EarnPlay Support

EarnPlay Support

Need help understanding EarnPlay? This guide explains how the app works, what parents need to set up, and how the learn-to-play loop behaves on a child's iPhone or iPad.

Product page: patakolabs.com/projects/earnplay

Status: EarnPlay is in active development. App Store and TestFlight links are not public yet. Email contact@patakolabs.com if you want early-access updates.

What EarnPlay does

EarnPlay turns parent-selected screen time into a reward kids can earn.

• Parents choose which apps stay locked by default (for example YouTube, Minecraft, or other games).
• Kids complete short alphabet quizzes inside EarnPlay — say the letter aloud or tap the correct answer.
• Passing grants a pool of play minutes. Gated apps unlock for that duration.
• When time runs out, Screen Time shields return automatically — no manual policing.

Tagline: Learn a little. Play a little.

Who it is for

Parents (setup and rules)

• Want positive incentives, not only hard limits.
• Comfortable with Apple Family Sharing and Screen Time / Family Controls.
• Need simple controls: which apps to gate, how many letters per reward, and how many minutes to grant.

Children (ages 4–8 in the MVP)

• Motivated by games and video apps.
• Need big visuals, voice input, and immediate feedback with gentle retries.

Core loop

text LOCKED → Challenge → PASS → Grant minutes → PLAY → Timer ends → LOCKED

1. Gated apps show Apple's shield until earned time is available.
2. The child opens EarnPlay and completes letter identification challenges.
3. After the configured number of correct answers, EarnPlay grants shared play minutes.
4. Selected apps unlock for the configured duration.
5. A Device Activity monitor re-applies shields when time expires.

Parent setup (planned MVP)

These steps reflect the intended shipping flow. Exact UI labels may change during development.

Requirements

• iOS 17+ on iPhone or iPad (physical device required for Screen Time testing).
• Apple Developer Program membership and Family Controls entitlement on the app.
• Child Apple ID in Family Sharing when running in child-device mode.
• Microphone permission for voice answers (optional tap fallback).

First-time setup

1. Install EarnPlay on the child's device (TestFlight or App Store when available).
2. Approve Family Controls authorization when iOS prompts.
3. Open Parent settings (behind device authentication) and:
4. Pick gated apps with Apple's Family Activity picker.
5. Set letters required per reward (default: 3).
6. Set minutes granted per reward (default: 15).
7. Show the child the kid home screen — balance, progress, and how to start a quiz.

Parent settings access

Parent mode is protected by LocalAuthentication (Face ID, Touch ID, or device passcode) so kids cannot change rules casually.

Kid experience

Letter quiz

• One uppercase letter (A–Z) at a time.
• Speech recognition for letter names, with Apple's on-device voices for instructions.
• Tap fallback with a small set of choices if voice is unavailable.
• Wrong answers show a gentle retry — no punitive shaming copy.

After success

• Short celebration UI when the reward threshold is met.
• Gated apps unlock for the configured minutes.
• Kid dashboard shows credits balance and time remaining.

When time ends

• Shields return automatically via the Screen Time monitor extension.
• If the child is still in a gated app, EarnPlay can show a "Time's up!" message when opened.

Privacy and data

| Topic | MVP behavior | | --- | --- | | Network | Core loop works offline — quiz, reward, unlock, re-lock | | Child accounts | No account creation for children in MVP | | Cloud sync | Not in MVP — settings and progress stay on device / App Group | | Analytics | Follow PatakoLabs site policy; the app itself is designed without ad tracking |

Quiz progress and unlock timers are stored in the app's App Group container shared with Screen Time extensions (group.com.patakolabs.earnplay).

Troubleshooting

Family Controls authorization failed

• Confirm the device is signed into the child Apple ID in Family Sharing.
• Check Settings → Screen Time and ensure management is enabled for the child.
• See Apple's Family Sharing documentation.

Microphone / voice answers not working

• Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and allow EarnPlay.
• Try the tap fallback if speech recognition is denied or unavailable.
• Speak clearly with the letter name (for example "ay" for A).

Apps did not re-lock when time ended

• Keep EarnPlay and its Screen Time extensions installed and enabled.
• Do not force-quit the monitor extension during testing.
• Report reproducible cases to contact@patakolabs.com with iOS version and device model.

Shield shows but EarnPlay does not open from the CTA

• Re-run parent setup and confirm the gated app is still in the saved Family Activity selection.
• Reboot the device after first installing Family Controls apps.

Differentiation

| Alternative | What EarnPlay adds | | --- | --- | | Apple Screen Time limits | Rewards learning; auto re-lock after earned minutes | | Generic parental-control apps | Embedded quiz-to-unlock loop tuned for young kids | | Paper reward charts | Technical enforcement on the device |

Roadmap (not in MVP)

• Per-app minute wallets (for example 10 min YouTube, 20 min Minecraft).
• Daily earning caps and additional challenge types (numbers, colors, sight words).
• Parent companion app on iPhone and iCloud sync across devices.

Contact

• Product questions and TestFlight interest: contact@patakolabs.com
• Technical specs (developers): see the EarnPlay repository docs/specs/ folder.