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How to Install FamZoo Mobile on Your Android Device

How to Install FamZoo Mobile on AndroidThe FamZoo mobile user interface works great on Android phones. In fact, I use it every day on my Samsung Galaxy S4. The trick is getting things set up so you can conveniently launch FamZoo with one tap from your home screen. You see, unfortunately, we don’t have a FamZoo app in the Google Play Store just yet, so you’ll want to follow this one-time recipe to “install” FamZoo on your Droid.

The Quick Recipe

The high level recipe is simple and consists of these three steps:

  1. Sign into FamZoo on your mobile browser.
  2. Create a bookmark.
  3. Add the bookmark as a shortcut to your home screen.

That’s it.

Note that FamZoo Mobile automatically keeps you signed in unless you explicitly scroll down and tap the Sign Out link in the bottom right corner of a page. So, unless you’ve done that, launching FamZoo from your home screen will take you right into the application.

The Detailed Recipe

Just so you can see what it looks like to install FamZoo Mobile, here are the detailed screen-by-screen steps for the Android phone I happen to be using: the Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android 4.2.2 (aka “Jelly Bean”) using the stock browser. The steps will probably be fairly similar for different Android device/version/browser combos, but don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re having any trouble figuring out the recipe for your particular phone.

  1. Open the Browser
    1) Open Browser
  2. Visit FamZoo.com
    2) Visit FamZoo.com
  3. Tap the Sign In button in the upper right corner.
    3) Tap Sign In
  4. Enter your FamZoo credentials, and tap Sign In.
    4) Sign In With Credentials
  5. Navigate to the screen you’d like to show whenever you launch FamZoo.
    5) Navigate to Desired Screen
  6. Bring up the phone’s menu and tap Add Bookmark.
    6) Tap Add Bookmark from Menu
    Note: you could just tap Add Shortcut here and be done, but I prefer to create a bookmark so I can give it a nice name (see next step).
  7. Type in a name for your bookmark like “FamZoo” and tap Save.
    7) Name Bookmark And Tap Save
  8. Tap the bookmarks icon to see the bookmark you just created.
    8) Tap Bookmarks Icon
  9. Long press (press down and hold) the FamZoo bookmark to bring up its menu.
    9) Long Press FamZoo Bookmark
  10. Tap the Add Shortcut menu item to place a FamZoo icon on your home screen.
    10) Tap Add Shortcut from Menu
  11. That’s it. Now you’ll be able to launch FamZoo with one tap on your home screen.
    Installation Complete. Tap to Launch FamZoo.

Bookmarking in Other Browsers

What if you’re using a different browser than the one described above? For example, I happen to use Chrome on my Samsung instead of the default browser that came with it. Here are some pointers to recipes for saving bookmarks and shortcuts in a few of the most popular alternative Android browsers:

Managing Your Home Screen

So you’ve successfully created a shortcut for FamZoo Mobile. Great. But how do you control where it ends up on your home screen? Maybe you have multiple home screens, and FamZoo is buried on some back screen. How do you move it closer to the front?

Figuring out how to manage the shortcuts, apps, and widgets on your Android home screens can be surprisingly difficult and confusing — even for a lifetime geek like myself. I was stumped on a number of fronts until I stumbled upon this very helpful video for organizing your Galaxy S4 home screen. It’s packed with great tips for moving between your home screens, adding new screens, removing old ones, moving icons between screens, and much more. Plus, I love the fact that the narrator’s kids are making a ruckus in the background toward the end. FamZoo parents should feel right at home!

Different Android phones have different tricks for managing the home screen, so if you don’t have a Galaxy S4 like I do, you’ll want to google around for a home screen tutorial that matches your device. If you find a good one, be sure to leave it in the comments below so others can benefit too.

9 comments:

Anonymous aka The Blog Post Author

Please develop a native Android app. Many would benefit from this.

aca aka The Blog Post Author

Please make the app IPhone/Android, for kids is allot easier. Aftre all this is for kids. Thanks you.

Bill Dwight aka The Blog Post Author

Feel free to leave specific feedback about what you feel we need to make "easier" in the app. We're listening. Most people tell us our desktop application is a bit complex and they like the simplicity of our app...

Ted Cabeen aka The Blog Post Author

An update to this page for newer Android devices would be useful. In recent Chrome for Android, the option under the menu is now called "Add to Home Screen"

Unknown aka The Blog Post Author

I am not sure if this is very user friendly. To many menus and difficult to set up. Green Light was a breeze to set up.

Bill Dwight aka The Blog Post Author

Apologies for the rocky start. I appreciate your candid feedback. Please get in touch with me via the CONTACT US link (http://famzoo.com/contactus) so we can connect on the phone. I'd like to learn more about your difficulties with setup so we can continue to improve our product. I also want to be sure your setup matches your family's needs so you can get the most out of FamZoo going forward.

Unknown aka The Blog Post Author

When an item is checked off as completed on a checklist how do I know who completed it? Also can I create checklists for individuals and not "all kids" or "all family"?

ShowierData9978 aka The Blog Post Author

We need an app

Bill Dwight aka The Blog Post Author

There is an app now on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.famzoo

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