Everything, answered
plainly.

The basics

What is StoryVeda?

An audio-first bedtime storytelling app for children aged 2–12, made in India. Stories are narrated rather than watched, and personalised with your child's own name, in the language your family speaks at home.

What ages is it for?

Ages 2 to 12. That is a wide span on purpose — a three-year-old and a ten-year-old want very different stories, so length, vocabulary and theme change with the age on the child's profile.

Which languages are the stories in?

Seven: English, Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi. Hinglish is there because it is how a great many Indian children actually speak, and a bedtime story should sound like home rather than like a lesson.

Is StoryVeda free?

You can start free, with unlimited personalised stories, the whole library to read, and all of Shanti Corner. Premium adds unlimited listening, every language and narrator, your own recorded voice, and offline downloads. It is available on monthly and annual plans — the current price is shown in the app store you use.

Is it on iPhone as well as Android?

Yes, both. StoryVeda is on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Bedtime, in practice

Does my child have to look at the screen?

No, and that is the point. There is a dark listening screen meant to be put face-down or set aside while the story plays. There is also a read-along page with a still illustration, for a child who would rather look at something than close their eyes.

Is this just more screen time?

It is a fair question to ask of any app. What the evening seems to react to is light in the eyes and content that never ends. A narrated story in a dim room, on a phone lying face-down, is a different thing from a video — and unlike a video, it finishes.

How long is a story?

Most run between three and ten minutes, which is about the length of one bedtime. The age on your child's profile changes it.

What if my child asks for one more?

Every child does. The routine works because the ending is predictable, so “one story, then lights off” is worth holding. The negotiating usually stops within a week of the ending being the same every night.

Can I set a time for the story each night?

Yes — there is a nightly scheduler, so the story can arrive at the same time without you having to start it.

Personalisation and voices

How does personalisation work?

Your child's name, age and interests go into their profile, and the story is built around them — they are the hero, by name, not a generic child. Names are pronounced phonetically, so an Indian name is said properly rather than flattened into something English-sounding.

Will my child's name be pronounced correctly?

That was one of the first things we fixed. Pronunciation is handled phonetically rather than left to a generic text-to-speech guess, because a child notices immediately when a story gets their own name wrong.

Who narrates the stories?

Three narrators — Maa, Dadi and Didi — plus your own voice if you record it.

Can I record stories in my own voice?

Yes. Record once, and you become the voice that reads — from a work trip, a night shift, or another country. Grandparents use this most: a grandchild in one city hearing a story in their Dadi's actual voice from another.

Can I have more than one child on the account?

Yes. Each child gets their own profile, so the stories, name and age stay theirs rather than being shared.

Safety and trust

Is StoryVeda safe for children?

There are no ads, no autoplay, and nothing to buy inside a story. Accounts belong to parents rather than children, and children cannot create their own. The app does not transmit the Android advertising ID. The full detail is on our child safety page.

What data do you collect about my child?

What the app needs to make the story: a first name, an age, and chosen interests. Our privacy policy sets out exactly what is stored and why, and there is a one-page route to delete your account and the data with it.

Are the stories made by AI?

The personalised stories — the ones with your child's name in them — are generated for that child, which is what makes it possible for a story to be about them rather than about a stand-in. They are built inside the boundaries we set for age, tone and safety. If you would rather not use personalisation at all, the library is there to read and listen to as it is.

Does StoryVeda claim to help my child sleep?

No. We are careful not to make claims about sleep, anxiety or development, because those are medical claims and we are not in a position to make them. What we will say is that a calm ending to the day is pleasant for everyone, and that is what the app is built to be.

How do I cancel or get a refund?

Subscriptions are managed in the store you bought them from, Google Play or the App Store, and can be cancelled there at any time. Our refunds page explains how each works.

Getting help

Something is not working. Who do I contact?

Write to support@thestoryveda.com and a person will answer — there are not many of us, so it really is a person. The support page covers the common problems.

Can I gift StoryVeda to someone?

Yes. A gift can be sent with a code the recipient redeems — it is a popular thing to send to a grandchild or a new parent.