Frequently asked questions
Plain answers about making episodes, read-along and sight words, credits, privacy and your account. Need help with something specific? Visit Support.
Getting started
What is HootPODS?
HootPODS is an iPhone app that turns any topic into a short audio episode for your family. Type a question, take a photo or pick a place nearby, choose who is listening, and HootPODS writes and narrates a podcast, story or poem in about a minute. See how it works.
Is HootPODS free?
It is free to download and free to start. New accounts get 200 credits, which is about 20 minutes of standard audio, and free accounts are topped back up to 100 credits each month. If you want more, you can buy a monthly plan or a one-time Credit Pack in the app. You don't need a subscription.
What age is HootPODS for?
You decide who each episode is for. You choose the reading level, from K–2 to 9–12, and you can set a child's age in their profile so episodes are written for them. You can also pick a general audience.
I already have a HootPODS account. Do I need a new one?
No. Sign in on your iPhone with the same Apple, Google or email account you used before. It is the same account, with the same credits.
Making episodes
What can I make an episode about?
Whatever your family is curious about. Type a question, browse Explore Ideas (30 categories in 6 groups, from space and animals to myths and holidays) or tap Surprise Me. You can also take or pick a photo and choose from 3 to 5 suggested questions, find nearby museums, libraries, zoos, aquariums, parks and historic sites, or paste a link to an article.
What kinds of episodes can I make?
Podcasts, stories and poems. You choose a two-host conversation or a single narrator. Standard voices include 3 host pairs and 6 narrators, and there are premium two-host voices too.
How long are HootPODS episodes?
You choose 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 or 12 minutes. Episodes with premium voices can be up to 7 minutes long.
How long does it take to make an episode?
About a minute. You can start listening while the episode is still being made, and if you allow notifications, HootPODS lets you know when it is ready.
Can I shape the story?
Yes. You can set the character, the setting, the tone (including "spooky but safe"), the conflict and the theme. You also choose a reading level: K–2, 3–5, 6–8 or 9–12.
What are premium voices?
Premium voices are three expressive two-host pairs: Pops and Finn, Sage and Pip, and Luna and Kai. Premium episodes are two-host conversations up to 7 minutes long, and they use 40 credits a minute instead of 10.
Which languages can episodes be in?
Fifteen: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi and Turkish. The app itself is in English.
Do I have to add my child's details?
No. Child profiles are optional. If you add one, with a first name, age, interests, language and sight words, episodes are written for that child. Or choose a general audience. Every plan allows unlimited profiles.
After the episode
What is the For the grown-ups card?
Every episode comes with a short card for parents: what the episode covered, 1 to 3 new words, two questions to ask at the dinner table, and 1 or 2 book suggestions from our sister site HootRated. Book links go to Amazon or Audible, and we may earn a commission if you buy.
How do coloring pages work?
Each episode can have one black-and-white coloring page drawn from it, and you can redraw it up to 2 times. Print it, save it to Photos or AirDrop it. Printing and saving ask the parent check question first.
Can I share an episode?
Yes. Copy the link, send it by Messages, WhatsApp, X and more, or post a 15-second clip to an Instagram Story. Sharing asks the parent check question first, so a grown-up is the one who shares.
Read-along and sight words
How does read-along work?
For episodes made with sight words turned on, the transcript follows the audio line by line and highlights the sight words as they are spoken. Other episodes show the plain transcript. See read-along.
How do sight words work in HootPODS?
Turn on sight words for a child in their profile and add their words. Each word sits in This week or Already know. Episodes for that child use this week's words the most and keep the words they already know in the mix for review.
Which sight word lists are included?
The Dolch lists: pre-primer, primer, grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3. You can add words from those lists, or type or paste your own.
Can I use my child's school word list?
Yes. Scan the list with the camera, or pick a photo of it from Photos, and HootPODS reads the words on your iPhone. You can also type or paste them.
Why doesn't my episode highlight sight words?
Highlights only appear in episodes made while sight words were on for that child. Turn sight words on in the child's profile, then make a new episode. Episodes made without them show the plain transcript.
Credits and plans
How much does HootPODS cost?
The app is free to download and comes with 200 free credits. Monthly plans are Story Time at $4.99 for 600 credits, Dream Weaver at $9.99 for 1,500, Story Vault at $16.99 for 3,000 and Story Master at $24.99 for 6,000. A Credit Pack adds 300 credits for $3.99, once. These are US prices, and everything is bought in the app with your Apple account. See pricing.
What are credits?
Credits are how you pay for episodes. Standard narration uses 10 credits a minute and premium narration uses 40, so a 5-minute standard episode costs 50 credits and a 5-minute premium one costs 200. The app shows the price before you create anything.
How do I cancel my subscription?
HootPODS plans are billed by Apple, so you cancel them in your Apple Account's subscription settings, the same way as any App Store subscription. You can't cancel from inside HootPODS. Deleting the app or your HootPODS account doesn't cancel it either, and we can't cancel it for you.
On your iPhone or iPad:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top.
- Tap Subscriptions.
- Tap HootPODS.
- Tap Cancel Subscription, then confirm. You may need to scroll down to see the button.
On a Mac: open the App Store, click your name at the bottom of the sidebar, then click your name again on the page that opens. Click Subscriptions, click HootPODS, then click Cancel Subscription.
Online: go to the subscriptions page of your Apple Account, sign in, choose HootPODS and cancel.
After you cancel, your plan stays active until the end of the period you've already paid for, then it doesn't renew. If there's no Cancel Subscription button, or you see an expiration date in red, it's already cancelled.
Don't see HootPODS in the list? It was probably bought with a different Apple Account. Search your email for "receipt from Apple", check which Apple Account is on the HootPODS receipt, and sign in with that account to cancel. If a family member's Apple Account is on the receipt, they need to cancel it. Apple's guide to cancelling a subscription has more help.
Can I get a refund?
Purchases are made through Apple, so Apple handles refunds. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com, signed in with the Apple account you used to buy.
Privacy and safety
Is HootPODS safe for my family?
You stay in control. Before your first episode, HootPODS shows what it shares with AI services and asks for your OK. You decide what to tell it about your child, there are no ads, and a parent check guards sharing, printing and links that leave the app. Episodes are written by AI, so we suggest listening first, or listening together.
Who writes the episodes?
AI does. With your consent, HootPODS uses outside AI services to write, narrate and illustrate each episode. AI can make mistakes, so we suggest listening first, or listening together.
What does HootPODS share with AI services?
HootPODS uses OpenAI, ElevenLabs and Google to write, narrate and illustrate episodes. Before your first episode, the app shows exactly what it sends, such as the topic and any first name, age or interests you choose to add, and asks for your OK and your date of birth. You can withdraw consent in Profile. The privacy policy has the details.
What happens to my photos and location?
When you use a photo for topic ideas, it is sent to OpenAI so it can suggest questions about it. When you look for nearby places, your location is not sent to HootPODS. A school word list you scan is read on your iPhone.
Are there ads in HootPODS?
No. HootPODS has no ads and no advertising or analytics code, only crash reporting. Some book suggestions link to Amazon or Audible, and we may earn a commission if you buy.
What is the parent check?
A quick multiplication question that appears before sharing, printing or saving coloring pages, and before links that leave the app. It keeps those actions for grown-ups. You can turn it off in Profile.
Account and devices
Does HootPODS work on iPad or Android?
No. HootPODS is an iPhone app for iOS 18.6 or later. There is no iPad version, no CarPlay app and no Android version right now.
Does HootPODS work offline?
Listening does. Episodes are saved on your iPhone, so they play on a plane or in the car without a connection. Making a new episode needs a connection. You can also turn on iCloud Backup in Profile to keep a copy.
Can I listen with the screen locked?
Yes. Episodes keep playing in the background and on the lock screen. You can set the speed from 0.5× to 2× and play through AirPlay or Bluetooth speakers and headphones.
How do I delete my account?
In the app, open Profile and tap Delete Account. Your account is deleted after a 30-day grace period. Sign back in before then if you change your mind, or choose Delete now to finish straight away. Deleting your account does not cancel an Apple subscription, so cancel that in your Apple Account first. You can also email support@hootpods.com.
HootPODS Originals and HootRated
What are HootPODS Originals?
HootPODS Originals is our free family podcast about history, science and life lessons. Listen on Apple Podcasts or on our podcasts page. In the app, new Originals show up in Up Next on the Home screen, mixed with your unfinished and unplayed episodes. Nothing plays automatically.
What is HootRated?
HootRated is our sister site. It gives children's books age ratings and plain-language content guides, and it picks the book suggestions in each episode's For the grown-ups card. Visit HootRated.
Make your first episode tonight.
Free to download, with 200 free credits to start. iPhone, iOS 18.6 or later.