Setting up an Android tablet as an always-on family display

A spare Android tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab, Lenovo Tab, Fire HD, etc.) makes a great always-on dashboard / digital picture frame for the kids dashboard. Here's how to set it up so the screen stays on, locks to MemoryBank, and behaves well 24/7.

What you need

• An Android tablet (Android 9 or newer recommended).
• A USB-C charger that can stay plugged in continuously.
• A wall mount or stand.
• Wi-Fi.

Step-by-step setup

1. Enable "Stay awake while charging"

This is the single most important setting — without it, the tablet will sleep on a timer no matter what.

• Settings → About tablet (or "About phone") → tap Build number 7 times. This unlocks "Developer options."
• Back in Settings → Developer options → turn ON Stay awake. The screen will now stay on whenever the tablet is charging.

If your tablet doesn't have Developer Options, the next-best alternative is Screen timeout → Never in Display settings (some skins like Samsung's One UI have this directly).

2. Lower brightness for ambient display

• Settings → Display → Brightness → slide down to 30-50%.
• Turn ON Adaptive brightness if available, so it dims further at night.
• On some Samsung tablets there's also Eye comfort shield — optional, makes the screen warmer in the evening.

3. Pair the tablet with MemoryBank

• Open Chrome (or your preferred browser).
• Go to mymemorybank.app/kids.
• Enter the 6-digit code from /dashboard/pair on your phone — OR scan the QR code with your phone and approve from there.

4. (Optional) Pin the app to the screen

Android's screen-pinning feature stops anyone from swiping away to another app:

• Settings → Security → Other security settings → Pin windows (the exact path varies by manufacturer).
• Turn it ON. Decide whether you want a PIN to unpin (recommended for kid-resistant lock).
• Open Chrome to mymemorybank.app/kids.
• Tap the square (overview) button.
• Tap the Chrome icon at the top of the card and pick Pin.

Tap-and-hold the back and overview buttons together to unpin.

5. (Optional) Add the dashboard to the Home Screen

In Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu → Add to Home screen. You get a tappable icon that opens straight to the dashboard in full-screen mode (no Chrome chrome).

Wall-mount tips

• Use a USB-C cable with a right-angle plug so it sits flush.
• Many Samsung tablets have a clock screensaver that activates when docked — turn that OFF in Settings → Lock screen → Always On Display if you want the MemoryBank dashboard visible instead.
• Aim for eye level so kids can actually see the dashboard.

Heat and battery health

Tablets kept charged 24/7 will eventually degrade their battery faster than typical use. A few mitigations:

• Some Samsung and Lenovo tablets have a "Protect battery" or "Limit charge to 80%" option in Battery settings. Turn it ON — it holds the battery at 80% and significantly extends battery life over the years.
• Don't enclose the tablet in a thick case — let it dissipate heat.
• A tablet with a degraded battery still works fine as a plugged-in display.

Tablet-specific notes

Fire HD (Amazon): Fire OS hides some Android settings. "Show Clock" and "Auto-lock" live in Settings → Device Options → Date & Time and Settings → Lock Screen and Password respectively. Set lock to "Never" or the longest available option.

Samsung Galaxy Tab: Use Screen timeout → 10 minutes as a fallback, plus Stay Awake from Developer Options.

Lenovo / Generic Android: The Developer Options + Stay Awake combination works on essentially every Android tablet from the last 5+ years.

Kiosk apps (advanced)

If you want a true locked-kiosk experience (no way to escape without an admin password), look at Fully Kiosk Browser or Kiosk Browser Lockdown. They run the kids dashboard URL as a full-screen app, block back/home/menu gestures, restart on crash, and have their own scheduled-display features. Not required, but worth knowing about if the casual screen-pinning approach gets bypassed by a clever kid.

Screensaver mode

The kids dashboard has a built-in screensaver that fades to family photos after inactivity. Configure the timeout from the gear icon on the kid dashboard itself (minimum 5 minutes). Combined with Stay Awake on the Android side, you get a true always-on photo frame — dashboard during interaction, family photos at rest.