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Dad Brogan's Family MessageBoard

A private family message board that displays large-print messages on Dad's iPad, with call request buttons so Dad can ask any of us to call him.

📱 App Overview

• View all — See all messages and call requests in chronological order
• Post a message — Send a message to Dad's screen (appears within 20 seconds)
• 🔒 Private — Toggle when posting to make a message visible only to you
• ↩ Resend — Pre-fills the post form with an existing message so you can edit and resend
• Swipe left — Reveals a Delete button on any message
• Checkboxes — Select multiple messages for bulk delete
• ✓ Dad saw & kept/cleared this — Shows when Dad has acknowledged a message
• Call request banner — Appears at top when Dad taps a call button; tap "On my way to call" to acknowledge
• Connection status — Green dot means Dad's iPad is online; red means it's offline

🔑 PINs & URLs

• Billy: 1234
• Tom: 2345
• Kathleen: 3456

Family login URL:

Dad's screen URL:

📋 Dad's iPad Setup Checklist

1. Factory Reset & Apple ID

• Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPad → Erase All Content
• Set up with a new throwaway Apple ID (create at appleid.apple.com)
• Skip iCloud, Photos, Mail, Contacts — tap "Skip" on everything
• Connect to Dad's home WiFi during setup

2. Display & Brightness

• Settings → Display & Brightness → Auto-Lock → Never
• Settings → Display & Brightness → Brightness → set high (75-100%)
• Settings → Display & Brightness → True Tone → On
• Settings → Display & Brightness → Night Shift → Off

3. General Settings

• Settings → General → Software Update → turn off automatic updates
• Settings → General → AirDrop → Nobody
• Settings → General → Handoff → Off
• Settings → Accessibility → Reduce Motion → On

4. Notifications

• Settings → Notifications → Show Previews → Never
• Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb → On, always

5. Safari & Home Screen Icon

• Open Safari, go to the Dad's screen URL above (include the ?device=dads-ipad parameter — this is what enables the connection indicator on the family side)
• Confirm it looks correct
• Tap Share icon → Add to Home Screen → name it "Messages" → Add
• If updating an existing icon, delete the old one first then re-add

6. Guided Access

• Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access → On
• Set a passcode (not Dad's — something you'll remember)
• Enable Accessibility Shortcut (triple-click activates it)
• Guided Access options: Touch On, Motion Off, Keyboards Off, Time Limit Off, Display Auto-Lock Off
• Launch Messages icon → triple-click home/side button → tap Start
• To exit: triple-click → enter passcode → End

7. WiFi

• Settings → WiFi → tap network → Auto-Join On
• Settings → WiFi → Ask to Join Networks → Off

8. Power

• Keep iPad plugged in permanently
• Position at eye level where Dad sits most

9. Final Verification

• Launch Messages icon — confirm no Safari chrome visible
• Post a test message from your phone — confirm it appears within 20 seconds
• Tap a Request Call button — confirm Pushover notification arrives
• Check green "Connected" dot is showing top right
• Confirm screen stays on after 10+ minutes

🔔 Pushover Notifications

When Dad taps a call button, you'll get a phone notification via Pushover. Download the free Pushover app, find your User Key on the dashboard, and send it to Billy to get set up.