Frequently Asked Questions

COMPATIBILITY FOR iPAD

Works with a wide range of iPads running iOS 15 or later.

Currently supported models include: iPad (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th generation); iPad Air (2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation); iPad mini (4th, 5th, and 6th generation); iPad Pro 9.7" (2016); iPad Pro 10.5" (2017); iPad Pro 11" (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation); and iPad Pro 12.9" (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation).

Support for the latest iPad models is on the way, including: iPad (10th and 11th generation), iPad Air M2 (2024) and M3 (2025), iPad mini (7th generation, 2024), iPad Pro 11" M2 (2022), iPad Pro 12.9" M2 (2022), and iPad Pro 11" /  13" M4 (2024).  

COMPATIBILITY FOR FIRE

Works with a wide range of Amazon Fire tablets running Fire OS 7 (Android 9) through Fire OS 8.

Currently supported models include: Fire HD 8 (8th generation 2018, 10th generation 2020, and 12th generation 2022), Fire HD 10 (9th generation 2019, 11th generation 2021, and 11th generation Plus 2021), and Fire Max 11 (2023). 

Support for the latest Fire models is on the way, including: Fire 7 (12th generation, 2022), Fire HD 8 Plus (12th generation, 2022), Fire HD 10 (13th generation, 2023), and Fire HD 8 (14th generation, 2024).

To play any Osmo game, you will need:

  1. A compatible device. Osmo works with most iPads and select Amazon Fire tablets. To confirm that your device supports Osmo, please see compatibility information above.
  2. The appropriate Osmo base and red reflector for your device.
  • If you have a compatible Fire tablet, you need an Osmo Fire base & reflector.
  • If you have a compatible iPad, you need an Osmo iPad base & reflector.

The bases and reflectors are NOT interchangeable between iPads and Fire tablets. All Osmo Kits include a base and a reflector, and they are also sold as a separate item on our website and on Amazon.com.


How do I set up my Osmo?

  • iPad users: See our helpful step-by-step video here, or written instructions here.
  • Fire users: See our helpful step-by-step video here, or written instructions here.

Most Osmo apps are available for free from the Apple and Amazon App Stores, but a few of them require redemption codes. To learn how to redeem your game code, see our helpful step-by-step video here.
  • iPad users: See our helpful step-by-step video here, or written instructions here.
  • Fire users: See our helpful step-by-step video here, or written instructions here.

Most Osmo apps are available for free from the Apple and Amazon App Stores, but a few of them require redemption codes. To learn how to redeem your game code, see our helpful step-by-step video here.

Osmo makes hands-on learning games in which players use objects in the real world to interact with the digital world shown on their iPad or Fire tablets.

At Osmo, we believe in the decades of research that illustrate children learn best from hands-on education. Osmo’s games are geared toward embodied learning, meaning our games teach abstract concepts by connecting them to objects and actions in the physical world. Osmo games promote embodied learning through physical-digital interactions.

In Coding Awbie, for instance, players learn how to write lines of code by connecting and arranging physical coding blocks. Players of Pizza Co. must make quick calculations with topping and money tiles to deliver yummy pies and correct change to waiting customers. And in Tangram, players think through spatial relations to build increasingly complex shapes from smaller ones.

At Osmo, we take pride in creating learning games that are at once delightful and designed to grow young minds. We offer games for a wide range of academic subjects, including:

  • Coding (Coding Awbie, Coding Jam, Coding Duo)
  • Math (Numbers, Pizza Co.)
  • Drawing (Monster, Super Studio, Masterpiece)
  • Spelling (Words)
  • Fundamentals of Physics (Newton)
  • Spatial relational skills (Tangram)
  • World geography (Detective Agency)

In addition to teaching traditional subject matter, Osmo games foster social-emotional skills like problem-solving, creativity, and perseverance. Every Osmo game requires the player to use reasoning to arrive at the correct answer, or even to chart a new path entirely.

In Monster, for example, players draw pictures with the Creative Board to shape the story that Mo the Monster is telling on their screen. When kids play Monster together, they learn how to communicate and collaborate in order to progress in the narrative. In this way, Monster is a useful tool for growing interpersonal skills in early childhood.

Most Osmo games are designed for ages 5–12. Monster is appropriate for ages 4+.

For younger children, we recommend the brand-new Osmo Little Genius Starter Kit, which includes four games designed specifically for kids ages 3–5. These games teach pre-reading, storytelling and fine motor skill development.

The Osmo Reflector bounces an image of the player’s game piece arrangement or drawing into the device camera. The Osmo app then processes this image and either recreates the image on the screen or translates its effect onto the story in the digital world. Because Osmo uses a covered reflector to only capture images in a bounded area, your child’s privacy is always protected.

To play any Osmo game, you will need:

  • A compatible device that’s connected to the internet. Osmo works with most iPads and Amazon Fire tablets. To confirm that your device supports Osmo, please review our compatibility guide.
  • The appropriate Osmo base and red reflector for your device. Every Osmo kit includes the Osmo Base and Reflector for either iPad or Amazon Fire tablet. Bases and reflectors for iPad and Amazon Fire tablets are available for purchase in our store.

Game pieces are required for add on games available in the app store and can be purchased in our store.

For lost or broken game pieces: We’re happy to replace lost or broken game pieces free of charge, within reason, for the first 90 days. You can request replacement pieces through your myOsmo account by selecting “Replacements” from the dropdown menu and filling out the form. We’ll send an email confirmation once you submit your request, as well as a notification when your replacement ships.

For a lost or broken red reflector or base: Replacement reflectors and bases are available for purchase in our store.
  • The Little Genius Starter Kit games are available in both English and French.
  • The Genius Starter Kit games are available in English, French, and German.
  • The Monster game is available in both English and Spanish. Osmo Monster’s Spanish narrator is noted actor Jaime Camil of Jane the Virgin and Coco.
  • We currently do not offer narration in languages besides English for our other games; however, you can opt to have on-screen prompts translated into Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, or Traditional Chinese by changing your device’s language settings.
  • We currently offer Osmo Words tiles for the standard Western alphabet only.

If an order was placed on PlayOsmo.com within the last 30 days, and the price of any items on the order has decreased during that time, you are welcome to contact us and request a price match. The price match will come in the form of a partial refund to the method of payment associated with the order.

What’s available today:
The current Osmo apps in the App Store are fully supported and ready to use. They work well in classroom settings, especially for centers, small groups, and independent learning.
If you have not updated your devices:
If your devices haven’t been updated, you may still have access to some previous school-focused features, such as Words albums. These are part of our legacy system and may experience occasional issues as we continue making updates.
What’s coming next:
Once updates to our core apps are complete, we plan to expand into more robust classroom and educator-specific features. This is planned for a future release.