Fixes an issue where audio explainers and focus music could play without sound through the device speaker. Audio now plays correctly whether or not headphones are connected.

Parents can now tell Critical Friend whether the app is on their own device or their child's. On a child's device, the parent dashboard is kept private behind your account password. We've also made the parent dashboard easier to reach if Face ID isn't available.

New pathways Speech or Presentation — Got a speech to give? Critical Friend helps you think through what you want to say step by step, then generates a set of structured speaking notes to practise from. Your words, your voice. Application Writing — Applying for a role, position, or opportunity? Critical Friend helps you find your genuine reasons, your real strengths, and your best examples — then hands you the building blocks to write it yourself. Plan a Visit — Mission Builder The visit pathway has been completely redesigned. Instead of guessing what's inside a specific place, Critical Friend now helps your child choose one of three universal missions — The Detective, The Collector, or The Storyteller — that work anywhere: museum, castle, nature reserve, gallery, or farm. The mission is saved to a new My Missions section on the home screen, ready to check before the visit. When they're back, My Missions connects straight to the post-visit reflection. PDF improvements The conversation document now always starts on a clean page, so cover images no longer overlap the conversation. Speech and application documents are formatted as single-page notes rather than full conversation transcripts. Bug fixes and improvements Various stability improvements and navigation fixes throughout the app.

Here's the public App Store "What's New" for v1.7: How this app works — a new page on the home screen explains Critical Friend to your child in plain English: what information we keep, who can see their conversations, and what to do if something worries them. Cleaner home screen — the welcome screen is simpler and calmer. Badges live exclusively in My Progress. Privacy policy updated — expanded guidance on your data rights as a parent or guardian, including exactly how to access, edit, or delete your child's data within the app.

This update adds significant safety and ethical AI improvements: Every conversation now begins with a clear screen telling the user they are about to talk to an AI Every conversation ends with a screen encouraging the user to talk to a real person All AI messages are labelled "AI" throughout the conversation News article link now summarises articles cleanly using AI Various conversation saving fixes

What's New in Version 1.5 My Thinking: Turn any conversation into a beautiful document to share with your teacher or guardian. Add a cover image and photos of your work, then export as a PDF. Password reset: Forgot your password? You can now reset it directly from the sign-in screen. PDF export: Parents can now export any conversation as a branded PDF from the parent dashboard. Conversation documents: The My Thinking feature lets children build their own thinking records from past conversations. Bug fixes and performance improvements.

Premium subscription now available — unlock unlimited conversations with Critical Friend Premium. Bug fixes and performance improvements.

Bug fixes and improvements: Fixed In-App Purchase not completing on the App Store Subscription now available for purchase

Bug fixes and improvements: Images now display at the top of the conversation in the Explore an Image pathway New screenshots

Bug fixes and improvements: Conversation history now saves correctly and is fully visible in the parent dashboard Fixed an issue where only the first message was being saved New screenshots showing the app's key features