NEW FEATURE

Multi-Device Lap Scanning at the Finish Line

May 2026 · 4 min read

Mile day, 60 kids, one lap line, one phone. The fast runners are coming through three at a time and you're trying to scan QR cards before they peel off to the water table. By lap 4, you've missed a few. By lap 8, you've miscounted a few. Welcome to PE.

Today, you can pair as many phones as you have hands — or other teachers, parent volunteers, an aide — at the finish line, and they all scan into the same run. No double-counts, no missing laps, no lap-line bottleneck.

How it works

One phone is the host. Others join with a 6-digit code.

1Host phone: Pick a group, check the Multi-device mode box. A 6-digit code appears immediately. Read it out loud, screenshot it, hold it up — whatever's easiest.

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The host's screen looks like this. Big numbers, easy to read aloud.

2Other phones: On the home screen, tap Join multi-device run and type the 6 digits. The scanner opens with the right group already selected and the timer in sync with the host.

3Host phone: Tap Start Run. The timer starts on every paired phone at the same instant. Now everyone scans.

You can pair more than two phones. Three teachers, four phones, a parent volunteer with an old iPhone — they all scan into the same run with the same code. Lap counts merge automatically.

Why it doesn't double-count

The obvious worry: two teachers both standing at the finish line, both scanning the same kid as he goes by. Does that count as two laps?

No. The server collapses scans of the same student within 3 seconds into one lap, regardless of which phone they came from. That's the dedupe window — wide enough to absorb human reaction lag and network jitter, narrow enough that a fast runner's legitimate consecutive laps still count.

You can also adjust the per-device cooldown (how long before the same QR code can be re-scanned by your own phone) in Settings → Scan cooldown. The default is 20 seconds, which works for typical PE laps. Faster laps (track day, sprint relays)? Drop it to 10. Younger kids who hold the card up too long? Bump to 30.

What stays in sync — and what doesn't

Honest tradeoffs, since teachers ask:

✔ Lap counts merge
Every phone's scans flow into the same run. The home dashboard, reports, and certificates all see the combined total.
✔ The timer matches
Both phones compute elapsed from the same starting moment, so 7:42 on the host is 7:42 on the joiner.
✔ Same-school only
A code only works for teachers in the same school. A code from another school's run won't let you join. Codes also expire when the run ends.
⚠ Pause is single-device only
When you pair phones, the Pause button is disabled. Pausing on one phone wouldn't pause the others — the timers would drift, and a teacher pause would silently fail to stop scans on the other devices. To stop the run for everyone, the host taps Stop Run.
⚠ Multi-device needs a connection
Single-device runs work offline (laps queue and sync later). Multi-device requires the network on every paired phone — that's how scans from different phones meet in the same run. If a phone drops connection mid-run, its scans queue locally and merge in once it's back online.

When to use it

Mile day. The classic case. Two teachers at the finish, one tracking the lead pack, one tracking the kids who lap the field once or twice. No more "did you get him?" cross-talk.

Field day or relay events. Kids running through a finish in clusters of 3–4. One phone can't scan that fast. Two or three can.

Big classes. A 90-kid combined class is a lot to scan with one phone, especially when the line backs up. Pair phones at two stations and let kids fan out.

You forgot your phone in the gym. Less glamorous but real — if your aide has a phone and you don't, they can run the run.

Cost

Multi-device is included on every Running Kiddos plan, including the free tier. No add-on, no per-device fee. As many phones as you have, however many teachers want to help.

Try Multi-Device Scanning

Pair phones at the finish line, scan into the same run, and stop missing laps. Free 14-day trial, no credit card required.

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