FAQ

Gizmo is available for free on the iOS App Store. You can scan the QR code below, tap the button if you're on your phone, or search for "Gizmo: Make Gizmos" in the App Store on your iPhone.

Gizmo is currently available for iPhone and iPad running iOS 17 or later. The app is optimized for mobile devices and works best on iPhone, where you can experience the full touch-based, interactive nature of Gizmos.

We expect to launch the Android version in late 2025.

Yes! Gizmo is free to download and use. You can create, share, and discover Gizmos without any cost. We believe creativity should be accessible to everyone.

You must be at least 13 years old to use Gizmo, in accordance with our Terms of Service. We've designed Gizmo to be a safe, creative space for users of all ages, and we encourage parents to explore Gizmo alongside their teens.

Creating a Gizmo is as simple as typing what you want. Just tap the create button (+) and describe your idea in plain language – for example, "make a particle effect that follows my finger" or "create a piano keyboard." A new Gizmo can take a minute to generate. The more specific you are with your description, the closer the result will be to your vision.

Yes. After your Gizmo is created, you can continue to refine it by typing additional instructions like "make the background purple" or "add more bounce to the animation." You can also use Tweaks for instant adjustments.

Once you're happy with your creation, you can publish it to the Gizmo feed where other users can discover, interact with, and enjoy it. You can also share a direct link to your Gizmo with friends through messages, social media, or any other platform. Every published Gizmo gets its own unique link that works even for people who haven't downloaded the app yet.

Remixing lets you take someone else's Gizmo and make it your own (some people call this "forking"). When you see a Gizmo you like, you can remix it to add your own creative spin – change colors, add new features, or transform it into something completely different. The original creator is credited, and remixing is encouraged as a way to build on each other's creativity and learn from the community.

Tweaks are quick, pre-set modifications you can apply to your Gizmo instantly – things like changing color schemes, adjusting gravity or speeds, or modifying visual effects. Unlike prompt-based edits that require processing, Tweaks happen immediately, making it fast and easy to experiment with changes.

Yes! You can incorporate images into your Gizmos either by uploading them from your camera roll or by using generated images in the app. You can use our auto-segment tool in the app to make stickers out of full images.

The Gizmo feed is where you discover Gizmos from the community. Unlike other apps, you need to scroll up by dragging on the area below the Gizmo because touches on the Gizmo itself are reserved for interacting. As you scroll, you'll encounter interactive Gizmos that you can immediately play with, like, comment, and explore. The feed shows you a mix of trending Gizmos, posts from people you follow, and Gizmos we think you'll find interesting.

You can tap the heart or bookmark icons under a Gizmo to like or save it to your profile. Likes and bookmarks are only visible to you.

To follow a creator, simply tap on the + button next to their name or tap Follow on their profile. Following someone means their new Gizmos will appear higher in your feed and, if they follow you back, you can message them.

[Coming soon!] Gizmo includes in-app chat that lets you message others directly if you are a bi-directional friend (you follow them and they follow you). You can share Gizmos directly through chat, discuss creative ideas, give feedback, or collaborate on projects. Messaging helps build connections within the Gizmo community while maintaining privacy and safety. You can also report or block any user from Chat.

Comments appear below each published Gizmo and create a space for community discussion. You can leave feedback, ask questions about how something was made, or share a screenshot of using the Gizmo. If you don't like a comment on your post, you can delete and/or report it.

If you encounter Gizmos, comments, or other users who violate our Community Guidelines, you can report directly from the Gizmo or comment by tapping the menu (three dots) and selecting "Report." Choose the reason for your report, and our moderation team will review it promptly.

You can report Gizmos, comments, messages, or user profiles. We take all reports seriously and use a combination of automated systems and human review to maintain a safe, positive environment for everyone.

Yes, Gizmo is designed to be a creative safe space for users aged 13 and above. We've built multiple layers of protection to ensure a positive environment where teens can explore their creativity safely. We use both proactive and reactive moderation systems, combining automated safety tools with human moderators who review content and respond to reports.

We encourage parents to download Gizmo and explore it alongside their teens – not only to ensure it's appropriate for them, but also to share in the creative experience together.

Our Community Guidelines spell out what content is allowed or prohibited on Gizmo. Prohibited content includes but is not limited to: violence, bullying, harassment, hate speech, inappropriate sexual content, dangerous activities, and anything that violates laws or regulations.

We also don't allow spam, scams, or attempts to mislead other users. The full Community Guidelines are available here.

We take a multi-layered approach to keep Gizmo safe. Before Gizmos are published, our systems check for potential issues. Our moderation team reviews reported content, and we have automated systems that help identify problematic content proactively.

Users play an important role too – anyone can report content that seems inappropriate, and we review every report. This combination of technology and human oversight helps maintain the positive, creative environment that makes Gizmo special.

If your account is suspended or banned due to violations of our Community Guidelines, the decision is final. For temporary suspensions, you'll be told when you can return to Gizmo.

If you believe a suspension or ban action was taken in error, you can appeal by contacting our support team at [email protected] with your username and explanation.

Gizmo introduces young people to creative technology in an accessible way. By creating Gizmos, our community develops problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and creative expression. They're essentially learning the fundamentals of how interactive technology works without the steep learning curve of traditional coding and programming languages.

Gizmo can be a gateway to creative career paths in technology, helping students discover they can be builders, not just consumers, of technology.

We take privacy seriously and follow all applicable privacy laws, including those protecting young users. We collect only the information necessary to provide the Gizmo experience, and we never sell user data.

Our Privacy Policy explains exactly what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data. Users can delete their account and associated data at any time through the app settings.

We collect basic account information including name, username, birthday (to ensure users are over 13 years old), content you create and share, and interaction information to improve the app experience. We don't collect more than necessary, and we're transparent about our practices.

For users under 18, we take extra precautions to protect their privacy.

For complete information about using Gizmo safely:

• Read our Community Guidelines
• Review our Privacy Policy
• Check our Terms of Service
• Contact our support team at [email protected] with any safety concerns

We're committed to maintaining Gizmo as a positive space for creativity and welcome feedback from parents, educators, and teens about how we can continue improving safety.

Creation speed can vary depending on the complexity of what you're building and how you wrote your prompt. Most Gizmos generate within 30-60 seconds, and we're always working to make this faster.

If you're having trouble, try being more specific with your description, or break complex ideas into smaller steps.

Try writing more detail about exactly what you want to make – try to strike a balance between being overly prescriptive and giving enough context about what you're trying to accomplish. It often helps to start small and build up a Gizmo with more edits, adding details and flourish as you go.

If you're stuck, after 20+ attempts to fix the Gizmo, it's often better to just start over. Especially if you get to 50 or more edits, the weight of the past chat context and complexity in the code can be too much to overcome for now, so we suggest starting over.

To ensure a great experience for all users and manage server resources, there are limits on how many Gizmos you can create in rapid succession. Most users never encounter these limits.

As mentioned above, you may also see some performance issues when you are editing a Gizmo with over 20 or 50 edits, which is partly a technology limitation with long context windows for now.

If the app seems slow or buggy, try these steps:

• Force quit the app and reopen it
• Check the App Store for any available updates
• As a last resort, delete and reinstall the app

If Gizmo crashes:

• Make sure you're running the latest version from the App Store
• Restart your iPhone
• Ensure you have enough storage space on your device
• If crashes continue, please report the issue to our support team with details about what you were doing when it crashed

Image uploads might fail if:

• The file is too large (try using a smaller image)
• The format isn't supported (we support common formats like JPG, PNG)
• There's a connection issue (check your internet connection)
• The image contains content that violates our guidelines

The Gizmo app itself is lightweight, under 100MB. The Gizmos you create and interact with are stored in the cloud, not on your device, so they don't take up your phone's storage. Cached data for smoother performance uses minimal space and can be cleared through your iPhone's settings if needed.

Gizmo opens up interactive creation to everyone, similar to how photography and video editing became accessible creative tools.

You're building interactive experiences that others can touch and play with, without needing coding knowledge or expensive software. Even browsing the feed is interactive – you're not just viewing content, you're using it.

Creating Gizmos introduces you to computational thinking and how interactive experiences work. You'll understand concepts like user input and visual feedback without writing code. Many users find this sparks their interest in technology and gives them confidence to explore programming later.

If you need help or have questions not covered in this FAQ, you can reach our support team at [email protected]. When contacting support, please include your Gizmo username and a clear description of your issue or question.

We love hearing ideas from our community! You can submit feature suggestions by emailing us at [email protected].

Some of our best features have come from user suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share your ideas for making Gizmo better.

If you encounter a bug or technical issue:

• First, check if updating the app fixes the problem
• If the issue persists, report it through the app's settings menu under "Report a Problem"
• You can also email [email protected] with details about the bug, including what you were doing when it occurred and any error messages you saw
• Screenshots or screen recordings are especially helpful for our team to understand and fix the issue

Stay connected with Gizmo through our official channels: @makegizmos on Instagram, TikTok, X, Snapchat, and Threads

Follow us for updates on new features, creative highlights from the community, tips for making better Gizmos, and announcements about Android availability and other platform expansions.

We're always looking to highlight amazing creators and explore collaboration opportunities. If you're interested in partnering with Gizmo or have a unique project in mind, reach out to [email protected]. We regularly feature outstanding Gizmos and creators on our social channels and in the app.