GarageVault - AI-powered garage organization app logo with padlock and wrench icon

GarageVault
arrow_back Back to Support

How to Set Up Households

A simple guide to getting started with households in Garage Vault.

Table of Contents

What is a Household?

A household is your shared inventory space where you and your family members can all access the same items, storage locations, and data. Everyone in your household sees the same inventory and can add, edit, or remove items.

Think of it as: One garage inventory that your whole family can access from their own devices.

Creating Your First Household

When You First Open the App

  1. Open Garage Vault for the first time
  2. You'll see the Welcome/Onboarding screen
  3. Tap "Create a Household"
  4. Enter your household name (e.g., "Smith Family", "Our Garage", "Workshop")
  5. Tap "Create"

That's it! Your household is now set up and ready to use.

Inviting Family Members

Once your household is created, you can invite family members to join:

Step 1: Generate an Invite Code

  1. Go to Settings → Household Management
  2. Tap "Invite Family" or "Generate Invite Code"
  3. The app will create a 6-digit code
  4. Share this code with your family member via:
    • Text message
    • Email
    • In person

Note: Invite codes are typically valid for 24-48 hours.

Step 2: Family Member Joins

The person you invited should:

  1. Download Garage Vault (if they haven't already)
  2. Open the app
  3. On the welcome screen, tap "Join a Household"
  4. Enter the 6-digit invite code
  5. Tap "Join"

They'll instantly have access to your shared household inventory!

Managing Household Members

Viewing Members

  1. Go to Settings → Household Management
  2. You'll see a list of all household members
  3. View their:
    • Name
    • Device name
    • When they joined
    • Last active time

Removing a Member

  1. Go to Settings → Household Management
  2. Find the member you want to remove
  3. Tap on their name or the "..." menu
  4. Select "Remove from Household"
  5. Confirm the removal

Note: Removed members will lose access to the household inventory immediately.

Switching or Leaving a Household

Leaving a Household

  1. Go to Settings → Household Management
  2. Tap "Leave Household" (usually at the bottom)
  3. Confirm that you want to leave
  4. You'll return to the welcome screen

Warning: If you're the only member, leaving will delete the entire household and all its data.

Joining a Different Household

  1. Leave your current household (see above)
  2. Get an invite code from the new household owner
  3. Tap "Join a Household"
  4. Enter the invite code
  5. Tap "Join"

Understanding What's Shared

What Everyone in the Household Can See and Do:

check_circle All inventory items - View, add, edit, and delete items
check_circle Storage locations - Create and manage storage
check_circle Categories - Create custom categories
check_circle Purchase information - View and edit purchase history
check_circle Maintenance records - Log and view maintenance
check_circle Shopping lists - Add items to the shared shopping list
check_circle Loan records - Track who borrowed what

What's NOT Shared Within a Household:

cancel Dashboard layout - Each person can customize their own dashboard
cancel Device settings - Personal preferences stay on your device
cancel Notification preferences - Each person controls their own alerts
cancel Account information - Email and payment details are private

Premium and Households

How Premium Works with Households

  • Only ONE person in the household needs a Premium subscription
  • Everyone in the household gets Premium features
  • Premium features include:
    • Unlimited items
    • Unlimited photos
    • Storage locations (Premium feature)
    • Maintenance tracking
    • Cross-household sharing
    • No ads

Managing Your Subscription

  1. Go to Settings → Subscription
  2. View your current plan (Free or Premium)
  3. If someone in your household has Premium, you'll see: "Premium (via household)"
  4. To upgrade or manage billing, tap "Manage Subscription"

Quick Tips

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For Families:

  • Give your household a name everyone will recognize
  • Set up storage locations together so everyone knows where things are
  • Use QR codes so kids can find tools independently

🔧 For Workshops:

  • Create a household for your workspace
  • Invite employees or workshop partners
  • Track who borrowed tools using the loan feature

🏠 For Roommates:

  • Each person can track their own items
  • Share storage locations
  • Keep everyone accountable for borrowed items

⚠️ Important Reminders:

  • All household members have full edit access
  • Anyone can delete items (use carefully!)
  • Keep invite codes private - only share with trusted people
  • If the subscription holder cancels Premium, everyone loses Premium features

Troubleshooting

Problem: Can't generate an invite code

  • Check your internet connection
  • Make sure you're already in a household
  • Try closing and reopening the app

Problem: Invite code doesn't work

  • Codes expire after 24-48 hours - generate a new one
  • Make sure the code was entered correctly (no spaces)
  • Check if the code was already used

Problem: Not seeing household inventory

  • Make sure you joined the correct household
  • Pull down to refresh the screen
  • Check your internet connection - data syncs from the cloud

Problem: Want to start over

  • Leave the current household
  • Create a new household from scratch
  • Note: Leaving deletes data if you're the only member

Need Help?

If you need assistance:

Happy organizing with your household! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

arrow_back Back to Support