How to use Ninja Buddy

1. The basics in one minute

Ninja Buddy is a play session for your child, run by a grown-up who stays in the room. Buddy, an animated ninja, talks, tells stories and riddles, plays sounds and songs, and asks yes-or-no questions. Your child answers in whatever way works that day:

• One snap means yes, two snaps mean no.
• Or saying "yes" or "no" out loud.
• Or a Bluetooth switch, or big YES and NO buttons on the screen.

Most of what Buddy says is written by Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, working from instructions the app gives it. Every answer is honored. Buddy is told never to call an answer wrong and never to say "try again".

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2. What you need

• An iPad or iPhone with iOS 17 or later, and its microphone.
• An internet connection for the best sessions. Without one, Buddy carries on with the app's own jokes, riddles and downloaded songs (see Troubleshooting).
• A Claude API key, for now. You make one at platform.claude.com and paste it in once (see First-time setup).
• Optional: a hand drum or ukulele, a Bluetooth switch, and a playlist of their favorite songs in the Music app.
• A quiet-ish room. A TV or a busy classroom makes snaps harder to hear.

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3. First-time setup

Setup takes about 10 minutes, and everything in it can be changed later. A fresh install starts empty: no name, no needs ticked, no people, no About text and no music chosen. Nothing about your child is filled in for you.

Step 1: the setup questions

The first time the app opens, four short screens appear. You can tap Skip for now and come back to them from the home screen later.

1. Who is it for? Type your child's Name. The app uses it in games, messages and screens, and Next stays grey until there is one. Add a Nickname (optional) if you like: that's what Buddy calls your child when talking to them (such as "Champ"). Leave it empty and Buddy uses the name. You can change both later in Settings → About your child.
2. Your child's needs. Tick everything that applies: seeing, hearing, talking, learning and attention, moving, and senses and feelings. Each line says what Buddy does differently. Use the Other box for anything else. Buddy is told to adapt without ever mentioning these to your child.
3. Your child's people. Add the grown-ups and helpers in your child's life (add yourself, too, if you're not listed), by the names your child knows them by. Pick a role for each and, if you like, something Buddy can mention. Buddy talks warmly about them, never pretends to be one of them, and sends your child off to one of them at goodbye.
4. Almost done. From what you ticked, the app may suggest settings such as slower speech, longer waits or a calm screen. Nothing changes until you tap Apply these. Its Next list reminds you of what's left: add your Claude API key, do Snap Lab once, give Buddy a more natural voice, and pick who's with your child today.

The needs and people screens stay on the home screen as Your child's needs — how Buddy adapts to them and Your child's people — family and helpers.

Step 2: add the Claude API key

1. Create a key at platform.claude.com.
2. In the app, open Settings → Claude and plan.
3. Paste the key into Paste your Claude API key and tap Save key.

The key is kept in the device's Keychain and is only used to talk to Claude. Until there's a key, the Start button stays grey.

Step 3: give Buddy a good voice

The built-in "Standard" voices sound robotic. If the home screen shows Give Buddy a better voice, either tap the Use … button (for example Use Zoe (Enhanced)) or follow the steps it lists to download a free Enhanced or Premium voice. You can also change the voice, speed and pauses any time in Settings → Buddy's voice, and tap Test voice to hear it.

Step 4: Snap Lab, once, with your child

Snap Lab teaches the app what your child's snaps and words sound like. Open Snap Lab from the home screen. It turns the microphone on (allow it when asked).

1. Try it: ask your child to snap once, pause, then snap twice. Each snap appears as a line. You want to see 1 snap → YES and 2 snaps → NO.
2. Calibrate: tap Record snaps (15 s). For 15 seconds your child snaps once, waits about 3 seconds, snaps twice, waits again, and does that three times. Then tap Use these settings if the suggestion looks right.
3. Their words: ask your child to say "yes" and "no". If the app heard a word it doesn't count, tap Count as YES or Count as NO, so their own way of saying it counts from now on.
4. Your child's winning sound: pick the sound that plays when your child answers, or tap Let your child choose and Buddy plays each one and asks.

Step 5 (optional): tell Buddy about your child

In Settings → About your child, the box under What Buddy knows starts empty. Write a few short facts: age and how your child likes to be talked to, favorite songs, shows, pets and games, what your child is good at, and topics to avoid. For example: "Mia is 7. She loves animals and riddles. She likes short games." Buddy reads this at the start of every session. Clear this text empties the box again. Already have an IEP or report? See Adding an IEP or other document.

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4. The home screen

The home screen is the grown-up's screen. Your child's screen only appears once a session starts.

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5. Before each session

A two-minute routine that makes the session go smoothly:

1. Pick who's with your child today and, if someone's joining in, who's playing along.
2. Check the instrument switches: drum and ukulele on only if they're in the room.
3. Bad-snap day? Turn on the big YES and NO buttons.
4. New room, or snaps sound different today? Run Tune for today (about 90 seconds). It records the room, their snaps, their voice, their yes and their no, then shows what would change, was → now. Tap Use today's tuning or Keep what I had. The app says and plays nothing while it runs.
5. Lock the device to the app with Guided Access, so a stray tap can't leave it: in the device's Settings → Accessibility → Guided Access, turn it on, then open Ninja Buddy and triple-click the top (or side) button.
6. Turn VoiceOver off for the session if it's on, so it doesn't talk over Buddy.
7. Tap Start Buddy.

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6. How your child answers

Turn each way of answering on or off in Settings → How your child answers → Ways to answer. Switches and the screen buttons are off until you turn them on. For a switch: Space, 1, Y or → means yes; Return, 2, N or ← means no.

Waiting for an answer

Buddy gives your child time. By default Buddy waits quietly, then asks "Yes… or no?", waits again, then gives the full reminder ("Snap once for yes, two snaps for no — or say it!"), and waits up to 12 seconds in all. The first pause starts at 3 seconds and grows to 5, then 8, over the weeks. Change this under Waiting for their answer: Cues after a pause that grows, Cues after a set pause, or No cues, just wait.

Good to know

• The microphone never listens while Buddy is talking or playing a sound, so Buddy can't "hear itself".
• Grown-ups chatting nearby are mostly ignored: anything over three words isn't counted as an answer. If adult talk keeps being counted, turn off Saying yes or no out loud for that session.
• Want a question repeated? Tap anywhere on your child's screen with two fingers, and Buddy says it again and waits again.

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7. During a session

How it starts

Buddy first asks whether your child wants to play today. A yes starts the fun. A no is respected: Buddy says thanks and goodbye, and the session ends without calling Claude at all. If there's no clear answer, Buddy asks once more. You can turn this question off in How your child answers.

What your child sees

Buddy on a glowing circle. The circle's color shows what's happening: purple getting ready or thinking, gold talking, blue listening (now's the time to answer), orange playing along, pink a song, grey ending. A ring flashes for each answer: green for yes, orange for no. A caption along the bottom says what's going on. The screen stays awake during a session.

Your three controls

Along the top of your child's screen there are three small controls for the grown-up. Each one works by holding, so a quick tap from your child does nothing.

How it ends

After about 20 minutes (change it in How your child answers), Buddy wraps up and sends your child off to the person you picked, for example "Go tell Grandma that joke!". A session also ends after five missed answers in a row, after five quiet minutes, or when you hold Hold to stop.

Interruptions

If Siri, a phone or FaceTime call, an alarm or a timer interrupts, Buddy pauses and then repeats the line that was cut off. The session is saved as it goes, so even if the app closes, at most one turn is lost.

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8. Games and activities

When it's time to choose, Buddy reads the options one at a time ("A joke? A story? A song?…") and your child snaps yes at the one your child wants. Here's what Buddy can do:

Riddles

Always on. After a drumroll, Buddy makes a guess ("Is it a mouse?") for your child to answer yes or no. The guess is right about two times in three, so sometimes "no" is the right answer.

Guessing games

Animals, colors, body parts ("Touch your head!") and simple sums: Buddy asks, pauses, then makes a yes-or-no guess, and about one guess in three is silly-wrong on purpose.

Jokes

Off at first. Turn on Tell jokes in Settings → Games.

Stories

Three to five short chapters, each ending in a yes-or-no choice. Something your child picks up early (it goes in the backpack) matters later, and Buddy recaps the path at the end. An unfinished story waits under A story to carry on in Sessions & notes.

Songs

Songs from the device's Music library. Make a playlist, type its name under Settings → Screen and sounds → Music, and tap Check the music library. The songs must be downloaded to the device.

Name That Sound

Buddy plays a sound ("Was that a cow?"). About one time in three the question is about a different sound, so "no" is the right answer. 16 sounds, from a cat to a train whistle; switch any of them off in Games → Name That Sound.

Rhythm echo

Buddy plays two to four beats and your child plays them back on the drum, or by clapping or snapping. Only the number of beats counts.

Sing and drum

Buddy sings a two-part word, high then low, with a drum hit on each part, then says "Your turn!". Edit the words in Games → Sing and drum. The app counts beats and voice sounds and never judges the singing.

Playing along

Pick someone under Playing along today on the home screen. Buddy asks your child first, then the other person answers out loud in their own turn. If both snaps and voice are on, only your child's snaps count that day, because the microphone can't tell two voices apart.

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9. Family sounds and voices

Family sounds

Record the sounds of your child's world (the dog barking, a whistle, a knock on the door) and Buddy works them into play. On the home screen open Family sounds:

1. Tap Record a sound (up to 10 seconds), then Stop and Play it back.
2. Give it a name, for example "the dog barking", and, if you like, a note on when Buddy should play it.
3. Tap Save, or Record again.

You can also add .m4a or .wav files in the Files app: On My iPad → Ninja Buddy → Sounds.

Voice lines from your child's people

On the same screen, each person can record a short "Hello" and a "Nice one". The hello plays while the session is getting ready; the nice one plays after something your child really did.

A family member's voice (Personal Voice)

On newer devices, Buddy can speak with a family member's Apple Personal Voice. In Settings → Buddy's voice → A family member's voice: tap Allow Personal Voice, choose the voice, say whose it is, tick that they agreed, and tap Use this voice. Each session then begins with Buddy saying whose voice it is and that Buddy is still Buddy. The voice is never recorded, copied or sent anywhere.

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10. After a session

Open Sessions & notes from the home screen.

• Notes for next time. A few seconds after a session, Buddy writes short notes ("loved the pirate story"). You can add your own too, such as "Pool day is Saturday!". Buddy reads the latest notes at the start of each session. Swipe a note to delete it.
• Your child's answers, week by week. Charts of answers said out loud, time to answer, and answers given before any cue. Share every answer as a spreadsheet (CSV) gives one row per question, showing how the answer came (a snap, a word, a switch, a tap).
• Sessions. Tap any session for How it went (answers, snaps, songs, stories, best runs) and the full Transcript. The share button exports the transcript as text. Swipe to delete a session.

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11. Adding an IEP or other document

If you've already written down what your child loves and what helps, the app can read it and suggest what Buddy should know. You decide what's added. On the home screen, open Add from a document.

1. Choose it: Choose a file (PDF, Word .docx, RTF, text, a saved web page or a picture), Choose photos of the pages, or Paste text.
2. Check it: the device reads the words, scans included, and shows how many it found and the first lines. A bad scan? Tap Choose something else.
3. Send it, once: tap Send to Claude and get suggestions. Only then does the document's text go to Claude, once, including any names or private details in it. To send less, paste only the parts about interests, communication and what helps. The file itself isn't kept.
4. Review: suggestions come back as short lines under Things Buddy can talk about, How Buddy should adapt and Needs to tick, each showing the words it came from. Untick or reword any.
5. Add: tap Add …, or Don't add anything. Added lines reach Buddy from the next session.

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12. Teaching a new helper

A grandparent, a sitter, a new aide: anyone can learn to read your child's snaps in about three minutes. On the home screen open Teach someone your child's signals.

1. Type the helper's name, or tap one of your child's people, and tap Start.
2. Five rounds: the helper asks your child a question and taps I asked, then taps what they think your child said (Yes, No or Not sure). Buddy coaches the first two rounds; the last three they do on their own.
3. At the end, Buddy says how many answers they read the same way the app did.

Under Take it with you, share a one-page "Talking with your child" card (PDF) or a 20-second recording that explains your child's signals, handy for a new classroom or a babysitter. Practice rounds are never saved as sessions.

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13. Ninja Training (for teachers and therapists)

Ninja Training mixes short, game-like "quests" into play, and keeps a record you can use for IEP progress. Your child never hears the words "lesson", "school" or "test". It's in Settings → Ninja Training, behind a quick grown-up check (tap the answer to a simple sum).

How much training

• Play (0%): just play, no quests. This is where it starts.
• Home (25%): about one short block of quests in a session.
• Classroom (50%): two or three blocks, with a reward after each. Training stops after 10 minutes.
• Focus (75%): three blocks with a reward after each, and play at the end.

Before a block, your child picks a reward (a drum jam, a song). Quests come from Sound Detective, Story With a Catchphrase and Drum Count, plus known-fact checks that test how reliable each way of answering is. Training stops for the day, and play carries on, if your child misses three in a row, struggles two blocks running, or you skip during a block.

Setting it up

• Goals → IEP goals: type the goal as written in the IEP and pick the quest family and skills it covers.
• Correction: Ask again, then reinforce (A) or Model the answer, move on (B).
• Wait before help, Block size and time and Mastery rule: match these to the IEP or your data plan.

The report

In Sessions & notes → Ninja Training report: a graph per goal (percent independent, with mastery, baseline and trend lines), a table of every session (the adult present, trials, independent, prompted, no response), and how reliable each way of answering is. Export it as Spreadsheet (CSV), Data sheet (PDF) or Progress report (PDF). The report shows how each answer came, not who gave it, so pick the right person under Who's with your child today?.

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14. Settings at a glance

Settings has a search box at the top: type "voice", "wait" or "backup" to jump straight to a setting. Changes apply to the next session.

Backups

In Claude and plan → Your data, tap Make a backup file and save it somewhere safe (Files, AirDrop, email). It holds settings, notes, sessions and family sounds, but never the API key. Restore from a backup file replaces the settings and adds the rest without deleting anything. Close and reopen the app afterward.

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15. Plans and the free trial

• The free trial lasts 14 days from the first session, with one session a day. No card is needed.
• After that, a monthly or yearly plan keeps sessions going. Schools, clinics and funders can buy a license and enter its code under I have a license code.
• Setup, Snap Lab, logs, transcripts, export and delete are free forever, with or without a plan. Only starting a session needs a plan.
• Money tight? Settings → Claude and plan has a one-tap hardship rate.

Prices and what each plan includes are on the pricing page.

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16. Privacy: what's sent and what stays

Sent to Anthropic's Claude, to run the session

• During a session: Buddy's instructions go with every turn. They include your child's name and nickname, your setup answers, your child's people, the text under About your child, recent notes, song titles, and family sounds' names and notes (never the recordings). Each answer your child gives is sent too, as text.
• After a session: the transcript goes once to Claude so Buddy can write notes for next time (not after an offline session).
• Add from a document: the document's text goes once, only when you tap Send.

Kept on this device

• The API key (in the Keychain), transcripts, notes, settings, practice results, and family sound recordings.
• Sound recordings and Personal Voice are never sent.

The microphone only listens during a session, Snap Lab, Tune for today, recording, or helper practice, and never while Buddy is talking.

More detail is on the safety and privacy page.

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17. Troubleshooting

Snaps aren't heard

Run Tune for today, or lower Snap must be … dB above the room in Snap Lab. Move closer to the device and away from fans or a TV.

Other noises count as snaps

Raise the same dB number a little, or quiet the room.

Two slow snaps come out as two yeses

Widen the Double-snap window in Snap Lab or How your child answers.

Grown-ups' talk is counted as answers

Turn off Saying yes or no out loud for that session, and use snaps, a switch or the screen buttons.

Start is grey

Add the Claude API key in Settings → Claude and plan. If the free trial's session for today is used up, the next one is ready tomorrow.

"The Claude API key was rejected"

Paste the key again in Settings, and check it's still active at platform.claude.com.

Buddy says "My internet brain is taking a nap"

The internet dropped. Buddy keeps playing from the app's own riddles, jokes (if on) and downloaded songs. Fix the Wi-Fi for the next session. To end instead, turn off Keep playing without Claude in Games.

No microphone, or no music

In the device's Settings → Privacy & Security, turn on Microphone (and Media & Apple Music) for Ninja Buddy.

No songs found

Check the playlist and artist names in Music, and that the songs are downloaded to the device.

Buddy's voice sounds robotic

Download an Enhanced or Premium voice (see First-time setup, step 3).

VoiceOver talks over Buddy

Turn VoiceOver off for the session. The three hold controls still work with VoiceOver on.

A Bluetooth speaker

That's fine. The app waits for the speaker's delay before it listens, and the device's own microphone still does the listening.

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18. Quick reference

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