Adding Your First Person
Start with the people you care about most. All it takes is a name.
Every relationship in Kinu starts with a person. Adding someone takes seconds, and it's the foundation for everything else you'll do in the app: the moments you capture, the dates you remember, and the gentle reminders that help you stay close.
How to add someone
From your home screen, tap the + button. A simple sheet slides up, and all you need to enter is a name.
Tap the + button
You'll find it on your people screen. It opens the "Add someone" sheet.
Type their name
A first name, a full name, or whatever you call them in your head. That's the only thing Kinu asks for.
Tap Add
They now have a home in Kinu. That's it.
No phone number, no email, no social profile required. Kinu is about the relationship, not the contact details. Your data stays on your device, private by default.
Already have them in your phone? The add sheet also has a Find in your contacts option, so you can pull someone in by name without retyping anything. Kinu only brings over the name, not their full contact card.
What comes after the name
Once someone has a home in Kinu, you can open their profile and add as much (or as little) as you like, whenever you like:
- A photo, so their profile feels personal and easy to recognize.
- A lens or two, like Family, Friends, or Work, to organize how you see them. Learn more in Lenses and Organization.
- Their relational compass, a calm sense of how close you feel and where you'd like the relationship to go. See Understanding Closeness.
- Important dates, like birthdays and anniversaries, so you get a quiet heads-up in time to reach out. See Important Dates.
- Moments, the small things worth remembering about them. See Adding Moments.
None of this is required to get started. A name alone is a perfectly good beginning. You can fill in the rest naturally, as you go.
Keep it intentional
Kinu is not an address book. You don't need to import every contact or add everyone you've ever met. Think of it as a curated space for the relationships you're actively investing in.
Start with the handful of people who come to mind first: the ones you care about most, or the ones you'd like to be closer to. You can always add more over time.
Not sure who to add first? Think about the last conversation that made you feel genuinely connected. Start there.
How many people can I add?
On the free plan, you can add up to 10 people, and every feature works fully for all of them. With Kinu Plus, there's no limit.
Even with Plus, the spirit of Kinu is quality over quantity. Fifteen thoughtfully chosen people will serve you far better than a hundred names you never open. If you reach the free limit and want to keep going, here's what to do.
Where your people live
Everything you add is written to your device first, so adding a person is instant and works even when you're offline. On the free plan, your people stay local to your phone.
With Kinu Plus, your people are also kept in sync across your devices and the web, encrypted on your device before they're uploaded. You can read more in Free vs Plus.
Next steps
Add a moment
Capture the small things worth remembering about someone.
Understand closeness
Set the compass for how close you feel and where you'd like to go.
Organize with lenses
Group your people in whatever way makes sense to you.
Now that you've added someone, it's time to capture something meaningful. Next up: Adding Moments.
Still need help? Contact support