Help & FAQ

Quick answers to the most common questions.

Last updated November 8, 2026

How do I add the Lock Screen widget?

Touch and hold your Lock Screen, tap Customize, then Lock Screen. Tap the widget area under the clock and choose Shiba Kana. You can also find this guide in the app under Me → Widget Setup.

The widget doesn't change words

Words change on the schedule you set in Settings → Widgets (every 30 minutes, 1 hour or 3 hours, optionally only during the day). iOS decides the exact moment, so changes can be a few minutes late. Opening the app refreshes all widgets.

What is free and what is Pro?

Free, forever: all hiragana and katakana with lessons and quizzes, JLPT N5 kanji and vocabulary, the rectangular Lock Screen widget with your daily words, up to 5 new words a day, unlimited reviews, audio, stroke order, iCloud Sync and one custom list of up to 20 words. Pro unlocks JLPT N4–N1, every widget style including the example-sentence widget, up to 20 new words a day, unlimited lists, themes and Japanese fonts.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Open Me → Settings → Manage Subscription, or the Settings app → your name → Subscriptions. Cancelling stops the next renewal; Pro stays active until the end of the period you paid for.

I bought Pro but it's not showing

Open Me → Settings → Restore Purchases while signed in with the same Apple Account you used to buy.

Do I need an account?

No. Shiba Kana has no account. With iCloud Sync on, your progress follows your Apple Account across your devices.

I found a wrong reading or definition

Open the word and tap the flag next to its reading or on an example sentence, then tell us what's wrong. We read every message.

Which languages does the app support?

Shiba Kana teaches Japanese. The app is in English and Traditional Chinese and follows your iPhone's language. Meanings are shown in English, or in Traditional Chinese when the app is in Traditional Chinese.

How do the readings work?

Kanji words show their reading in small kana above the kanji (furigana). You can turn romaji on or off and choose whether cards show kanji first, kana first or kana only in Settings → Learning. Audio always reads the kana.

Are the JLPT levels official?

No. The JLPT does not publish official vocabulary or kanji lists. Shiba Kana uses widely used community lists (see Settings → Acknowledgements), so a word may appear at a different level elsewhere.

Contact

Email graceglabs@gmail.com — we usually reply within two working days.