You are helping us build Hearthside before we open it to everyone.
Hearthside is a storytelling and narration app built around a simple idea: stories matter. Reading, listening, imagination, curiosity, learning, and time together can all begin with a story that makes a child want to stay for the next page.
This beta exists because we do not want to guess what families need. We want real families to use Hearthside, tell us what works, tell us what doesn't, and help shape what comes next.
The Founding Families beta is free. During the beta, features, usage allowances, and availability may change as we learn how families actually use Hearthside. Some features rely on third-party AI services, so story generation or narration may occasionally be temporarily unavailable.
Please actually use Hearthside — and come back to it. Trying it once is helpful; using it on different days and in different situations teaches us much more. Try different kinds of stories. Let your child read. Read to them. Try Ember. Continue a story. Save one. Try something silly. Try something educational. Then tell us what happened.
We especially want to hear:
You do not need to protect our feelings. A detailed negative comment can be more useful than a compliment. If a story is boring, say so. If Ember is annoying, say so. If something is great, tell us what made it great. Specific feedback helps us improve Hearthside.
We are aiming for a stable, enjoyable experience, but you may find bugs or rough edges. Features and usage limits may change as we learn. Story creation and Ember narration may have different allowances because they use different services. If you reach a beta limit, it does not mean you did anything wrong — it simply helps us keep the beta sustainable while we learn.
Founding Families are helping shape Hearthside at its earliest stage. We may choose to recognize that contribution with benefits in the future, but we are not promising any specific discount, subscription, feature, or reward today.
Hearthside is storytelling first. We want children to read, listen, imagine, learn, ask questions, create, and spend meaningful time with stories. We are not trying to maximize screen time. Technology should support imagination rather than replace it.
Over time, Hearthside should be able to grow with a child. Ember may become much more than a narrator — a trusted storytelling companion that understands the family's preferences and story history while remaining under parental control.
Please do not submit sensitive personal information about a child in story prompts or feedback. Hearthside uses adult-managed accounts and optional profiles to personalize the experience. You can read the current Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for more detail.
By continuing into the beta, you confirm that you understand Hearthside is still being tested, that features, availability, and usage allowances may change, and that you agree to help by using Hearthside and providing honest, useful feedback about your experience. You also agree not to include unnecessary sensitive personal information about a child in prompts or feedback.
Thank you for helping us build this.
Beta agreement accepted. Taking you to Hearthside…