Talking Angela
Threat Level – Low
With all the talk of this app and Facebook rumors spreading like wildfire, I had several requests to get up an honest review of the app. So let’s start with who makes the app. Out fit 7 ltd is the creator of the app and immediately I found several other similar style apps that they program such as “Talking Tom Cat”, “Talking Ben the Dog” and “Talking Gina the Giraffe”. So why does the Talking Angela app get all the attention. We will get to that in a minute. So here is the low down to the app.
Talking Angela is available on the mobile app market and is available for free. Once you download, the app does not require an email or your name and date of birth like I have read it did. Basically it is a talking cat that responds to your touch with a giggle or a purr. The other features come along with it are different depending on the mode you select when you first load or inside the app under settings. These modes being child or adult. First off, I don’t know why an adult would want to play this app but to each their own, let’s break down the differences.
Child mode and Adult mode
The cat appears to be a female cat with a female voice. This is the same graphic and layout for either mode. The child’s mode is just in repeat mode. When you talk to your device, the app records what you say and repeats it in a high pitched chipmunk sounding voice. The adult mode does not repeat. Instead, it allows you to type in text to chat with the cat. I attempted to type rude messages seeing if the cat would respond, but it did not respond with anything vulgar. I don’t really understand why they call it adult mode, unless I just didn’t get close to a question that it would understand and reply to with an inappropriate response. So basically in child’s mode, I didn’t see anything that would be inappropriate for children. In adult mode, I still didn’t see anything that was totally out of the ordinary. I played with the app for at least 30 minutes and never got a response with a question that I felt like was from a stranger on the other side of the app, as the rumor mill suggested. The only odd part of the app was when you push or poke the cat to hard with your finger, it knocks her off the stool she is sitting on and before you know it, a large dog with a hat and some kind of magicians wand pops up on your screen as if to scold you for knocking the cat off her stool. She will then tell you in different ways how she doesn’t appreciate you knocking her over. Innocent yeah, odd yes…but we are talking about a talking cat app here so let’s chalk it up as something funny not weird.
Now on to the camera feature. I had read in these urban Angela legends that the app uses the camera to take pictures of you. I didn’t see any evidence of that. The only thing the app does with your picture is puts your face in a small mirror that sits behind Angela as to make it look like you are looking into a mirror. No more no less.
I also read where the cats eyes were someone’s else’s real eyes in the other side of the app that is watching your child play with the app. Once again, no proof of that or anything from the way the app works that anyone could even be on the other side.
I am personally calling all this a big hoax. Something someone started that went viral and now is all,over the Internet as another scare craze that is totally not true. As to why I think this app got selected to be the hoax target versus the other similar apps the company makes. This app is done in high definition and the cat is real life like in its movements and gestures. It is kind of creepy if you look at it thinking that all these rumors are true (which their not). Then with the adult or child selection, that got people thinking that this app could be explicit (I couldn’t find anything explicit either). A combination of this and how things go viral so quickly, I think someone is laughing as I type this taking credit for that first fake article.
I have this a low threat level, and not a very low due to one reason. There is an adult mode. I haven’t figured out why other than the interaction, but if they update the app to respond to sexual related questions or other explicit questions, then this app needs to go. As for now, it seems harmless. Download it yourself and play with it in child’s mode vs adult mode. You can change these modes in settings inside the app.
Any questions, don’t hesitate to shoot me a message via the contact Aaron tab on the top of page.
App description – Angela, talking cat, cat, white cat, pink cat, cat talk, talking animals,
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