Think about the phone in your hand, and think about what is on it. An app is short for application, which is a software program. They can help people play games, read the news or find their way. People get them from an online app store. Here is the word to know, and here is what it means for a phone.

Here is some history about how phones got their apps. The iPhone first appeared in 2007. Apple opened its App Store in 2008. Apps are made by developers, who may work alone or in a team. Here are the years for the phone and for the store.

Here is the phone itself, which has a screen you touch with your fingers. On a touchscreen phone you can pinch with your fingers to make a picture smaller. An app can ask for permission before it uses the camera or contacts on a phone. You can say Allow or Deny to the question on the screen, and then you can go on to use the phone.

Here is a look at the way of keeping apps up to date. Updating an app gives you the latest features and makes it more secure. Many software updates are made to fix security risks. Here is a word to know, and you may hear it often. Malware is software made on purpose to cause harm.

Here is a look at money, which a family may think about with a phone. Some apps and some things inside apps cost real money. In-app purchases let a person pay for extra things inside an app. Money is a thing to know about on a phone, and here are the facts about it. A family can talk about money, and a child can ask a parent.

Here is how a parent can help with a phone. Apps and games can have an age rating. A parent can set daily time limits too. On Apple and Google phones, a parent or guardian makes the account for a child under 13. Here is what a parent can do for a child with a phone, and these are the facts. A parent can do these things, and a child can ask a parent about them.

Here is what a parent can do first, before a child gets a new thing for a phone. Parents can block or allow particular apps on a child's phone. Parents can set up a phone so that a child has to ask a grown-up before getting an app. Some phones have settings that let a parent make a child ask permission before downloading or buying apps.

Words to know

• malware: harmful software
• developers: app makers
• rating: age label

The short version

An app is short for application, which is a software program. People get apps from an online app store. Many software updates are made to fix security risks. Parents can set up a phone so that a child has to ask a grown-up before getting an app.

Quick facts

• An app is short for application, which is a software program.
• People get apps from an online app store.
• Many software updates are made to fix security risks.
• Some apps and some things inside apps cost real money.
• Parents can set up a phone so that a child has to ask a grown-up before getting an app.