Questions parents ask about Dabble

Dabble is designed for toddlers aged 2–4. It is rated 4+ on the App Store and listed as made for ages 0–5. There are no menus to read and no instructions, so a two-year-old can open a canvas and start making marks. Older kids enjoy the dark canvas too.

Dabble is built for iPad and needs iPadOS 15.1 or later. It also installs on iPhone and on Macs with Apple silicon, but the canvas and the marker toolbar are laid out for an iPad screen, which is the size little hands do best with.

Yes. Dabble draws with a finger, an Apple Pencil or any stylus. Stroke thickness comes from the slider on the toolbar rather than pen pressure, which keeps lines predictable for small hands.

12 markers, one thickness slider and a trash button. That is the whole toolbar on purpose: no stickers, stamps, fill buckets or layers to get lost in. White and black markers are included so kids can draw on both the light and the dark canvas.

Yes. Dabble works with no internet connection at all, which is the point on a plane or in the car. There is no account to create and nothing to sync.

They don't, unless a grown-up helps. The menu button on the canvas needs a 2-second hold, with a pink ring that fills as you press. A quick tap just shows a hint. That is the child-lock: it keeps toddlers on the canvas instead of in your settings.

No ads, no pop-ups, no "watch a video" buttons and no reward loops. The only thing that interrupts drawing is the Dabble Pro screen if you run past the free limits, and that sits behind a parent gate.

None. Dabble doesn't ask for a name, email or account, uses no analytics or advertising SDKs, and keeps every drawing on the iPad. If you buy Dabble Pro, the purchase is handled by Apple's App Store. Read the full privacy policy.

Sharing, purchasing and every external link sit behind a parent gate: a quick multiplication question a toddler can't answer. Leaving the canvas takes a 2-second hold on the menu button.

Dabble is designed to comply with COPPA and GDPR. Because it collects no personal information from anyone, there is nothing to consent to and nothing to delete.

Free gets you everything on the canvas: all 12 markers, the thickness slider, light and dark mode, the child-lock and up to 3 saved canvases. Clear, delete and share each work once for free. Dabble Pro adds unlimited canvases plus unlimited clear, delete and share, and every new feature as the app grows. See Dabble Pro.

Dabble is free to download and free to use. Dabble Pro is an optional upgrade, sold monthly, yearly or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Prices vary by country; the app shows the price in your currency before you buy.

Open any Pro prompt in the app and tap "Restore Purchase" (behind the parent gate). Make sure the iPad is signed in to the same Apple ID that bought Pro.

Subscriptions are managed by Apple. On the iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose Dabble Pro and tap Cancel. You keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for.

Press and hold it without lifting until the pink ring is complete, about 2 seconds. Tapping, or letting go early, shows the "hold to open" hint instead. That delay is deliberate.

Drawings live only on the iPad they were made on. They are saved automatically as your child draws, and they stay until you delete them. Deleting the app deletes its drawings, and there is no cloud backup, so share the ones you love to Photos first.

Hold the menu button, choose "Share drawing", answer the parent gate, then pick "Save Image" in the share sheet. The same share sheet sends it to family over Messages or email.

Any iPad running iPadOS 15.1 or later, including iPad mini and older models. Dabble is light on battery because nothing animates when your child isn't drawing.