Parent's Guide to Relay

Parent's Guide to Relay

Parent's Guide to Relay

Let us piece together how Relay features meet your family's needs to get connected

How Do I Make Calls?

Relays do not make conventional calls.  One to one communication would happen in the feature we call direct chats. Direct chats are automatically created between each Relay and app user on the account. For an in-depth guide, click the link below:

How does my child send a message?

Our Relay Assistant will connect your child to the direct chat or group chat.  Simply hold the volume button to use the assistant, state the name of your direct chat, i.e “Mom”.  This puts the Relay in that chat and they’re ready to send you a message  To send a message from the Relay, press and hold the talk button to record the message.  When you’re ready to send, release the button.  As a parent, you will either receive the message in real time or receive a missed message notification.  For an in-depth guide, click the link below:

What if I'm not available?  How do I play missed messages in the app?

To start, missed messages can only happen in direct chats.  In the app, you will receive a missed message notification.  When opening the app you’ll be able to press play and hear your missed messages.  For more info on missed messages, click the link below:

How does my child play missed messages on the Relay?

To play the missed message press the power button once, and it will swap to the chat with the message and play all missed messages.  The power button is on the side of the Relay.  For more info on missed messages, click the link below:

What is the green light?

A green light on the Relay means there is a missed message to play.  This is a great visual for your child to check their messages.  These yet again, only occur on direct chats.  If you’ve played the missed message on the Relay and still see a green light you have another missed message in another direct chat.  Follow the steps to play the missed message to get caught up!

How do I know my child is contacting me?

If the app is closed or you are on another chat with the app open, you will receive a notification.  If sent via direct chat, you will receive a missed message notification to play.  If sent via group chat including the everyone group chat, you will receive an activity notification. If you have the app open, talking directly in a chat live with your child, the message will play real-time.

How do I leave a message for my child to listen to later?

To leave your child a message for later, the Relay either needs to be in another chat or channel so your message will not play out loud. The message will then be left as a missed message.  You can also put them in Do Not Disturb mode, which will automatically send your message as a missed message.  We share a bit more information on Do Not Disturb mode further down!

How do I make sure my child hears my message now?

To make sure the message is played out loud, you can always message in the Everyone group chat which has a feature you can enable to force all Relays and app users back in that chat and will play the message out loud.  Another feature we have planned is the Summon feature in which the parent can pull the Relay into direct chats to talk with their child.  This is coming later this year.  You can also always request your kid’s to respond to your messages so you know they have received them.   

This can also be done on group chats by using the Summon away members option. Selecting this option will force the all Relays or apps that are in the group chat back to that specific group chat and play the message out loud.

How do I talk to more than one person at a time?

Our group chat feature allows for multiple people to connect.  We automatically set-up the Everyone group chat for you which will include all app users & Relays on the account.  You can create additional group chats depending on your needs to talk with 3+ people.  Group chats should not be for 1 to 1 communication as these are setup automatically in direct chats.  We do not have missed messages from group chats at this time.  We have activity notifications for only the app user. 

How do I add another parent or caretaker?

To add another trusted caretaker to your account you must be an Owner invited as an Admin on the account. From the Relay app’s home screen, tap on the plus sign (+) under the section titled Direct Chats to bring up the popup menu for inviting a user or activating a Relay. Select the option to “Invite a User” and select the access level you wish for that individual to have and fill out the form with the information for the individual you wish to join your account. 

The individual in question will receive an email inviting them to reset their password for the profile you created on your account. Once they’ve run through the process of resetting their password, they’ll be able to log in to the Relay app using the email address you sent the invite to along with their newly created password. Individuals invited as an Account Admin will have the all the same capabilites as an account owner. Individuals invited as an Account User will not have the ability to edit or manage anything associated with the Relay or your account. Users will only be able to communicate with other individuals on the account and view location information.

How do I make sure my child’s Relay does not go off at school?

Our Do Not Disturb feature protects against just that.  Do Not Disturb mode grants the ability for both the Relay user and Relay account Owner to put a Relay in a state where unwanted audio cues, messages, and accidental button presses will no longer be an issue. Don’t worry parents, you can turn off Do Not Disturb mode for your kid’s Relay if they forget to do so themselves after school.  For more info on this feature, click the link below:

What Does the Voice Assistant do?

We mentioned a Relay assistant to help change the Relay into different chats.  What else can the assistant do?  Your child can use this feature to change to any direct chat or group chat simply by stating the name of the chat.  You can also say “Time,” and the assistant will tell you what time it is based on your location and time zone.  You can say “Battery” to check the battery life on the Relay.  We’re looking to add new features to Relay assistant.   For more info on this feature, click the link below:

Want to know more about button presses, what the different LED lights mean, etc?

We have a comprehensive guide below on the Relay device that will walk you through all of that!

We've added an in-box manual to Relay but if you need a copy click below!



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