Everything stays on your device.

Last updated 30 September 2026

Pencil Pals is made for children and the grown-ups who help them. We designed it so that we never receive any information about you or your child.

What we collect

Nothing. Pencil Pals has no accounts, no sign-in, no advertising, no analytics and no tracking. The app does not connect to any server of ours, and we cannot see how it is used.

What the app stores on your device

To remember progress between sessions, the app saves the following on the iPhone or iPad it runs on:

each child's profile: an age band and writing stage, but no name, photo or birthday;
which letters, words and projects you have practised, and the observations a grown-up chose to record;
your preferences, such as school letter style and writing hand.

We never receive this information, and the app does not sync it to other devices. Like other app data, it can be included in your device's own iCloud or computer backup, which Apple and you control. Anyone using the same device can see it.

Camera, microphone and handwriting

Pencil Pals does not use the camera or microphone, and it never captures or uploads your child's handwriting. Children write on paper, not on the screen.

Spoken instructions

Story prompts and letter movement cues are read aloud by the voice built into your device's operating system. We do not receive any of this.

Sharing a progress note

In the grown-ups area you can share a plain-text progress note, for example with a teacher. Nothing is shared unless a grown-up chooses to share it. The note is sent using your device's standard share sheet, to a person or app you choose.

Links out of the app

The app links to the Victorian Department of Education's official handwriting models. That link, the progress note and the grown-ups area are behind a question meant for adults, so a child cannot open them by accident.

Purchases

Pencil Pals is downloaded through Apple's App Store. If the app ever offers anything to buy, Apple handles the payment and we do not receive your payment details or Apple Account information. Apple's own privacy policy covers purchases.

Deleting information

To delete everything the app has saved, open the grown-ups area and choose "Clear saved progress on this device", or delete the app.

Children's privacy

Because we collect no personal information from anyone, we collect none from children. The app is designed to be used with a grown-up present.

Changes to this policy

If the app ever changes how it handles information, we will update this page and the date above before that version is released.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Email hello@pencilpals.com.au.