Support
Something not working, or an idea for the shop? Please get in touch — a real person reads every message.
For a step-by-step guide to every part of the app, see How to play.
Common questions
How do I add my own items to the shop?
Open the shop, tap Edit, then Add item. Give it a name and a price and choose a picture. Children can and should do this themselves — inventing the stock is half the game.
My child wants to sell a brand of sweets by name
That's fine — they can type any name they like into their own shop. TillieWorld doesn't ship any branded products or packaging itself, so the picture they pick will be a generic one.
Where are the grown-up settings?
Tap the gear on the home screen. Settings sit behind a quick grown-up check — a times-table sum written out in words — so they can't be wandered into mid-game. The first time you answer it, it offers to set your own 4-digit passcode. We recommend it: older children can learn to work out a sum, but not a passcode they haven't seen. You can also set or change it in Settings under Grown-ups. If you forget the passcode, the only way back in is to delete and reinstall the app, which also clears the shops, so it's worth writing down.
The voice sounds robotic, or sounds wrong
TillieWorld uses the voices already on your device. iOS ships with a basic one and lets you download much better ones free: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices → English, then pick a voice and tap the download arrow. Choose "Enhanced" or "Premium" where offered. Once it's downloaded, pick it inside TillieWorld's own settings.
Nothing comes out of the printer
Printing is switched off by default — turn it on in the grown-up settings first. TillieWorld prints using AirPrint, so your printer needs to be an AirPrint model on the same Wi-Fi network as the iPad. If your printer only appears when your computer is switched on, the iPad is reaching it through your computer rather than directly, and printing will be unreliable.
Why is it asking to find devices on my local network?
That prompt appears when you switch on Family Link, which lets two iPads in the same home play together — running the shop and the kitchen, doing the shopping and the checkout, or taking orders and driving them out in the delivery van. iOS asks before any app may look for nearby devices. TillieWorld uses it only to find the other iPad in your house; nothing goes over the internet and there is no server involved. If you say no, everything else still works, but the two iPads won't find each other. You can change your mind in Settings under TillieWorld.
The two iPads can't find each other
Both need Family Link switched on, both need to be awake, and both need to be near enough to reach over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. If you declined the local network prompt on either iPad, that's the usual cause — turn it back on in iOS Settings under TillieWorld.
Can two children have separate shops?
Yes. Add a profile for each child and they'll each keep their own shop, stock and settings.
I bought something but it isn't showing
Open the grown-up Settings, go to Unlocks and tap Restore Purchases. Purchases belong to the Apple Account that made them, so check the iPad is signed in to that same account. Everything TillieWorld sells is a one-off purchase — there are no subscriptions. If you use Family Sharing, the other iPads in your family can restore them too.
Does the card machine take real money?
No. The card machine, the bank card and all the money in TillieWorld are pretend. The app cannot read a real bank card and never asks for one — tapping the card on the machine is just part of the game.
Does it need the internet?
No. TillieWorld works fully offline, on a plane, in a cottage with no signal, anywhere.
Accessibility
Everything important is spoken aloud as well as shown, and items are pictured once per item rather than written as a number, so the game works for children who aren't reading yet. If something is hard to use for your child, please tell us — we'd genuinely like to know.