Greenlight Family Hub: Getting started guide

Welcome to your Greenlight Family Hub! Now that your device has arrived, let's get everything set up so your household can start using Calendars, Chores, Photos, and more — all in one shared place.

You'll complete most of the setup from your mobile device, and you'll see your Family Hub screen update in real time as you go through each step. Set up should only take around 15-30 minutes! 

Before you begin: Make sure everything in the box is accounted for and your device is physically set up. For help with setup, visit Greenlight Family Hub: Hardware setup guide

STEPS TO GET SET UP

Plug in and connect to Wi-Fi

Connect your Family Hub to the Greenlight app

Choose your plan

Set up your family

Sync your Calendar(s)

Set up Photos

Plug in and connect to Wi-Fi

Start by plugging in your Family Hub and turning it on.

1. Plug in your Family Hub
2. On your Family Hub screen, select your Wi-Fi network — the Hub supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, and a strong connection helps everything sync smoothly during setup and beyond
3. Enter your Wi-Fi password
4. Choose the time zone where you will be using your hub

Good to know: Onboarding is forward-only which means there is no back button once you continue. If you need to change something from an earlier step, complete onboarding first and update your settings afterward! For a full walkthrough of what you can adjust after setup from within your settings, you can visit  Greenlight Family Hub: Settings overview

Connect your Family Hub to the Greenlight app

Once your Family Hub is connected to Wi-Fi, it will display a QR code and a 4-character activation code on the screen. You'll use these to link your Hub to your Greenlight account!

To get started, scan the QR code displayed on your Family Hub screen using your mobile device. From there, follow the steps below based on whether you're new to Greenlight or already have an account with us.

Good to know: The activation code is case-insensitive and refreshes automatically every 15 minutes. If your code changes before you finish, simply use the new one that appears.

If you're new to Greenlight

1. Tap "Get started"
2. Enter your mobile number and enter the one-time code sent to that number
3. Set up your account login by entering your email address and creating your password, then tap "Next"
4. Enter your residential address, then tap "Next"

Now it's time to pair your Family Hub:

1. Make sure your Family Hub is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi
2. Enter the 4-character code displayed on your Family Hub screen
3. Once the correct code is entered, your account and Family Hub will be connected!

If you already have a Greenlight account

1. Tap "I already have a Greenlight account"
2. Sign in to your Greenlight account
3. Enter the 4-character code on your phone that matches the code displayed on your Family Hub screen

Prefer to start from your Settings instead?

1. From the Home dashboard of your Greenlight app, tap the settings gear in the top right corner
2. Tap "My family & devices"
3. Tap "+ Add a device"
4. Tap "Add a new device"
5. Tap the "Greenlight Family Hub" tile
6. Make sure your Family Hub is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi
7. Enter the 4-character code displayed on your Family Hub screen to pair your device
8. Once the correct code is entered, your account and Family Hub will be connected!

Choose your plan

What you see during this step depends on whether you're new to Greenlight or already have an existing Greenlight financial plan account with us.

If you're new to Greenlight

If you're creating a new Greenlight account, you'll choose between two of our Family Hub plans:

Family Hub Free — Get started with core Family Hub features at no ongoing cost, including Calendar, Photos, Chores with star rewards, To-do and Grocery lists, and AI calendar auto-tagging.

Family Hub Plus — Unlock the full Family Hub experience, including the AI voice and text assistant, AI email-to-calendar import, and access to our full Family Safety features.

Not sure which to choose? See Which Family Hub features come with my plan? for a full feature comparison!

Once your Family Hub is paired:

1. Tap "Get started with Plus" or "Get started with Free"

If you choose Plus:

1. Add your payment method to cover your monthly subscription fee
2. You're welcome to link a debit card, credit card, or PayPal account as a funding source
3. After entering your payment details, tap "Save payment method"

If you already have a Greenlight account

If you already have a Greenlight financial account (Core, Max, Infinity, Family Shield or a Select plan through a partner), the plan selection step will be skipped entirely. Your existing plan automatically determines which Family Hub features you have access to so there's no additional charge! 

If you’d like to upgrade/change your plan at any time, please see How does billing work for Greenlight Family Hub?

Have a Greenlight Safe Family plan? 

If you’re on our Greenlight Safe Family plan, you'll see the plan selection screen and choose between Family Hub Free and Plus. Your safety device will continue to work with either plan! 

Set up your family

Now it's time to add your family members to Family Hub! Your household can include up to 2 adults and 5 children. You'll complete this from your mobile device, and you'll see the corresponding actions on your Family Hub screen as you go.

Good to know: Family Hub supports adult and child profiles. Any older adults that you have on your Family Shield plan are not supported on Family Hub. Those profiles won't appear as family members on your Hub but they will still be part of your Greenlight Family Shield plan in your app!

If you're new to Greenlight

1. From the "Let's set up your family" screen, tap "Next"
2. Enter your "Household name," then tap "Next"
   • This is how Family Hub will refer to your household as a whole
3. Create your "Family Hub email address," then tap "Next" 
   • This creates a unique email address for your household that you can use to send calendar events directly to your Family Hub. This email address cannot be changed after setup, so take a moment to choose something that feels right for your family! Example: name@hub.greenlight.com
4. Create and confirm your admin PIN
   • This 4-digit PIN is used to authorize parent-level actions on the Hub screen, like editing chores and calendar events. You'll be prompted to enter it anytime a protected action is taken on the Hub
   • Note: Common PINs like 0000 and 1234 are not allowed

Now you'll set up profiles for each family member:

1. First, set up your profile as the Family Hub Admin user. Tap “Set up” and enter your name, what your family calls you, your avatar and color (if you’d like). Then tap "Save"
2. To add the rest of your family members, tap “+ Add family member” 
3. For each additional family member, fill in the following information for their Family Hub profile(s) then tap “Save”:
   • First and Last name
   • Role (Adult or Child)
   • Birthday (child only)
   • What your family calls you (adult only)
   • Their Hub Avatar or an uploaded photo
   • Their Hub color
   • Mobile number (optional)
4. Once everyone's been added, tap “Looks good!” to continue

If your family already has a Greenlight account

Since you’re already a Greenlight customer, your existing family profiles will carry over automatically onto your Family Hub!

You'll be brought to a page where you can set up your household, set up your Family Hub PIN, and review and edit your family's current profiles.

1. Enter your "Household name," then tap "Next"
   • This is how Family Hub will refer to your household as a whole
2. Create your "Family Hub email address," then tap "Next" 
   • This creates a unique email address for your household that you can use to send calendar events directly to your Family Hub. This email address cannot be changed after setup, so take a moment to choose something that feels right for your family! Example: name@hub.greenlight.com
3. Create your Family Hub PIN, then confirm your PIN
   • This 4-digit PIN is used to authorize parent-level actions on the Hub screen, like editing chores and calendar events. You'll be prompted to enter it anytime a protected action is taken on the Hub

To edit a family member’s profile:

1. Tap the pencil icon next to their name
2. Update any information you'd like, including their name, avatar or photo, profile color, role, or birthday
3. Tap "Save"

To add a new family member’s profile:

1. Tap “Add a family member” 
2. For each additional family member, fill in the following information for their Family Hub profile(s) then tap “Save”:
   • First and Last name
   • Role (Adult or Child)
   • Birthday (child only)
   • What your family calls you (adult only)
   • Their Hub Avatar or an uploaded photo
   • Their Hub color
   • Mobile number (optional)
3. Once all of your family members are added and accounted for, tap "Looks good!" to continue

Sync your Calendar(s)

Now for one of the best parts, bringing everyone's schedules together in one shared view! Once calendars are synced, Family Hub becomes the place your household checks before the day begins.

This step is optional during setup. You can always come back and connect your Calendars later and tap “Skip” for now!

To sync your calendar:

1. Tap the icon for the calendar you'd like to sync to your Family Hub (Google, Outlook, iCloud).
   • Google calendar: Copy the code and tap “Sign in” 
   • Outlook calendar: Copy the code and tap “Sign in” 
   • iCloud calendar: Get your account ready to sync by following the prompts on the screen. iCloud requires a few extra steps before connecting — see the full walkthrough for details. 
2. Tap the arrow next to each calendar to customize it, or tap "Next" if you’re all set
3. Customize any details you'd like and tap "Save":
   • Edit the calendar name
   • Add or remove family members from the calendar
   • Choose the color that will represent events from this calendar
   • Set it as your default calendar
   • Enable or disable “Smart Assign”
4. Tap "+ Add" to include any "Other helpful calendar" suggestions, then tap "Next"
5. Tap "Done"

For a full walkthrough of calendar features and how to set up and add more calendars to your Family Hub, visit How do I set up and use the Calendar on Greenlight Family Hub?

Set up Photos

Let's make it feel like home! You can add your favorite family photos to display on your Family Hub as a slideshow or screensaver.

This step is optional during setup. You can always add photos later from the Photos page and tap “Skip” for now.

To set up photos:

1. On the "Photos Setup" screen, tap "Next"
2. Tap "Set up permissions"
3. Choose your access level:

iOS users: Select "Allow Full Access" to enable automatic background sync — new photos in selected albums will upload to your Family Hub automatically without any extra steps. If you select "Limit Access," you'll need to manually select and upload photos each time you’d like to sync them to your Hub.

Android users: Photos are uploaded manually each time — there is no automatic background sync on Android. You can select individual photos or full collections to upload.

4. Once all of the photos you’d like to sync for now are uploaded, tap "Next"

For more on managing, customizing, and sharing photos on your Family Hub, visit How do Photos work on Greenlight Family Hub?

You're all set!

Your Family Hub is ready to use. From here, your family can start exploring Calendars, Chores, Photos, and more — all from one shared place!

Good to know: Level Up is an interactive financial literacy experience designed for the whole family and is available to Family Hub families through the Greenlight mobile app. Head to the app to explore it whenever you're ready!

Need help?

If you run into any issues during setup, here are a few things to try.

Family Hub won't connect to Wi-Fi

• Double-check that you've entered your Wi-Fi password correctly
• Make sure your router is working and other devices can connect
• Move your Family Hub closer to your router if possible, then retry

The QR code isn't scanning

• Make sure your phone camera is focused and the QR code is fully visible on the Family Hub screen
• Try restarting the Greenlight app and scanning again
• Alternatively, you can manually type in the URL to download the Greenlight app and connect your account (greenlight.com/familyhub/activate)
• If the code has changed since you started, the new code will appear automatically on screen

My Family Hub screen is blank or frozen

• Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to force a restart
• Make sure the power cable is fully connected to both the device and the outlet

Still need help? We're here for you. 

Text us at 404-974-3024 | Call us at 888-483-2645