How picture passwords work

A picture password is 3 pictures your child taps in order. It works in every band, and your child never types anything.

What your child sees

After your child taps their picture on Who is reading?, they see a grid of 9 pictures: sun, moon, star, apple, fish, tree, boat, ball and cake. The screen says Tap your three pictures.

Your child taps 3 different pictures, in the order they chose. When the third tap lands, the app checks the answer on its own. There is no submit button.

If the pictures are wrong, your child sees: "Not quite. Try again!"

Set one up

1. Open Children from the menu, then Sign-in and devices on your child's card.
2. Under How {name} signs in, choose Three pictures.
3. Tap 3 different pictures in order, then press Save these pictures.
4. Practice once with your child before you hand over the device.

Things to know

• The 3 pictures must be different from each other.
• The order matters. Sun, fish, cake is not the same as fish, sun, cake.
• 5 misses in a row lock that child for 15 minutes. A right answer resets the count. See Child locked out.

Common questions

Can we use letters or numbers instead?

No. Pictures are for children who may not read yet. Children in grades 3 to 8 can use three words instead. See Three-word passphrases.

My child forgot the pictures.

Open Sign-in and devices and set new pictures under How {name} signs in. Then show your child the new ones.

Is a picture password safe enough?

It works only on a browser you already trusted for reading, and 5 misses in a row lock it for 15 minutes.

Related: Choose a sign-in method. Questions? Contact us.