Frequently Asked Questions

Once Upon a Me is a personalised storybook platform for children aged 1-7+. Parents create magical stories where their child is the hero, with 21 to 41 custom-illustrated pages featuring their child's unique avatar on every page. Choose from 7 illustration styles and 5 narrator voices for Read to Me.

Once Upon a Me creates fully personalised, illustrated storybooks where your child is the hero. Each book features 21 to 41 original pages with unique artwork, 7 illustration styles, and 5 narrator voices for Read to Me. Unlike template-based alternatives, every story and illustration is crafted uniquely for your child.

Download the app from the App Store or Google Play, create an account, add your child's profile with their name, age, and interests, then upload a few photos to craft their unique avatar. From there, you can start creating stories right away.

Once Upon a Me is available on iOS and Android. Download it from the App Store or Google Play to get started.

Absolutely. Photos are used only to craft your child’s avatar and are deleted within 24 hours of acceptance. We have zero tracking, zero ads, and never sell data. We comply with COPPA, UK GDPR, EU GDPR, and UAE PDPL.

Every story is uniquely crafted using over 30 variables including your child's name, age, interests, personality traits, chosen theme, tone settings, art style, moral values, and more. No two books are ever the same — each one contains 21 to 41 fully illustrated pages.

You'll receive a story preview (cover and first two pages) in about 2-5 minutes. After purchase, the full book with all 21 to 41 illustrated pages is ready in approximately 10 minutes. We'll send you a notification when it's done.

Yes! The Story Studio gives you full creative control with 9 tone sliders, plus theme, moral value, and art style selection from 7 illustration styles. You can create anything from an adventurous quest to a calming bedtime story.

Yes! You can add friends as characters using unique friend codes. Connect with other families in the app, and your child's friend can appear as a co-adventurer in their story.

Yes, there's an optional parent cameo feature. You can include yourself in your child's story as a supporting character in their adventure.

Our platform crafts original stories and unique illustrations based on the traits you select, ensuring no two books are ever the same.

Yes! Our Read to Me feature offers 5 unique narrator voices — Ara, Eve, Sal, Rex, and Leo. Choose the voice that feels right, and listen to the story come alive. Perfect for bedtime or car journeys.

We offer 7 beautifully distinct illustration styles: Default (Pixar 3D), Storybook Watercolour, TV Cartoon, Anime, Comic Book, Paper Cutout, and Crayon Sketch.

A single digital storybook costs £7.99. The Adventure Pack subscription is £18.99 per month and includes 4 books, priority crafting, Read to Me narration with 5 voices, and offline downloads. Printed hardcover books start from £29.99, shipped worldwide.

A single story costs £7.99. For regular story creation, the Adventure Pack subscription is £18.99 per month. Pricing is available in 17 currencies.

The Adventure Pack is a monthly subscription at £18.99 that gives you 4 beautifully illustrated storybooks with no paywall, Read to Me narration with 5 voices, offline downloads, plus a monthly fresh avatar. It's the best value for families who love creating stories regularly.

Yes, you can cancel your Adventure Pack subscription at any time from your account settings. You'll continue to have access until the end of your current billing period.

We accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, and credit/debit cards through in-app purchases on iOS and Android. Pricing is available in 17 currencies.

Yes! Any story can be ordered as a premium hardcover book with all 21 to 41 pages printed in full colour. Simply tap the Print button on any completed story to start your order.

Printed books are hardcover A4 landscape format with premium 200gsm gloss pages. Every illustration is printed in full colour at the highest quality.

Physical books are priced at £29.99 for ages 0-4 and £34.99 for ages 5+, which includes production costs. Multi-order discounts are available. Shipping is calculated at checkout based on your delivery address.

5-7 business days for production plus shipping time. You'll receive tracking information once your book has been dispatched.

Photos are used exclusively to craft your child's avatar. Once you accept the avatar, photos are marked for deletion and permanently removed within 24 hours. If you need to redraw the avatar, photos are temporarily restored.

Yes. We only use photos to create your child's illustrated avatar. Original photos are automatically and permanently deleted from our servers within 24 hours of you accepting the avatar. We use zero advertising networks, zero tracking cookies, and zero fingerprinting. Stories are strictly private to your household. We comply with COPPA, UK GDPR, EU GDPR, and UAE PDPL.

No. Your child's photos, personal data, and story content are never used for training purposes. Your family's information is used solely to create your storybooks.

Each child profile has individual content controls including excluded themes (topics you want avoided), bedtime mode for calming stories, and allowed moral values from 8 lesson categories. In households with two parents, both parents' preferences are combined. You have full oversight of every story's content.

Only parents in your household can access your child's profiles. This includes the primary parent who created the household and any carers the primary parent invited via a single-use invitation link.

Yes — for up to 30 days. When you request account deletion, we immediately send you a recovery email containing a link valid for 30 days. Clicking that link fully restores your account and all your children's stories, exactly as they were. After 30 days the deletion is permanent and cannot be reversed. If you cannot find the recovery email, check your spam folder or contact [email protected].

Your stories are preserved for 30 days after you request account deletion in case you change your mind. You can recover everything by clicking the link in the recovery email we send you. After 30 days, all stories and account data are permanently deleted or irreversibly anonymised.

Yes. You can request a complete export of all personal data we hold about you and your children in a structured JSON format. This includes your profile, child profiles, story metadata, orders, and recent activity. Contact [email protected] or use the data export feature in the app.

Once Upon a Me is designed for parents and legal guardians. It is a parent-operated service. While parents may choose to let their child read or listen to stories independently, the app is intended to be set up and managed by an adult. We recommend parents review every story before sharing it with their child.