Minimum specifications

Windows

Windows 7 or higher.
Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera.
Other browsers may work with Busy Things, but are not officially supported.

Mac

Intel and Apple Silicon models are both supported.

Safari 8.0 or later versions, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome.
Other browsers may work with Busy Things, but are not officially supported.

iPad

iPad - 5th gen (2017) or higher.

iPad Air - 2nd gen (2014) or higher.

iPad Mini - 4th gen (2015) or higher.

iPad Pro - 1st gen (2015) or higher.

The device must be updated to iOS 9 or higher.

Safari or Chrome are recommended but most browsers are supported.

Android tablet

Android 6 (Marshmallow) or higher.

Minimum of 1.5 GB of RAM.

Please ensure you have the latest version of Chrome.

Other browsers may work with Busy Things, but are not officially supported.

Amazon Fire Tablet

Recommended:

Fire 7 - 12th gen (2022) or higher.

Fire HD 8 - 6th gen (2016) or higher.

Fire HD 10 - 7th gen (2017) or higher.

Fire Max 11 - 1st gen (2023) or higher.

Please ensure you have the latest version of the Silk Browser.

Chromebook

Chromebooks are supported. Please ensure that Chrome OS is up to date.

Raspberry Pi

Not officially supported.

General troubleshooting

If you come across any problems with busythings.co.uk, please ensure that you are using the latest versions of your browser.  If this doesn't help, please try these steps first:

First, close all instances of your browser and then restart and try busythings.co.uk again.

If this doesn't help, clear any files your browser has saved on your machine. This will ensure that you are using the latest version of busythings.co.uk. Follow the instructions for the browser you are using:

Microsoft Edge

Click the 3 dots in the top right corner and select Settings.

Under 'Clear Browsing Data' click 'Choose What To Clear'.

Ensure 'Cached Data and Files' is selected and click Clear.

Google Chrome (Desktop and mobile)

Click the 3 dots in the top right corner.
Select History.
Select 'Clear browsing data'.
Make sure 'Cached images and files' is selected.
Click 'Clear browsing data'.

Mozilla Firefox

On the Firefox Tools menu, click Options.
Click the Privacy panel then select the Cache tab.
Click 'Clear Cache Now'. This will delete all the files that are currently stored in your cache.
Click OK.

Apple Safari (iOS)

Open the iPad settings.

Scroll down on the left hand side and select Safari.

Select 'Clear History and Website Data'.

Select Clear and re-open Safari.

Apple Safari (macOS/OS X)

Open the browser and click Safari in the top menu bar.

Click Preferences.
Go to the Advanced tab, tick 'Show Develop menu in menu bar' and then close the popup.
Click 'Develop' in the top menu bar.
Click 'Empty Caches' and refresh the web page.

Amazon Silk Browser

Click the 3 dots in the top right corner and select History.
Click the rubbish bin icon.
Make sure 'Cached images and files' is selected.
Click 'Clear data'.

Opera

Click on the Easy Setup button in the top right corner and scroll down to 'Clear browsing data'.

Click the 'Clear browsing data' button.

Make sure 'Cached images and files' is selected.

Click 'Clear data'.

If you are still having problems with busythings.co.uk, please contact us either by email (support@busythings.co.uk) or by telephone (+44 (0)1332 364963). Please have your busythings.co.uk username to hand, as it may be required.

Creating a shortcut to Busy Things

Google Chrome (desktop)

Navigate to www.busythings.co.uk. Click the three dots in the top right corner. Select More tools and then Add to desktop. Then click Add.

Microsoft Edge

Right click the desktop. Select New and then Shortcut. Type www.busythings.co.uk into the location and then click Next. Type Busy Things as the name for the shortcut and then click Finish.

Firefox

Navigate to www.busythings.co.uk. Click on the Busy Things icon to the left of the address bar next to the Busy Things URL and then drag it onto the desktop and release the mouse button. If you can't see the desktop click the Maximise/Restore button (with an icon of two squares) in the top right to change the window size.

Safari

Navigate to www.busythings.co.uk. Select the entire address in the address bar at the top of the browser. Click and drag the address onto the desktop and release the mouse button.

iPads

Open the Safari browser and then login to Busy Things. Click the Share button located in the top right corner with an icon of an upwards facing arrow in a square. Select Add to Home Screen and then click Add. An icon will then appear on the home screen.
 
Android

Open the Chrome browser and then login to Busy Things. Click on the three dots in the top right corner. Select Add to Home screen and then click Add. An icon will then appear on the home screen.

Tablet specific issues

iPads

Please ensure your iPad is running the latest version of iOS.

If the sound isn't working on your device, please try sliding the small physical switch near the volume buttons. If the sound still isn't working or if you are on a device which doesn't have this switch, please try the following. If you are using an older iPad (with an iOS version below 11), swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up the Control Center. If you are using a newer iPad, swipe down from the battery icon in the top right of the screen instead. Then look for the button with a bell icon and make sure it is toggled so that Silent/Mute mode is turned off.

If you encounter any issues with the website or games not loading properly, you can try going into the Settings App, selecting Safari on the left and then selecting Clear History and Website Data.

If you encounter any other problems beyond this, please try powering your iPad down and then restarting it. 

Android

Please ensure your tablet is running the latest version of the Chrome Browser.

If you encounter any issues with the website or games not loading properly in Chrome, select the 3 dots in the top right corner, select History and then select Clear Browsing Data. Make sure Cache is selected and press Clear.

If you encounter any other problems beyond this, please try powering your tablet down and then restarting it.

If you have any further problems then please contact us by email (duncan@busythings.co.uk) or telephone (+44 (0)1332 364963).

Forgotten your username and password?

If you have forgotten your username and password, click the 'Play now' button in the top right of this screen, then click the 'Forgotten username' or 'Forgotten password' link. Enter the email address you used to register your Busy Things account and click 'Send me a reminder'.

Alternatively, contact us either by email (enquiries@busythings.co.uk) or by telephone (+44 (0)1332 364963).

Known issues

As with any new software, there may be a few teething issues so you'll be receiving updates over the next few months.

Below is a list of the bugs that we are currently aware of and are working to fix:

• Chrome on Android sometimes loses audio if the tablet is not touched for an extended period of time - leaving the activity and returning should resolve the issue in the interim.

Logging in without typing your username and password

If you want to allow your children to access busythings.co.uk without typing your username and password, login to your Teacher account, click Manage Setups (in the Teacher Bar) and then click Create Shortcut. Select which type of login you wish to use and click Make Shortcut. This will generate a link that you can add to your bookmarks or favourites, or place as a shortcut on your desktop.

Please ensure that these links are not made public. They should only be used locally (as a shortcut in your browser on or your desktop) or placed in a secured area of your website/learning platform.

Single sign on

SSO is possible for users wishing to integrate busythings.co.uk into their learning platform. Please contact us with the name of your learning platform and we will arrange this for you.