Getting started

Yes. Kin is free to download and free to use, with every feature included. One license covers your whole household.

A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and 16 GB of memory or more, with about 10 GB free. One that stays on and plugged in works best. Kin Server runs on that Mac. Everyone in your family uses the Kin app on their iPhone, or Kin for Mac on any Mac with macOS 14 or later.

Not yet. Today Kin Server runs on a Mac, and you can use Kin on an iPhone or with Kin for Mac.

The first time you open it, macOS may ask whether you’re sure you want to open an app downloaded from the internet. Click Open. The first launch can take a minute while macOS checks it. Kin Server also needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later on a Mac with Apple silicon, so it won’t run on older Macs.

Point your iPhone’s Camera at the QR code on your Mac and tap the Kin link. That works on any network, even cellular. Or open Kin on the same Wi‑Fi as your Mac, enter the 6‑digit pairing code and tap Connect. The code changes every few minutes, so always use the one on screen now. If your phone asks to find devices on your local network, tap Allow.

Kin for Mac lets anyone in your family talk to Kin on their own Mac, including the Mac that runs Kin Server. It’s a separate app from Kin Server: Kin Server runs your family’s Kin, and Kin for Mac is where you use it. It needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Download Kin for Mac, drag it into Applications, and open it.

• At home: Kin for Mac finds your family’s Kin on the Wi‑Fi by itself and shows it as Your family’s Kin. macOS asks once for permission to find devices on your network. Click Allow, then sign in with your Kin password. Children use their PIN.
• Away from home: on your iPhone, go to Family → … → Connect a Mac (also in Settings → Devices). It makes a one‑time link that reaches your Mac by Universal Clipboard or AirDrop. In Kin for Mac, click Paste a link instead. Your Mac shows where the link points and asks before connecting.
• New to the family? Paste your invite link into Kin for Mac to join from the Mac.

There’s no QR code or 6‑digit code on a Mac, because a Mac has no camera to scan one.

Enter your email again in the download box on meetkin.app. If you already have a license, we’ll re-send your original email. It won’t use a new spot.