Frequently asked questions

Social stories are short, personalised descriptions of a particular situation. They can explain what may happen, who may be involved, where and when it takes place, why it is happening, and what choices may be available. They are designed to support understanding, rather than tell someone how they must feel or behave.

Social Narratives is designed for parents, carers, educators and support professionals who want to create a personalised social story with or for a child or young person. The adult using the app is responsible for deciding what information is appropriate to include.

No. Social stories are often discussed in relation to autism, but a personalised story may be useful whenever a child would benefit from a clearer understanding of a specific situation. The right approach depends on the individual child and context.

A social story can focus attention on the practical details of an upcoming situation, such as the sequence of an activity, a change in routine, sounds, smells, movement or equipment. It is not a treatment for ADHD, sensory differences or any other condition.

No. Social Narratives does not diagnose, treat or replace medical, psychological, therapeutic, educational or professional support. Review each story before using it and seek qualified advice when that is appropriate for the child or situation.

Start with a short description of the situation. You may also choose a child profile with details such as name, age, pronouns and optional avatar appearance. Only add information that helps make the story relevant, and avoid unnecessary private or sensitive details.

Yes. A profile is optional. You can describe the situation and create a story without attaching it to a saved child profile.

Yes. You can choose whether to include an illustration when requesting a story. When a profile includes optional avatar appearance details, those details can help personalise the illustration.

Story editing is not currently available in the app. You can create another story with a more specific or differently worded description of the situation if you need a different result.

Many people find it useful to read a story before a new or changing situation, then return to it as needed. The best timing depends on the child, the situation and what feels useful for them.

Yes. Saved stories can be read aloud using the device’s text-to-speech capability. You can choose a supported voice and adjust the reading speed in the app settings.

Yes. The app can create a PDF of a saved story for printing or sharing. Think carefully about who receives a PDF, as it may contain personal information about a child or situation.

Yes. You can mark saved stories as favourites and find them again in your story library.

Stories can currently be created in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Swedish. The language and available text-to-speech voices can be managed in the app settings.

No. The app does not require an email address, password or social-media login. It uses a device-specific installation identifier to retrieve the status of a story request.

Stories, profiles and settings are stored on your device. iCloud sync is enabled by default on first use and can be turned off in the app settings. Creating a story also sends the request to the secure backend and AI providers needed to generate it. See the Privacy Policy for the full details and retention periods.

Yes. The app settings include options to delete profiles, stories or all local app data. Deleting local data and turning off iCloud sync do not automatically remove every copy already held by an external service; see the Privacy Policy for details.

Social Narratives uses OpenAI’s API to generate requested content. OpenAI states that API data is not used to train its models by default. Its processing and retention practices are explained in our Privacy Policy.

Email support@socialnarrative.app with a short description of the issue. Please do not include more personal information about a child than is needed to explain the problem.

Yes. Every new user starts with 3 free credits, so you can create stories and explore the app before choosing a paid credit option.

Credits are used to create stories in the app. The number of credits needed for a story, the credit options available and the current price are shown in the app before you purchase.

A monthly credit subscription gives you a monthly allowance of credits for regular use. A credit pack is a one-off purchase of credits to use when you need them.

Unused credits from a monthly subscription expire at the end of the relevant subscription month. Credits purchased in a credit pack do not expire.

All purchases, subscriptions, cancellations and payment methods are handled through your Apple App Store account. You can manage or cancel a subscription in your Apple Account subscription settings.

Available credit options and prices are shown in the app before purchase. If Apple requires notice of a price or subscription change, it will be provided through the App Store process.