For parents
The questions we actually get asked, answered without marketing around them.
What will my child actually do in it?
Touch the screen and something happens. In Tombli, a tap makes bubbles or stars or letters; a dragged finger draws. There is nothing to win, nothing to lose and no way to do it wrong, so a child who cannot read or follow instructions can still use the whole thing on their own.
What does it cost, in total?
Nothing, unless you decide you want the extras. Tombli is free to download and the free version stays free — no timer, no expiry. One purchase of US $4.99 adds every extra effect and background, once, forever. There is no subscription and nothing else to buy after that.
Does it need the internet?
No. Play works entirely offline — on a plane, in a car, in a waiting room with no signal. The only screen that needs a connection is the store’s own purchase sheet, if you ever use it.
Can my child get out of the app, or into a browser?
Not by tapping around. Every link that leaves the app sits behind a grown-up gate: three numbers shown as words, which have to be tapped back as digits, and it changes every time. It takes you a couple of seconds and stops a pre-reader completely.
Can my child buy something by accident?
No. The purchase screen is behind that same gate, and there is nothing anywhere in play that offers to sell you something. If you want the extras you have to go looking for them.
What do you collect about my child?
Nothing. No analytics, no advertising SDKs, no account, no email address. Nothing leaves the device at all. You do not have to take our word for it — Apple audits this itself, and the App Store listing reads "Data Not Collected".
How do I stop them leaving the app entirely?
Both platforms can lock a tablet to one app, which is worth setting up once. On iPhone and iPad it is called Guided Access, under Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access; switch it on, then triple-click the side or home button while the app is open. On Android it is App pinning (sometimes Screen pinning), under Settings → Security; switch it on, then pin the app from the recent-apps view. Menu names move around between versions, so search your settings for "Guided Access" or "pinning" if they are not where we said.
Is there anything I should set up first?
You do not have to, but it is worth a minute in the grown-up settings. You can choose exactly which effects and backgrounds your child can reach, turn the child’s own pull-up menu on or off, set quiet hours so the volume drops near bedtime, silence everything instantly, and make letters and numbers run in order rather than at random.
How much screen time is the right amount?
We are not going to pretend we know that about your family. What we can do is make an app that does not fight you when you decide it is time to stop — nothing is lost by putting it down, there is no streak to break, no reward for coming back tomorrow, and nothing that gets harder if you leave.
How do I get help?
Email us. It is one person reading it, usually within a day or two, and there is no support portal to fight with first.
Something we didn’t answer?
Ask. If it turns out other people are wondering the same thing, it ends up on this page.