Frequently asked questions
Cluemoo is a weekly cooperative mystery game for grandparents and grandkids, built from family stories. Here's everything families usually ask.
The basics
What is Cluemoo?
It's a cooperative mystery game for grandparents and grandkids, built from family stories. Every week or every other week, the grandparent gets half the clues and the grandchild gets the other half. They solve it together in about 30-60 minutes over FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom or a phone call.
Does Grandma need to download an app or remember a password?
No. It works in any phone or tablet browser. Each player gets their own link by email. Tap it and the clues open. There's no app to install, no account to create and no password to remember.
Where do the stories in the mystery come from?
From the grandparent. After setup, we email them a short chat that asks one easy question at a time, like where they grew up or a dish they're famous for. They type or speak their answers, and the first case is built from them. After each case there's one more question, so the stories keep coming.
Who writes the mysteries?
An AI model, Anthropic's Claude, drafts each case from the stories your family shares. Then every puzzle is checked by computer before anyone plays it, checking it has exactly one answer and that neither side can solve it alone. A puzzle that fails is swapped for one we've already tested. Children's data is never used to train any AI model.
How is Cluemoo different from a memoir service like Storyworth?
Memoir services email the grandparent writing prompts and print the answers as a book. Cluemoo also starts from the grandparent's stories, but turns them into a game the grandkids play with the grandparent on a call. One makes a keepsake; the other makes a weekly reason to talk. Some families do both.
Is it only for grandparents?
For now, yes. Cousins in different homes, step-families, aunts and uncles, and parents living apart are next. When two households share a game, each parent adds and consents for their own kids.
Playing together
Can Grandma and Grandpa both play?
Yes, together. Each case has one grandparent's side with one link, so Grandma and Grandpa sit side by side and read their clues from it. A separate link for a second grandparent isn't available yet. The other side is for one or two grandkids, each on their own link.
What if we can't find a time to play together?
Each case stays open until the next one, so there's no fixed time. Progress is saved and every case has good places to stop, so you can split it over two shorter calls.
What do we need to play?
Each player needs a phone, tablet or computer with a web browser, and the family needs a way to talk: FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom, Google Meet or a plain phone call all work, and so does sitting at the same table with two screens. Each player opens their own link and reads their clues out loud to the other.
How many people can play?
One grandparent on one side and one or two grandkids on the other. Two grandkids share a side and work as a team, each on their own link. Grandma and Grandpa can share the grandparent's side, from one link.
Does it work if we live in different countries or time zones?
Yes. It works across an ocean or across town. Any call app works, and each case stays open until the next one arrives, so you can play whenever your mornings and evenings overlap.
What kinds of puzzles are there?
Over 20 kinds, each made for two people with different halves: secret codes, split maps, logic grids, number locks, mazes where one of you has the map and guides the other home, spot-the-difference, shared crosswords and more. Each case has 4-6 puzzles plus a quick game or two, and new kinds appear as a mystery goes on.
Can we change the day or how often a case arrives?
Yes, any time from your family page. New cases open at 8am on your family's day, every week or every other week. Both paces give the same amount of play for the price.
Kids, reading and privacy
What ages is it for?
Grandkids from 4 to 17. The puzzles get harder with age: picture choices for little ones, decoders and maps from about 8, harder ciphers for teens. Reading is set separately, so a child who isn't reading yet gets pictures and every clue read out loud, and a grandparent can switch on large text.
Can my child play if they can't read yet?
Yes. Set their reading level to Listener. Their half of each puzzle uses pictures, a picture lock instead of letters, and a button that reads every clue out loud. Each side's clues are written for whoever reads them, so Grandma's half can still be harder.
What do you collect about my child?
Only a first name, an age band, a reading level, puzzle progress and the answers they give to the question after each case. No email, phone number, photos or location. A parent gives consent before a child plays and can delete the child's data at any time.
Are there ads or in-app purchases?
No. There are no ads, no tracking and no analytics on the pages children use, and nothing to buy inside the game. Children's data is never sold or used to train any AI model.
Pricing and refunds
How much does it cost?
$99 for a year, $59 for 6 months or $35 for 3 months, paid once with no auto-renew. Every week or every other week, it's the same amount of play for the price. Or play a single case for $9 first; that $9 comes off a package bought within 14 days. There's a full refund within 30 days.
Is it a subscription? Will I be charged again?
No. You pay once for 3, 6 or 12 months and nothing renews. When your weeks run out, you can buy another package if you'd like to keep playing.
What is your refund policy?
A full refund within 30 days, no questions asked. After that, the weeks you haven't used become a gift code you can use later or give to another family.
What is a feedback family?
A family that answers 5 quick questions (about 2 minutes) after each case and pays 30% less for a package they buy themselves. The next case opens once the last one has a review, with one free skip every 3 months. It isn't available on gifts.
Giving it as a gift
How does giving it as a gift work?
Pick 3, 6 or 12 months and a start date. You get a printable gift card by email, and we can also email the family to tell them about it. A parent redeems the code and sets up the family in about five minutes.
Is it a good gift for a grandparent who has everything?
Often, yes. It isn't another thing for the shelf: it's a weekly reason for the grandkids to call, built from the grandparent's own stories. They need nothing new, just the phone, tablet or computer they already use, with no app or password.
Can grandparents give it to their grandkids?
Yes. Anyone can give it, including grandparents for their grandkids' family. A parent of the kids redeems the code, adds who's playing and gives consent for their children, and then each player gets their own link.
Does it work as a last-minute gift?
Yes. There's nothing to ship: the printable card and gift code arrive by email as soon as you've paid, and you choose the day the mysteries start.
When does a holiday gift start?
Gift cards let you pick a start date. Holiday gifts start on January 3, 2027 by default, so the first case doesn't land in the middle of the holidays.