TraceTales Help Centre

TraceTales is currently available through Apple's TestFlight beta programme. The full App Store release is coming soon. Sign up on our homepage to be notified the moment it launches.

TraceTales is designed for iPhone and iPad running iOS/iPadOS 16 or later. It looks and works best on iPad, where the extra screen space gives your child more room to write and trace. The app is fully supported on iPhone too.

After downloading the app:

1. Open TraceTales and tap Get Started.
2. Enter your child's first name and year group.
3. Choose a fun avatar for them to use in the app.
4. Set a 4-digit Parent PIN — this protects the Parent Dashboard from curious fingers.
5. Your child is ready to start their first lesson!

The Parent Dashboard is accessible in two ways:

In the app: Tap the Parents tab at the bottom of the screen and enter your 4-digit PIN.

On the web: Visit tracetales.co.uk/login.html on any browser and sign in with your email and password.

The Free tier supports one child profile. With a Premium subscription you can create up to four child profiles, each with their own progress tracking, learning data, recordings, and companions.

You can reset your PIN from the login screen by tapping Forgot PIN? and verifying your identity with your email address. If you're still stuck, contact us at hello@tracetales.co.uk and we'll help you regain access.

You can request account deletion by emailing hello@tracetales.co.uk with the subject line "Delete my account". We will permanently delete your account and all associated data within 30 days. Note: account deletion is separate from cancelling your subscription — you should also cancel through your Apple ID settings.

The free version includes all 9 core subjects, all 50 reading levels, one child profile, a basic progress overview, the mood check-in log, and 3 of the 6 animal pal companions. It's a full learning experience with no time limits.

Once the app is available on the App Store, you can subscribe from within the app by visiting the Premium section in your Parent Dashboard. Subscriptions are managed through Apple and charged to your Apple ID.

You can cancel at any time through your Apple ID settings:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions.
3. Find TraceTales and tap Cancel Subscription.

You'll continue to have Premium access until the end of your current billing period. We do not offer refunds for unused portions of a subscription period — please see Apple's refund policy at reportaproblem.apple.com.

One Premium subscription covers up to four child profiles within a single family household. TraceTales supports Apple Family Sharing — if you've set this up, your subscription may be available to other family members. Check your Apple Family Sharing settings for details.

The NC tracker in the Parent Dashboard shows which specific EYFS, KS1, and KS2 objectives your child has covered through their activities. As your child completes activities in each subject, the relevant curriculum objectives are automatically marked as covered. You can view this by subject (English, Maths, Science, Citizenship) and export it as part of the teacher summary report.

In the Parent Dashboard, go to the Reports tab and tap Export Teacher Summary. This generates a text report covering your child's levels, activities completed, badges earned, reading list, streaks, and recordings summary. You can share this via email, messaging app, or copy it to your clipboard.

Reading recordings are saved securely on your device only — they are never automatically sent to our servers. You can listen to them in the Parent Dashboard under the Recordings section. To delete a recording, swipe left on it in the recordings list.

TraceTales uses the microphone so children can record themselves reading aloud. Recordings are stored privately on your device and are not shared with anyone else. You can allow microphone access in Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → TraceTales.

Please try the following steps in order:

1. Force-close the app and reopen it.
2. Restart your iPhone or iPad.
3. Check that you have the latest version of the app installed via the App Store.
4. Ensure your device is running iOS/iPadOS 16 or later (Settings → General → About).
5. If the issue persists, please contact us with your device model and iOS version so we can investigate.

Open the App Store, tap your profile icon in the top right, scroll down to see available updates, and tap Update next to TraceTales. You can also enable automatic app updates in Settings → App Store → App Updates.

Yes. TraceTales is fully compliant with UK GDPR and follows the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code (Children's Code). We only collect data that is necessary to operate the service, we do not use children's data for advertising, and we give you full control over your data. Read our full Privacy Policy for details.

To request a copy of your data (Subject Access Request) or to have your data deleted, email privacy@tracetales.co.uk. We will respond within one month as required by UK GDPR.

No. Reading recordings are stored entirely on your device using iOS's encrypted file system. They are never transmitted to TraceTales' servers unless you explicitly choose to share them (e.g. by exporting them yourself). Deleting a recording in the app permanently removes it from your device.