commonsensemedia

Published 31.08.2021 00:00

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Applaydu family games

A lot or a little?

Parents need to know that Applaydu family games is an immersive Augmented Reality app from Kinder, the internationally known chocolate brand, designed for family co-play. Though no chocolate purchase is necessary to play the game fully, there are some connections between the app and the developer's products. For example, Kinder chocolates include a QR code that can be scanned to add new characters to the app. Those characters are animals, aka Natoons, featured as collectibles with each chocolate purchase. To use the AR features, including voice recording to make characters talk, kids need to allow access to the camera and microphone. However, at the time of this review, the record function did not work properly. Kids also need to be able to move safely around a room while holding the device. When making their avatar, kids have a limited range of choices for skin color, and choosing a gender is requested, but optional. There are significant parts of the app that require reading skills but don't have any voice narration, If kids can't read yet, they'll need help from someone who can. Registration isn't necessary, but if parents provide an email address, they have more options available including creating multiple user profiles. Basic parent reports give data on what kids are doing in the app and include some suggestions for engaging with kids on and off the screen. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.