# Use Peko Pal without a device

You don't need a Peko Pal for your child to talk to their friends on Peko. The
Peko Pal app works on its own: your child can send and hear voice messages with
a friend who does have a Peko Pal. You can try it first, then buy a Peko Pal and
set it up whenever you like.

## What your child can do with just the app

- Send voice messages to friends, and hear the ones they send back.
- Keep a chat with each friend, all in one place.

Everything happens in the Peko Pal app on your phone, with you alongside your
child. Peko Pal is built for children, so a grown-up stays in the loop.

## Getting started

1. Sign in to the app, then tap **+** in the **Kids** tab and choose **Add a Child**.
2. Open your child's page and choose **Add a Friend** under Friends. Enter the
   friend's name.
3. Share the invite with the friend's parent, as a link or as a QR code they can
   scan with their phone's camera. The link expires after a while, and you can
   share again for a fresh one.
4. Once the friend's parent accepts, the two children are connected.

If a friend's family invites you instead, open their link on your phone and
accept it in the app. Friends are always approved by parents on both sides.

Children in the same family are friends by default, so siblings can message each
other without an invite.

## Sending and hearing messages

Open the **Chats** tab and choose your child's chat with a friend. Hold the
microphone button and speak, then let go to send. Tap a message to play it.
You may need to allow microphone access the first time.

When a friend sends a message, you get a notification on your phone. Messages
wait for you if you aren't around, and they're there whenever you next open the
app. Friends who own a Peko Pal hear your child's message on their device.

## What needs a Peko Pal

Some things happen only on the device. A child with just the app can't use:

- the apps on the Peko Pal, such as stories, podcasts and radio,
- lessons,
- talking with Peko, and
- live calls. Without a device, friends can leave voice messages only.

## Adding a Peko Pal later

When you're ready, buy one at [pekopal.com/buy](https://www.pekopal.com/buy). Open
your child's page in the app and choose **Set Up a Peko Pal**, or tap
**+** in the Kids tab and choose **Set Up a Pal**. The [setup guide](https://www.pekopal.com/guide/setting-up-your-peko-pal) walks
through it.

Friends belong to your child, not to a device. Once the Peko Pal is set up,
your child keeps every friend without new invites. New messages then go to
their Peko Pal, and calls work with friends whose devices support them. Messages
you received before then are still in the app.

To learn how messages work on the device, see
[Friends and voice messages](https://www.pekopal.com/guide/friends-and-messages).