How to use Springbind

Last updated 13 November 2026

The short version. Sign in, tell Springbind what you’d like to write, and answer its questions one at a time in your own words. When you have enough, pick out your story’s key moments, arrange them into chapters and write each chapter with your answers beside you, until your first draft is done.

1. Getting started

Where to find Springbind

• On an Android phone or tablet: the Springbind app, from Google Play.
• On an iPhone, iPad or computer: in your web browser at app.springbind.com. There’s nothing to install, but you can add it to your home screen (see below).

Your account works everywhere, so a story you start on your phone is waiting on your computer, and anything you unlock works on every device you sign in on.

Sign in

1. Open Springbind and type your email address, then tap Email me a code. In the Android app you can tap Continue with Google instead.
2. Check your email for a 6-digit code from Springbind. If it hasn’t arrived within a minute, look in your spam folder.
3. Type the code and tap Sign in. Codes only work for a short time, so if yours has expired, tap Send a new code.

Signing in for the first time creates your free account. Springbind is for adults, so please be 18 or over.

If a friend sent you their Springbind link or code, open Have a code from a friend? before you sign in. Once you’ve answered your first 5 questions, you and your friend each get 3 extra AI requests.

Start your first story

1. Choose what you’d like to write: something true from your own life, a story you’re making up, or I’m not sure yet.
2. In a sentence or two, say what’s on your mind. It doesn’t need to be good.
3. Add a working title if you have one, or leave it blank.
4. Tap Start answering.

Use Springbind like an app

On an iPhone, iPad or computer, you can give Springbind its own icon so it opens full screen and works offline. Open it once while you’re online, then:

The install option doesn’t appear in a private or incognito window, or in Firefox.

2. Answering questions

Springbind asks one question at a time. Answer however it comes out, then tap Save and ask me another. Your answers are kept word for word: nothing is polished, and nothing is added that you didn’t say.

• On a phone, tap the microphone on your keyboard to talk instead of type.
• Start names with a capital letter, and put shows, films, songs and books in quotes, like “Corrie”. It helps Springbind ask the right questions about the right people.

Tell Springbind something

Tap Tell Springbind something under the answer box, type a line, then choose:

• Remember this for a fact, such as “The lead character is called Thomas”. It goes into Decisions.
• Ask me about this for something you want to explore, such as “the priest in the valley”. Springbind asks you a few questions about it before anything else.

If what you type is a detail to settle, such as “the courier’s name”, Springbind asks you one direct question instead, and a short answer is saved to Decisions too. You can also add and remove things to be asked about in the Ask me about section of the Decisions tab.

Checks along the way

Every six answers, Springbind stops for a quick check and shows the answers you’ve just written. The answer box is hidden while it does, so scroll down to see them all. Tap Edit on any that are wrong or out of date, or Something doesn’t fit to add a note to Open Items. When you’re happy, tap That all stands, carry on.

Every five answers or so, one of your open items comes back as a question starting “Still to settle”. Answer it to settle it, or tap Not decided yet to leave it on your list.

The tabs

3. Keeping your work safe

Save your story to your account

Until you save a story to your account, it’s only kept on the device you’re using. To save it, open My work, choose Save this story to my account, tick the box to agree, and tap Save to my account. From then on it saves automatically as you write, and it’s waiting on any phone or computer you sign in on. Your saved stories are listed on the welcome screen.

The My work menu

4. Shaping your story

Find the shape

After 10 answers, Story Shape opens. Pick the key moments your story can’t do without, put them in the order they happen, and agree them. Springbind suggests some, and Ask for AI suggestions reads everything you’ve written and suggests more. Picking your key moments is free.

Next, group your key moments into chapters, give each one a working title, and agree your chapter plan. Ask for AI chapter suggestions can suggest a grouping for you. You can change your key moments or chapters later: Springbind asks you to agree the plan again, and anything you’ve drafted is kept.

Strengthen a chapter

Springbind checks each key moment for seven parts: where it happens and who’s there, what’s said, what leads up to it, what comes straight after, what can be seen and heard, what’s done and why, and how it changes things. It also checks how each moment leads to the next. Each chapter is rated Thin, Getting there or Ready, with a line such as “3 of 16 parts covered”.

Tap Strengthen on a chapter to answer questions about just its key moments, starting with what’s missing. The bar fills as parts are covered. You can start writing at any time: thin chapters are just easier to write after a few more answers.

Fill the gaps

Where the gaps are, in Story Shape, lists each chapter with what its key moments are still missing, and a Strengthen button for each. Under it, Find the gaps with AI reads everything you’ve written alongside your chapter plan, decisions and open items, and points out what the story depends on but you haven’t settled. It never suggests what the answer should be. For each gap, choose Answer this, Add to Open Items or Dismiss.

Set your watch list

On the Decisions tab, Your watch list holds the words, phrases, habits and punctuation you want caught in your writing.

• Tap a punctuation chip, such as Em dashes or Brackets, to switch it on or off.
• Type a word or phrase, choose how strict to be, and tap Add to watch list: Never use it, Watch for overuse, or Not at the start of a sentence.
• Put * on the end to catch every form, so nod* finds nod, nods and nodded.

5. Writing your chapters

Open the Writing tab and tap a chapter. Springbind saves as you type.

• Before you write sits at the top of each new chapter: how you’re writing it, anything not decided yet, and details still to check.
• Your material for this chapter shows its key moments and your answers. On a computer it sits beside the writing area; on a phone, tap it to open it.
• The last lines of the previous chapter show above the writing area, so each chapter picks up where the last left off.
• Add selected words to my material: if you write a new detail in the chapter, select it and tap this so it counts in Springbind’s questions and checks.
• Check my writing points out everything on your watch list, plus a few common habits. Tap Show them in my text to see each one highlighted. It never changes anything itself.
• Mark as drafted ✓ when the whole chapter is down, however rough. Mark as done ✓ once you’ve read it back and you’re happy with it for now.
• Proofread with AI opens once a chapter is marked as drafted and has at least 400 words. It follows your watch list and checks the chapter against your decisions. Tap Accept or Dismiss for each suggestion.

Earlier versions

Springbind keeps a copy of a chapter each time you mark it as drafted or done, and before you accept an AI proofreading change. Open Earlier versions of this chapter under the writing area to read one, or tap Go back to this version. Your current text is kept as a version too, so nothing is lost. Springbind keeps the last five for each chapter.

Read it through and download it

Read it through, at the bottom of the Writing tab, shows every chapter as one piece. Under each chapter is a Note for later box, which shows at the top of that chapter until you tap Clear the note. When you’re ready, download your book from My work as a Word file or a PDF.

6. What’s free, and unlocking a story

Springbind is free to start, and you can always download everything you’ve written, whatever you’ve paid. All prices include VAT.

When you reach a part that comes with unlocking, Springbind shows you what’s included and how to unlock it. Unlocking a story and Full Springbind are one-off payments, not subscriptions.

How a story unlock is used. An unlock for a new story is used once the story is saved to your account or has 5 answers. Until then, if you start a different story instead, the unlock moves to it. Once used, it stays with that story, even if you delete it.

Where to buy

• Android: in the Springbind app, through Google Play. Bought on another phone? Choose Restore purchases in My work.
• iPhone, iPad or computer: in your browser at app.springbind.com. After you pay, your story unlocks straight away. You’ll also get an email with a code: if anything hasn’t unlocked, open Have a code? on the unlock screen and paste it in.

7. AI help

Springbind works fully without AI. If you’d like a second opinion, AI can suggest key moments and chapters, suggest new questions, find gaps in your story, and proofread a chapter. Each of these uses one AI request. Nothing in your story changes unless you choose to use a suggestion.

The first time you ask, Springbind explains what’s sent and asks you to agree. Only the parts of your story needed for that request are sent to Claude, an AI made by Anthropic. Your email address isn’t sent, and Anthropic doesn’t use it to train its AI.

When the AI buttons appear

• Ask AI for 5 new questions appears under the question after about 40 answers, and after three answers while you’re strengthening a chapter.
• AI key moment and chapter suggestions are in Story Shape.
• Find the gaps with AI is in Story Shape once your key moments are agreed.
• Proofread with AI opens once a chapter is drafted and has at least 400 words.

Your AI requests

Monthly requests renew each time your plan renews and don’t carry over. Springbind uses your monthly requests first, then pack requests, then your free ones. If an AI request doesn’t work, it isn’t counted. Manage or cancel a monthly plan in Google Play.

Earn more by sharing

Choose Share Springbind in My work to get your own link. When a friend joins through it and answers their first 5 questions, you both get 3 extra AI requests. You can earn this for up to 10 friends a year, and the extra requests last 12 months. Springbind never contacts your friends: you share the link yourself.

8. Your account and your privacy

Your writing belongs to you, and it’s never sold or used for advertising. On the welcome screen, under Your privacy:

• Download everything in my account gives you a copy of every story you’ve saved.
• Delete everything from my account permanently deletes your account and everything in it, and signs you out on every device.

If you’re in a story, open My work and choose Switch to another story to get back to the welcome screen. There’s more in our privacy policy and on deleting your account.

9. Starting again from a backup

Use this if Springbind isn’t working properly on a device. It clears Springbind from that device, then loads your story back in.

Before you start: make sure your story shows as saved to your account, or that you have a save file (ending in .json). Clearing removes anything that’s only on this device.

Step 1: remove the app, if you added it

• Android app: press and hold the Springbind icon, then tap Uninstall. Reinstall it from Google Play.
• iPhone or iPad: press and hold the Springbind icon, tap Remove App, then Delete.
• Computer: open Springbind, click the ⋮ or … menu at the top, then Uninstall.

Step 2: clear Springbind’s data from your browser

Step 3: load your story back in

1. Open Springbind and sign in again.
2. If your story is listed under “Your stories saved to your account”, tap Continue. You’re done.
3. Otherwise, tap Continue from a saved file and choose your save file. On an iPhone, tap Choose File, then Browse, and look in Downloads or wherever you saved it.
4. Open My work and choose Save this story to my account, so you won’t need the file next time.

10. If something goes wrong

Still stuck? Email hello@springbind.com with what you see (a screenshot helps), or use Report an issue at the bottom of Springbind.