Animal phone: The iPhone app for kids

NEW YORK, USA: It’s fast becoming every child’s question: “Can I play with your iPhone?”

For parents, the iPhone can be a lifesaver in restaurants, while driving or waiting at the dentist. Kids have fun playing with everyday apps like timer and notes. There is, however, one app kids cannot use - the Phone app.

“We decided to create Animal Phone, the kid-inspired version of the iPhone, “ says Paul Chapman, director at Long Weekend, the publisher of Animal Phone. The trick, said Chapman, was figuring out who exactly children could call.

“Instead of calling grandma or a playmate, children can call a cast of fictitious animals,” said Chapman.

With the new iPhone App, animals answer the phone, speak and interact. Tap the gorilla and he pounds the ground. Leave him alone and he gets bored. Animals even leave video voice mail messages for kids from time to time.

The free app comes installed with one character, Graham Gorilla, and there are options to buy additional animals within the app. Purchase functionality is kept safe behind a child lock, making this app truly kid friendly.

“Parents are concerned about kids accessing things they shouldn’t. So we added features like a child lock to the in app store and a noise when the app closes,” adds Ross Sharrott, a director at Long Weekend.