From the box to the first conversation
Six steps and your Playnitive plush is ready. You only do this once: afterwards the toy remembers your network and wakes up on a single button press.
- Takes about10 minutes
- Set up byAn adult
- How oftenOnce per plush
Before you start
Two minutes of preparation saves ten minutes of guessing later.
In the box
- 1 Playnitive interactive plush toy (Lotti, Levi or Kobi)
- Quick-start leaflet
- User manual
What you also need
- 2 x AA (LR6) alkaline batteries, not included
- A home 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network with a working internet connection
- A smartphone (Android or iPhone) with the Playnitive app installed
- An e-mail address for the parent account
Why does it need the internet?
The plush sends the child's question to the cloud and the answer is generated there, so without a connection it cannot answer. It only joins 2.4 GHz networks, 5 GHz is not supported. If your router broadcasts both bands under the same name, give the 2.4 GHz one its own name.
Placeholder photoInsert the batteries
The battery holder sits in a zipped pocket on the back of the plush. The pocket is for adults only.
- Open the zip and carefully take out the battery holder.
- Insert 2 x AA (LR6) alkaline batteries, following the + and - markings.
- Slide the switch on the holder to on.
- Put the holder back into the pocket and close the zip.
The light glows red for a moment, then starts blinking blue. Blinking blue means the plush is ready to be paired.
Install the app and create an account
The parent app is where you set the plush up, and where you keep an eye on it later.
- Search for the Playnitive app in the App Store or on Google Play and install it.
- Open it, then tap Register at the bottom of the sign-in screen.
- Enter your full name, your e-mail address and a password of at least 8 characters, twice.
- Accept the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Notice. Registration only continues once both are ticked.
The app signs you in straight away, there is no e-mail confirmation to wait for. You can also register with a Google account.
Placeholder photoFind the plush with the app
Here your phone picks up the toy over Bluetooth. Stay close to the plush, ideally near your router.
Check these first
- The plush is switched on and blinking blue.
- Bluetooth is on. On Android, also allow location access: the system ties Wi-Fi scanning to that permission.
- You are within a couple of metres of the plush.
- On the home screen tap My devices, then New device.
- Accept the parental consent (step 1 of 3) and tap Accept and continue.
- At step 2 of 3, check that the plush is blinking blue, then tap Continue.
- At step 3 of 3 the app scans for about 15 seconds. Tap the name of your plush in the results.
The app connects to the plush and moves on to the next screen by itself.
Confirm with the button
A short safety check: the plush wants proof that you are really standing next to it.
- Wait for the app to ask you to press the button on the toy.
- Press the button in the hand of the plush once, briefly.
The app moves on to the naming screen.
Why the button press?
It proves that whoever is setting the toy up is in the room with it. Without it, someone nearby could pair your plush without you ever knowing.
Name it and hand over the Wi-Fi
The last setup screen: a name for the plush and the details of your home network.
- Give the plush a name, for example Lotti. You can change it later.
- Pick your 2.4 GHz home network from the list. On iPhone there is no list, so type the network name (SSID) by hand, exactly as it is, with the same upper and lower case.
- Enter the Wi-Fi password and tap Start connecting.
Connected successfully appears and the plush restarts. It glows red while it joins the network, and once the red light goes out it is ready to use.
Not showing up yet?
Give it two minutes. The plush finishes connecting in the background and appears in the My devices list shortly afterwards.
Set it up for your child
The plush already works, but a few minutes here make the answers far more personal. Open Profile settings in the device menu. None of the fields is mandatory, but the more you give, the better it gets.
- Child's name
- The toy addresses the child by name.
- Age
- The vocabulary and the length of the answers are adapted to it.
- About the child
- Interests and personality, for example loves dinosaurs and football.
- Toy name
- The name the toy introduces itself with.
- Simple conversation
- A toggle for shorter, simpler answers.
- Answer volume
- How loudly the toy speaks, from 0 to 100%.
- LED brightness
- The strength of the status light. A faint glow remains even at the lowest setting.
- Play enabled
- When switched off, pressing the button does not start a new conversation.
- Daily time limit
- Per weekday, the time window in which the toy can be used.
Changes take effect from the first answer after saving.
The first conversation
A conversation always starts on the plush itself, never from the app.
- 1
The child presses the button
The light turns green: the toy is listening.
- 2
The child speaks
The microphone captures the question while they talk.
- 3
A short silence
After a few quiet seconds the toy knows the question is finished and starts preparing the answer. The light turns yellow.
- 4
The toy answers out loud
An answer is normally ready within a few seconds. Another press of the button starts the next question.
A single session is limited to 20 turns or 10 minutes. After that, a new button press simply starts the next one.
The first seven days
A new plush comes with a 7-day free trial, so you can start talking straight away, and the app shows how many days are left. After the trial, AI conversation needs a subscription. Stories can still be started free of charge from the phone.
What the light is telling you
One small LED, seven states. It is the fastest way to see what the plush is doing.
- Green
- Listening. The child can say whatever they want.
- Yellow
- Recording the voice, or answering.
- Blue, blinking
- Pairing mode. Waiting for the Wi-Fi settings from the app.
- Red
- Starting up, or connecting to the Wi-Fi network.
- Orange, slowly pulsing
- The batteries are flat. The toy stops trying to connect until you replace them.
- Purple
- Play is not allowed right now (switched off or outside the time window), or an update is running.
- Off
- Standby: connected and waiting for a button press, or asleep.
Batteries and sleep
The toy runs on 2 AA alkaline batteries and looks after them on its own.
- Follow the battery level on the device card in the app.
- As the batteries get weak the toy speaks more quietly by itself, to make them last longer. If the volume drops noticeably, it is time to replace them.
- When the batteries are too flat to run the Wi-Fi, the light pulses orange slowly and the toy stops trying. Fresh batteries bring it back.
- Left alone, the toy falls asleep. A button press wakes it, and you can also send it to sleep from the app.
- Before a longer break, switch the holder off and take the batteries out.
If something goes wrong
The handful of things that actually come up during setup. The full troubleshooting page covers the rest.
The plush does not blink blue
Check that the switch on the battery holder is on, that the batteries are the right way round and that they are not flat. If the toy has already been set up once, hold the button for about 5 seconds to send it back to pairing mode.
The app cannot find the plush
Check that Bluetooth is on and that the plush is blinking blue, move closer, then tap Search for Playnitive device.
No Wi-Fi networks are listed
On Android, allow location access and check that the phone Wi-Fi is on. On iPhone there is no list at all: the network name has to be typed by hand.
Connection failed
Almost always a mistyped Wi-Fi password. Try again, and check that the network really is a 2.4 GHz one.
The light stays red and the toy does not answer
It cannot reach the Wi-Fi network. Check your router and internet connection, or run the setup again from Connect to internet.
The light pulses orange slowly
The batteries are flat. Replace both with fresh AA (LR6) alkaline batteries. The toy retries by itself every few minutes and starts up normally once fresh batteries are in.
A button press only gives a purple light
Play is switched off, or you are outside the daily time window. Check Profile settings.
You want to move it to a different Wi-Fi network
Hold the button for about 5 seconds, then run the setup again from Connect to internet.
What happens to your child's voice
The voice travels over an encrypted connection and is processed only in services hosted inside the European Union. Raw audio is never stored: it is held in memory just long enough to be turned into text, then discarded. There is no camera in the product.
Before you hand it over
- Recommended for ages 4 and over. Not suitable for children under 3: it contains small parts that could be swallowed.
- The toy contains electrical parts and is to be used under adult supervision.
- The battery compartment is opened by an adult, using a tool. Children must not have access to the batteries.
- Do not recharge non-rechargeable batteries, do not mix old and new or different types, and take flat ones out.
- Indoor use, in a dry environment. Do not machine wash and do not immerse in water: wipe the outside with a slightly damp cloth.
- Do not hold the plush directly against a child's ear: there is a loudspeaker inside.
- The product is not a medical, therapeutic or emergency device, and it does not replace adult supervision.
The full user manual is in the box. Read it before first use and keep it for later.