From invitation code to a working week.

Redeem your invitation code

Every household starts from a code we send by email. It looks like LD-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX and is single-use, so redeem it on the device you plan to use most.

1. 1
   Open the invitation linkOr go to the sign-in page and choose “Use an invitation code”.
2. 2
   Enter the codePaste it exactly as sent — the LD- prefix included.
3. 3
   Choose your passwordStep two of the flow. This becomes your own sign-in, separate from everyone else in the house.
4. 4
   Sign inEmail and password, or continue with Google if you would rather not keep another password.

Codes expire seven days after they are issued. If yours has lapsed, reply to the invitation email and we will send a fresh one.

Add the people you live with

Lakeday is one household with several sign-ins, not one shared login. Everyone gets their own account and sees the same week.

1. 1
   Open Settings → HouseholdYou will see everyone already in the household and anyone still pending.
2. 2
   Invite by emailEnter their address and Lakeday sends a seven-day, single-use invitation.
3. 3
   Or copy a link insteadIf you would rather send it yourself, take the secure link and paste it into a message.
4. 4
   Check your category coloursEach person and category carries a colour that events are tagged with. Adjust them in Settings so the calendar reads at a glance.

Connect your calendars

Bring in work, school and sports calendars once, and they keep flowing. Nothing lands on your calendar without your say-so.

1. 1
   Open ImportConnect Google Calendar, or paste any public or private iCalendar (.ics) URL — most school and league calendars publish one.
2. 2
   Assign an ownerPick which person or category each source belongs to, so imported events land with the right tag.
3. 3
   Review before addingEverything arrives in the Review queue first. Tick the ones you want, set a category, and add them in a batch.
4. 4
   Watch for duplicatesIf an event already exists Lakeday flags it, so the same practice does not appear twice.

Calendar connections are read-only. Lakeday can see the events, and cannot change anything in the source calendar.

Let it read the emails with dates in them

The picture-day notice, the dentist confirmation, the practice-schedule change. Connect a mailbox and Lakeday pulls the dates out of them.

1. 1
   Open Import → email accountsAdd the mailbox where school and appointment mail actually arrives.
2. 2
   Connect Gmail, or use IMAPGoogle accounts connect with a read-only grant; anything else uses standard IMAP details.
3. 3
   Check the Review badgeThe sidebar shows a count whenever there is something waiting. Nothing is added until you approve it.
4. 4
   Approve in batchesSelect several at once, set the category, and add them in one go.

Mailbox passwords are encrypted before they are stored, and mail access is read-only.

Plan the week's meals and import recipes

Build a dish library once and the weekly plan becomes drag-and-drop. The grocery list follows from whatever is on the plan.

1. 1
   Add a few dishesOpen Menu and add the meals you already cook. Each one can hold ingredients and steps.
2. 2
   Import from a web pagePaste a recipe URL and Lakeday extracts the title, ingredients and instructions.
3. 3
   Or drop in a cooking videoUpload a clip up to 25 MB. It is transcribed and read frame-by-frame, then comes back as a dish you can edit.
4. 4
   Drag dishes onto the weekBreakfast, lunch and dinner per day. Then send the ingredients straight to the shared grocery list.

Set up the screen in the kitchen

Any tablet or spare monitor works. Sign in once, leave it on the wall, and it switches between the dashboard and ambient photos on its own.

1. 1
   Sign in on the deviceUse the household member account that device belongs to.
2. 2
   Turn on ambient photo modeSettings → Display. Choose Google Photos, the library already on the device, or the artwork set that ships with Lakeday.
3. 3
   Let it cache the photosPhotos are stored on the device, so the frame keeps cycling even if the network drops.
4. 4
   Set your home locationSettings → Weather. This is what drive and transit times are measured from.

On a tablet, install Lakeday to the home screen first — it then runs full-screen without browser chrome.