An iPhone or iPad, signed in to iCloud
Any model with iOS 18 or later. That's all: Crayon Years is free to download and nobody needs an account with us. Each person uses their own Apple ID.
Two homes. One gallery.
Share your kids' art with the other parent and the grandparents. Everyone sees one gallery, and both parents keep the drawings.
Sharing takes one link
Invite
Sharing is part of the owner's Pro. Open the Family tab, tap Invite family, choose Co-parent or Viewer and send the link by Messages, WhatsApp or email.
Join
Daan or Oma Ria taps the link and joins with their own Apple ID. No account to make, no password to remember.
Add
New drawings show up for everyone. Daan adds the ones from his weekends, and Oma Ria sends a heart back.
Who can do what
The owner picks a role for each person. Grandparents join as Viewer.
Viewers need write access in iCloud to send hearts. Someone tech-savvy could still delete a drawing outside Crayon Years, so invite people you trust.
| They can | OwnerEva | Co-parentDaan | GrandparentOma Ria, as Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the gallery | |||
| See every drawing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Send hearts and voice reactions | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Add drawings | Yes | Yes | No |
| Edit titles, dates and firsts | Yes | Yes | No |
| Delete drawings (back within 30 days) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Around the gallery | |||
| Invite, change roles, remove people | Yes | No | No |
| Keep a copy in their own iCloud | It's theirs already | On by default | Off, can turn on |
What everyone needs
One Pro covers everyone
The owner's Pro opens sharing for the whole gallery. Co-parents and grandparents never pay.
Storage counts on the owner
The gallery lives in the owner's iCloud (here, Eva's), so whatever the family adds uses that space. Viewers use none. A co-parent's copy sits in their own iCloud.
When the owner's iCloud is full
New drawings wait safely on the phone they were taken with, marked with a little clock, and go in once the owner has space again. Nobody in the family can add until then. What to do when iCloud is full
Separated or divorced? Both of you keep the art.
Crayon Years was built for families with two homes. The gallery belongs to one parent, but the drawings belong to both of you.
- Your own Apple IDEach parent signs in with their own. You share the gallery and nothing else.
- A copy in your own iCloudOn by default for co-parents. It only adds and updates, so nothing vanishes from it.
- Leaving keeps your copyIf you leave or are removed, tap Make it my gallery and keep every drawing, date and title.
- In for less than 7 days?Then you keep only the drawings you added yourself.
Eva's iCloudThe family gallery
Daan's iCloudHis own copy
Questions from families
Storage questions are in iCloud and sync, plans in Pro and billing, and what leaves your phone on the privacy page.
Visit the help centerDoes the other parent need to pay?
The other parent never pays for Crayon Years. The gallery owner's Pro covers the whole family gallery, so co-parents, grandparents and anyone else you invite join for free.
Can grandparents add drawings?
Grandparents can't add drawings at launch. They join a Crayon Years gallery as Viewer: they see every drawing, send hearts and record voice reactions.
Does it use space on a grandparent's iPad?
Crayon Years uses no iCloud space on a grandparent's iPhone or iPad. Viewers keep no copy unless they turn it on, and everything the family adds counts on the gallery owner's iCloud.
Which parent should own the gallery?
Pick the parent with more free iCloud space who plans to keep Pro. The family gallery lives in the owner's iCloud and uses their storage, and the owner's Pro keeps sharing on. The other parent still keeps a full copy in their own iCloud.
What can the other parent see about me?
A co-parent sees the drawings in the shared gallery, who added each one, and the name you chose in Crayon Years. iCloud also shows them the Apple Account name, email or phone number you joined with. Crayon Years shares nothing else: not your photo library, your location, your contacts or anything else on your iPhone.
Can the owner delete drawings I added?
In a shared Crayon Years gallery, the owner and co-parents can delete any drawing, including ones you added. A deleted drawing waits in Recently deleted for 30 days, so it can be brought back, and Recently deleted shows who removed it.
What happens to sharing if I stop Pro?
When the owner's Pro ends, every drawing stays visible to everyone in the family gallery. Sharing pauses until Pro is back: nobody is removed and nothing is deleted. A co-parent's own copy stays in their own iCloud.
Can I remove someone?
The gallery owner can remove anyone: open the Family tab, tap the person and choose Remove. A removed co-parent keeps their own copy and can turn it into their own gallery with Make it my gallery.