening (Elternabend). Whatever else you plan in your own household stays invisible to the other side.