Help and setup

Getting it open, and keeping it safe.

Off the Fridge is one file that runs in your browser. That makes it simple to own and a little unusual to open, so here's every platform, plus the two habits worth having.

Put it on your phone

The fastest way to live with Off the Fridge is as an icon on your phone. It takes about twenty seconds, installs nothing from an app store, and works offline afterward.

This part is for buyers. Your app address is printed in the READ-ME-FIRST file that came with your download, and again on page 1 of START_HERE. Open that address on your phone and follow the two steps below. Just looking? The live demo runs in any browser, with nothing to set up. If you end up entering your own family there, use Settings > Back up before you leave, and Restore once your own copy is installed, so none of it is retyped.

iPhone and iPad

Open your app address in Safari, tap the Share button, then tap Add to Home Screen. Tap the new icon and set up your family there.

Android

Open your app address in Chrome, tap the three dots, then Add to Home screen (some phones say Install). Tap the new icon and set up your family there.

One thing to know: the home-screen app keeps its own information, separate from the same page in a browser tab. Install first, then set up your family. If you already started in a tab or on a computer, use Back up there and Restore inside the home-screen app to bring everything over.

Everything you enter still stays on your phone. Adding the icon doesn't create an account or send anything anywhere; after the first visit it doesn't even need the internet.

Opening the file, by device

Every purchase includes a file called OffTheFridge.html. That file is the whole app, yours to keep, and the way to use it on a computer. Nothing to install, no account to make, and it keeps working whether or not this website does.

Windows

Double-click OffTheFridge.html. It opens in Chrome or Edge and works right away.

Mac

Double-click OffTheFridge.html. It opens in Safari or Chrome and works right away.

Chromebook

Double-click the file in Files. It opens in Chrome and works right away.

Android phone or tablet

Open Chrome, tap the three dots, choose Downloads, then tap OffTheFridge.html. Opening it through Chrome is what lets it save your data.

iPhone and iPad, the file way

Most people should skip this section and use Put it on your phone instead. This is for using the downloaded file itself on an iPhone.

Apple's Files app previews this kind of file instead of running it, so tapping it there looks blank or broken. That's Apple's preview doing that, not a bad download. You'll want any free file app that opens web files properly.

  1. Install a free file app from the App Store. Documents by Readdle is the one most people use.
  2. Save OffTheFridge.html into that app, or open Files, press and hold the file, choose Share, and send it to that app.
  3. Tap the file inside that app. It opens and works normally from then on.
  4. Open it from that same app every time, so your information is always there.
Rather not install anything? Use it on a computer instead. Everything works the same, and you can move your information over later with Back up and Restore.

Keep the file in one place

Off the Fridge saves your information in your browser, tied to where the file sits. Pick a folder you'll keep, like Documents, and leave it there.

If you move the file, rename its folder, switch browsers, or get a new device, it'll open looking empty. Your information isn't gone; the new location is just a fresh start. Use Back up before you move anything and Restore afterward.

Back up and restore

This is the one habit worth keeping.

Do it once after you first set your family up, and every few months after that. There is no account and no cloud copy, so this file is the entire safety net.

Your backup is plain text. Anyone who opens it can read it, gift names and prices included. Keep it wherever you'd keep a household document, not on a shared desktop.

Surprise Lock and its limits

Set a four digit PIN in Settings. While the lock is on:

Tapping a locked gift asks for the PIN and then takes you straight back to that gift, so you never hit a dead end.

The honest limit. This keeps curious eyes out on a shared device. Somebody looking can still tell how many gifts exist, just not what they are. It isn't bank-grade security and it won't stop a determined adult. It's built to stop a kid scrolling past a surprise.

Adding events to your calendar

It sends no notifications, because it never connects to anything. What it can do is hand your calendar the events with the list attached, and let your calendar do the reminding.

You get a standard .ics file, which Apple Calendar, Google Calendar and Outlook all understand.

If the export includes a surprise, it asks for your PIN first and then writes the real details. It won't drop the word surprise into your calendar and leave it sitting there.

Questions people actually ask

Do I need the internet to use it?

No. After you have downloaded the file, it never needs a connection again. It does not make network requests at all.

Can my partner and I both use it?

On the same device, yes, and you can assign any job to either of you by name. It does not sync between two phones on its own. To share it across devices, use Back up on one and Restore on the other when something changes.

What happens if I clear my browser data?

Clearing site data or history for the file will erase what you have entered, exactly as it would for a website. This is why the backup habit matters.

Does it work in private or incognito windows?

It will run, but nothing you enter will survive closing the window. Use a normal window.

Will deleting an event lose the gifts I recorded?

No. Completed gifts are kept in that child's gift memory even after their event is deleted, so next year you can still see what you gave. The delete confirmation tells you so before you commit.

Is my data used to train anything, or sold?

No. It never leaves your device, so there is nothing to sell or train on. There is no account, no analytics and no tracking of any kind.

Can I put it on my phone home screen?

Yes, and it's the best way to use it on a phone once you own it: see Put it on your phone. You get an icon, full screen and offline use. Your app address comes with your download. Just remember the home-screen app keeps its own information, so install first or move your data over with Back up and Restore.

If something looks wrong

It opened blank or looks like code

Almost always an iPhone or iPad opening it in the Files preview. See iPhone and iPad above.

All my information disappeared

Check that you are opening the file from the same place as before, in the same browser. A moved file, a renamed folder or a different browser looks like a fresh start. If you have a backup file, Restore will bring everything back.

I forgot my PIN

There is no reset code, because there is no account and nothing is sent anywhere. Tap the lock, choose Forgot your PIN?, and pick Restore a backup without its lock: your data comes back from the backup file unlocked, and you set a fresh PIN in Settings. No backup? The same screen offers a full erase and fresh start. This trade-off is why we keep suggesting the backup habit.

Something else

Message us through the Etsy shop you bought it from and we will help. Include what device and browser you are using, which makes it much faster to sort out.