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Playing

How do you play?

Every bird wears a number. Tap birds that add up to 10. When your flock makes exactly 10 it lights up; tap it again and the birds fly off. The birds above drop into the gap. Clear the whole tree to finish the board.

I tapped some birds and nothing flew away.

Two things to check. The flock has to make exactly the target: 9 is not close enough and 11 is too many. And a flock clears on the second tap, so a slip of a small finger does not send birds off by accident. One bird on its own never clears; a bond needs at least two.

What does “8 — need 10” mean?

It is the game saying what the chosen birds add up to and what the board is asking for. Nothing is lost. Tap a bird again to let it go, or press Clear selection and choose again.

What is the difference between Choose anywhere and Connected flocks?

In Choose anywhere the birds can come from any part of the tree. In Connected flocks they must touch, side by side or one above another. Diagonals do not count as touching. The menu above the tree switches between the two, and the free boards play both ways. The later flocks always use the connected rule.

What do hints do?

With Hints on, a single chosen bird shows the partner it needs: tap a 4 and it says “needs 6”. Press the button to turn hints off when a child is ready to find the partner alone.

We are stuck.

Undo takes back the last flock you cleared, as many times as you like. Restart puts the whole board back. Neither costs anything. Every board in the game has been checked to have a way to clear it, so if a tree looks impossible, a few undos will usually show where it went astray.

How do we pick a different board?

Press Boards, choose one from the list, then press Play selected board. Return to game goes back to where you were without changing anything.

Is there a timer, a score or lives?

No. A child who stops to count on their fingers is doing exactly what the game is for.

Can I use it with a class?

Yes. The ten free Make 10 boards need no purchase, no account and no sign-up, and they do not expire, so a board set on Monday is still there the next week. Each board is named for its bond, such as “Bonds with 3” or “Doubles”, so it is easy to say which one to open.

The free boards and the unlock

What is free?

The game is free to download, and the ten Make 10 boards are free for good: the pair boards, the first boards with a flock of three, and a review. Undo, Restart, hints and both ways of choosing are all included.

What does the unlock add?

The later flocks, for older children: To 20, Make 100 with tens, Pairs to 100, Product 12, Product 24, Sum to 1 and Sum to 0. It is one purchase, once. The store shows the price in your own currency before you buy.

Is it a subscription? Are there ads?

No and no. One purchase, owned for good. There are no ads of any kind, and no account.

Can my child buy it by accident?

The unlock is offered in one place only: the screen for the later flocks, under the price, behind an “Ask a grown-up” step. It never appears after a wrong sum, a stuck board or a cleared tree. For a firmer lock, both stores let you require your approval or a password for every purchase: Ask to Buy and Screen Time on iPhone and iPad, and purchase authentication in Google Play.

I bought the unlock and it isn't showing.

Press Restore on the play screen. Purchases are tied to your Apple Account or Google Account rather than to a device, so restoring works on a new phone or after reinstalling. If that doesn't bring it back, email us with the date of purchase and the store you bought from, and we'll sort it out.

I bought it on iPhone. Does it unlock on Android?

No, and the other way round is the same. The App Store and Google Play keep separate records and neither will tell the other what you own.

Can I get a refund?

Refunds are handled by the store, not by us: Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com, Google through your Play order history. Do tell us what went wrong as well, because that part we can actually fix.

Your data

What does the game know about my child?

Nothing. No account, no name, no analytics, no advertising, no tracking and no sign-in. Full detail is in the privacy policy.

Can we play offline?

Entirely. The game needs no connection to play. The only times it reaches outside your device are to ask the store about the unlock, and to open the privacy policy when a grown-up presses Privacy.

What languages is it in?

English, for now. The game has a language menu, and Spanish, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese and Simplified Chinese are being prepared; until each is finished it falls back to English. The numbers, of course, read the same everywhere.

Availability

When is it out?

Flock of Ten is in testing now and is coming to the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and to Google Play for Android. We don't have a date to promise, and we'd rather say that than invent one. Check back here or watch techartists.com.

Will it teach my child their number bonds?

It gives them a calm place to practise bonds they are already meeting at school, with feedback that explains each sum. It is a game, not a course or an assessment, and it makes no promise about results. See the terms.

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