Chat, voice and video calls Coming soon
Every relative on the tree is a tap away — a private thread, and a free call from the top of it, one-to-one or with up to three others, or up to five others on Kunbaa Plus.
Chat and calls live in the Kunbaa mobile app, which is not in the App Store or Google Play yet. This page explains how they work so you know what to expect; the website has no chat screen.
Direct lines
Open the Chats tab, or tap Message on anyone’s card in the tree. A one-to-one thread is called a direct line. You can send text, photos, videos and voice notes, reply to a specific message, react with an emoji, and pin a message the family should be able to find again. Family groups work the same way with more people in them; everyone in a thread must be in your family space. An admin can switch Message family members off for a member, in which case they can read but not start chats — see member permissions.
Starting a call
At the top of any direct line are two buttons: the handset for a voice call, the camera for video. Tap one and the call rings on every device your relative is signed in on. While it rings you see Connecting…, then Ringing… once their phone has picked it up. Calls are free on every plan.
For more than two people, open a family group chat and tap the same buttons to pick up to three relatives on the free plan, or up to five relatives on Kunbaa Plus, or tap Add during a call you are already on. A group call holds up to 4 people including you free, and up to 6 on Kunbaa Plus — the details, and the two things group calls do differently, are in Group calls.
Answering
An incoming call shows on the lock screen like any other call. Answer to connect; decline to send it to the thread as a missed call. If the app was closed, iOS and Android still ring it — you don’t need to keep Kunbaa open.
What the thread shows afterwards
Every call leaves one line in the thread — answered with its length, missed, declined, or no answer — so a missed call is never lost. Tap the line to call back.
If a call won’t connect
Nine times out of ten it’s a permission or a network. The checks are in Calls not connecting?.
Sharing your live location
In a direct line or a family group, tap the attachment button, choose Live location, and pick how long: 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours. A card appears in the chat, and the people in that chat can open it to see where you are on a map, updating as you move.
- While a live location share runs, your position keeps updating even if you switch apps or lock your phone — about every 15 seconds on a 15-minute share and every 30 seconds on a 1-hour share, and every few minutes on an 8-hour share. On iPhone the blue location indicator shows in the status bar; force-closing Kunbaa pauses updates until you open it again. On Android a notification stays up for as long as you are sharing, even if you swipe Kunbaa away; it has no Stop button, so tap it to open Kunbaa and stop sharing there. Neither phone asks for “Always” location permission for it.
- It ends by itself at the time you picked. Tap Stop sharing on the card to end it sooner. Signing out of Kunbaa on the phone you started it from ends it too. Turning off Kunbaa’s location permission only stops new updates: the chat still sees the last position it sent until the time is up or you stop sharing.
- Only the people in that chat can see it. Someone you have muted, or who has muted you, does not see your live location, and anyone removed from the chat stops receiving it.
- When it ends, the card says so and shows no position — Kunbaa keeps no last-known location in the chat. The stored position is deleted within about an hour of the end, or straight away when you stop sharing yourself.
To share with your family on the Safety map instead, see Family Safety.
Questions families ask
Are calls really free?
Yes. Voice and video calls between people on Kunbaa cost nothing, on every plan, in every country: unlimited and unmetered. One-to-one calls are free; group calls are free for up to 4 people including you, and Kunbaa Plus raises that to 6. They run over the internet, so they use your data or Wi-Fi rather than your phone plan.
Can I call someone who isn't on Kunbaa?
No — calls are between Kunbaa accounts. Invite them first; everyone you invite joins free.
What does 'Phone reached; waiting for answer' mean?
Their phone has received the call and is ringing. If they don't pick up, the call ends on its own and shows in the thread as a missed call for them and 'no answer' for you.
Can we do group calls?
Yes — voice or video. Group calls are free for up to 4 people including you, and Kunbaa Plus raises that to 6. Start one from a family group chat, or tap Add during a call to bring someone in without hanging up. The Group calls article has the details.
How long are photos and videos sent in chat kept?
On the free plan they are kept for a year from the day they were sent, then let go — the message stays, and a placeholder says the photo is no longer kept here. In its last month, anyone who runs the family can tap Keep this to move it into the family archive, where it stays for good. On Kunbaa Plus, photos and videos sent in chat are kept in the family archive for as long as the family is on Plus, and anything kept under Plus is never deleted afterwards. On either plan, sending is never blocked by the archive being full.
Does chat have group threads?
Yes — a direct line is a one-to-one thread, and you can also chat in family groups. Everyone in a thread must be in your family space.
How do I share my live location in a chat?
In the chat, tap the attachment button, choose Live location, and pick 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours. The people in that chat can see where you are until the time is up, and you can tap Stop sharing on the card to end it sooner.
Does live location keep updating when Kunbaa is in the background?
Yes, for the time you picked. While a live location share runs, iPhone shows the blue location indicator in the status bar and Android shows a notification — tap it to open Kunbaa and stop sharing. Neither phone asks for the Always location permission for it, and the share ends by itself. On Android it keeps running even if you swipe Kunbaa away; on iPhone, force-closing Kunbaa pauses updates until you open it again.
Does the chat keep my location after a live location share ends?
No. When the share ends, the card in the chat says so and shows no position, and Kunbaa deletes the stored position within about an hour — straight away if you stop sharing yourself.
Can I mute a relative?
Yes, from their profile. You stop seeing their messages and posts; they aren't told, and nothing is deleted.