A family chore app where every chore has an owner
By the makers of Somiya. What our shared tasks do, what they do not do, and which families need a different app.
A chore list on the fridge fails for one reason: it reminds nobody. Everyone can see the bins go out on Tuesday, so nobody owns it. A family chore app is useful only if each chore has one person, and that person — not whoever wrote it down — gets the reminder.
What Somiya does with chores
- Every chore has an owner. Assign it to one person or to several.
- The reminder goes to the owner. Not to the person who created the chore. It arrives in the owner's own timezone, and quiet hours keep it out of their night.
- Repeats on schedule. Daily, weekly, monthly or a custom interval. Bins every Tuesday is one chore, set once.
- A nudge in one tap. “Remind Sam” sends Sam a push now. A short cooldown stops it from becoming nagging.
- The owner can tick it off. The person who did the chore marks it done, even if somebody else created it.
- Only the author changes it. Nobody quietly edits your chore. A family organizer can correct it, and the author always gets a notification when that happens.
- Private tasks. A task can be visible only to you — for the birthday present nobody should see.
- Works offline. Tick a chore off in the garden with no signal; it syncs later.
When Somiya is the wrong choice
- Your children are young and need rewards. Somiya has no stars, points, levels or allowance. If a reward is what gets a seven-year-old to make the bed, use a chore-chart app built for that.
- Your children do not have iPhones. Each person uses Somiya on their own iPhone with their own account. A chore for a child without a phone can only be assigned to the parent who checks it.
- Anyone in the family uses Android. Somiya is iPhone-only today.
- You need it free. After the 14-day trial it is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year for the whole family.
Who Somiya is for
Parents who share the household work and are tired of being the one who remembers. Teenagers with their own phones. A grandparent who helps with school pick-up on Wednesdays. Families in more than one timezone, where “tonight” means a different hour for each person.
The chores live in the same app as the family calendar and the grocery list, so the family has one place to look, not three.
Price
One subscription covers the whole family, up to 8 people: $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year ($19.99 for the first year). In Europe, €5.99 a month or €39.99 a year (€22.99 for the first year). The first 14 days are free.
Questions
What is the best chore app for a family?
It depends on who does the chores. For young children who need stars, points or an allowance to stay motivated, use a dedicated chore-chart app with rewards; Somiya has none. For parents and older children with their own iPhones, who need each chore to have an owner, repeat on schedule and send a reminder to that owner, Somiya.
Who gets the reminder for a chore in Somiya?
The person the chore is assigned to, not the person who created it. The reminder arrives in that person's own timezone, and quiet hours stop it from arriving at night. You can also send a one-tap nudge: Remind followed by their name.
Can chores repeat every week?
Yes. A chore can repeat daily, weekly, monthly or on a custom interval.
Can my child use Somiya?
A child who has their own iPhone can join the family with their own account and tick off their own chores. A child without a phone cannot use Somiya; assign that chore to the parent who checks it.
Can someone else change a chore I created?
Anyone the chore is assigned to can mark it done. Only the person who created it can change or delete it. A family organizer can correct it too, but that change is never silent: the author gets a notification.
Does Somiya have points, stars or an allowance?
No. Somiya tracks who does what and reminds them. It does not score, rank or pay.