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Three tips to help you avoid Facebook hoaxes
A bogus warning is spreading across Facebook, telling parents of young children to watch out for a rogue iPhone/iPad app that (the warning claims) steals children’s names, details of where they go to school, and even takes secret pictures of their faces.
The chain letter warning about the “Talking Angela” iOS app is being unwittingly spread by Facebook users, presumably with the thinking of “better safe than sorry” rather than “maybe I should just check the facts before forwarding this scare onto my friends”.
The truth is that “Talking Angela” appears to be entirely benign, and there are no obvious privacy concerns that differentiate it from thousands of other iPhone apps.
Indeed, the “Talking Angela” app is no different from other similar popular children’s apps from reputable iOS developer Out Fit 7 Ltd, including “Talking Tom Cat”, “Talking Ben the Dog” and “Talking Gina the Giraffe”.
Here’s what a typical warning looks like when it is spread on Facebook:
WARNING FOR TO ALL PARENTS WITH CHILDREN THAT HAVE ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICES , EX : IPOD,TABLETS ETC .... THERE IS A SITE CALLED TALKING ANGELA , THIS SITE ASKS KIDS QUESTIONS LIKE : THERE NAMES , WHERE THEY GO TO SCHOOL AND ALSO TAKE PICTURES OF THEIR FACES BY PUSHING A HEART ON THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER WITHOUT ANY NOTICES . PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILDREN'S IPODS AND ALL TO MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT HAVE THIS APP !!! PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS THAT HAVE KIDS !!!!
The inference from the all-caps warning is clearly that “Talking Angela” is somehow a risk to children.
However, whoever started this scare has got their facts in a muddle.
For one thing, “Talking Angela” is an iOS app – not a website (although there is an optional Facebook component).
Also, the app’s purpose is to wait until the child says something and then mimic what they say back to them (albeit in a Parisian feline fashion) rather than to pilfer details of where they go to school.
None of this, of course, is to say that you shouldn’t be careful about what smartphone apps you install, and which Facebook applications you grant access to your social networking profile.
Furthermore, it’s always a good idea to keep a close eye on what children are doing on the internet – in case they get themselves into a spot of bother.
But the warning spreading across Facebook appears to be nothing more than a scare – setting the cat amongst the pigeons unnecessarily.
UPDATE: 14 February 2014 – Nearly a year since we wrote about the previous “Talking Angela” hoax, another chain letter is doing the rounds on Facebook:
I cant even in words say what I just found out.. I am SHOCKED and want to tell and let my friends and family be made aware so they can make sure their children are safe!!! Angelica stayed home from school today and thank GOD she did. Because she was on her ipod playing a game called talking angela, which is similar to talking tom, anyway as she is sitting next to me this interactive cat says to her hi angelica where is your brother?...
...So please if your KIDS use this app please shut it down. Because SOME KIDS told them the name of the school they went to and is now on red alert at the school, and please PASS this on to ALL your friends.
You might also like our related article:
Three tips to help you avoid Facebook hoaxes
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People forwarding chain letters (!) on Facebook (!!) about online security (!!!).
im scared
For 1 the heart is for a fortune cookie 2 for example if she asks for your name it’s so she can respond to u like “I’m so happy to have you around, Fred” it’s not for know where u live 3 the smile in the upper left corner is for smile into to send an emoji smile to her in the message option
I had that app it’s very bad it asked me were I lived so I made up something to trick it but just delete it
Tell it some random place in the dessert.
like… “Yeah i live on ice cream street, just across the cherries.”?
DOES ANYBODY EVEN NOTICE THE EYES!!! Its the room that the person is in!!
Yes it is!!! I noticed…and there is hidden camera lights all in the picture! The eyes scared the crap out of me and my family!!!
yes there is a person in the eyes and it scares me
THAT IS WELL SCARY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
have you played that game? because it asked me weird questions like how old are you do you have a brother or a sister if so how old and more creepy stuff
It’s a bot. When you answer or speak about anything related to it, the bot automatically asks a question related to the subject. Programming basics, also know as the “if” command.
I had the app and it reeked me out it said pet me and it was a little weird so get it off your phone and it can get a photo of you and they cold track you down so just get it off your phone or I pads or I pods
i got a talking Angela app none of that is true i think its the app cat callers LOOK IT UP!!!!!!
yes it is true just happend to my friends daughter, who ever it was knew they had a brother, what school they got to ect, the mother was sitting next to her daughter, as her daughter was using the app, it asked about things she likes to do on a frist date, then asked her to stick her toung out and so did the cat, then told her what she could do with her toung on that frist date, hows that for truth
More like a total lie, 9/10 for rephrasing every other ‘my friend’s daughter’ post on here though..
yes i agree it asked my sister a very wrong question before i deleted it now scared
Does this friend of yours happen to be your “Facebook friend”?
Just cause, you know they’re not really your friend unless you’ve actually met them in person right?
It has a house in her eye! 😳
Okay, to all of those people who see a house or a camera in Angela’s eyes don’t you think that if someone was smart enough to hack such a popular app that they would be smart enough to not put a picture of themselves or their house in such an obvious place?
I did have talking pierre but i got bored of it within 10 mins so i deleted it
and now ive heard this from a friend its creepin me out
me to
Wow if you look into her eyes you can see a room…WITH WEBCAMS IN IT. I am so freaked out
Yea I am scared
Me too
It scared me and my friend so much when we saw her eyes
If your kid has talking Angela stut it down because there is a person in one of her eye and there is something in there and it looks like a desk and a office a person is picture of everyone that has that game if you see him call 911run away and pass the word to friends and family I it is why u have to have an eye on want they are doing on there iPod iPad or tablet be safe to because he kidnapped two little girls
If you want to play cover the camera at the top and say i know your a
Hacker dont answer any personal questions
This cat does more than just repeat what child says they switch child protection of on the screen and it is then on adult mode play it then can ask you questions
I’m scared because I never new that I am scrared
If asked where i live
Yes i agree, I asked my daughter if she asked her anything. She said it asked her for her name age and if she had a crush. but she also said it was off child mode. nonetheless creepy and deleted
My 3 children have this and its never asked them anything!!!!! its all bullshit
i have nieces and nephews i asked them all what their conversations where like when they talk to this nasty freaking cat and my niece said one time Angela asked her to kiss her!!! this isn’t bullshit because my niece is to young to know what is being said about this app she don’t get on the internet!! so i don’t care what is said about “facts” this app is creepy and i defiantly don’t
support it after hearing what my niece said, believe what you want your 100% entitled to your opinion and im entitled to mine. this is not a hoax or bullshit.
I had someone tell me its a hoax when i asked about it so what is true and what isnt cause my daughter asked me once to get her this app and i didnt but she keeps asking about it and is seven?
Don’t get her that app, if some people think this is fake, let them but it is still inappropriate!
If you can just put it on adult mode and listen to what she says! If its on children mode the person who is asking questions can change it to adult mode
Same here all it asked is what is your name so she can greet you when u go back on the app
no im telling you its is kreepy dont let your children use it
i saw on the news it says their looking for the person who is the stalker behind it !!! WATCH THE NEWS
i agree i have every talking tom app u could think of nothing ever happened half of them are on adult mode half are not NOTHING EVER HAPPENED!!!!
U have to have child mode off to ask questions duh
Anonymous you’ve probably got it on child mode so shush your mush
I don’t want to start anything here but im 15 And my sister had the app, As a joke we turned off the child mode to see what it does it then said to her – Have u got big hands .. I like girls who do, And then asked here we lived i stole the ipad off her and it said to me – I have long fingers and i like to do things with them. Now if u still think its bullsh*z Then okay but there is something not right with this app im sorry but there isnt.
how do you take off the child mode?
Press the T in the screen
It asked if I had ever kissed a stranger, stalked a crush, or kissed a girl. For real.
Yeah, because we all know that children never talk about these things amongst themselves….
It’s true it happened to meh brother
Guys it’s true I’m 8 it’s true I told him everything…..
i know right! plus, why does it have a child mode, huhhh?!!!
Omg she asked my my name and age
What, you mean like 99.9% of applications and websites around the world do; to remember who you are when you next log in….?
No.Look I had this app a year ago but I deleted it.She never asked me about my age.She talked only about herself.At the begining when I first opened it she said bonjour and good morning my name is Angela and what is yours ? And every time I opened it she tells me Hi Nora nice to see you Nora etc.. and she remembers it and now she asks again.I mean before she asked only once at the first meeting -.-.And she never asked me where do I live or my number.And now things are different.
Me too and when I first got it she asked me my name and age and I told her.when my friend told me about the guy I died inside.and deleted it I got it again and she still knew the info
Obviously you’re becoming too concerned, she’s like a friend of the child, that’s why she wants to know their name, their age is so she doesn’t do things unsuitable for them, where you live, she means what country. And if she asked if you have a crush she’s becoming friendly she isn’t a pedophilic thing, so stop over-reacting
Im telling it again before things were different she never asked me where do I live and what is my age.Yes I didnt tried it after all this because I was scared and deleted it.But im correcting you that IF ALL THIS IS TRUE,THE APP WASNT LIKE THAT .I HAD IT A YEAR AGO AND DELETE IT YESTERDAY.AND THINGS WERE DIFFERENT YOURE SAYING THAT THE APP IS CREATED LIKE THAT BUT NO!!
btw I didnt open this app for two weeks or more which means It was normal because it started soon a week ago maybe and that It might not be true because I didnt saw this with my eyes I mean nothing like this happened to me. And im the only one playing this app (was) which means I dont have friends or family playing it and dont know anything from them.IDK but I deleted it for safity.It might not be all this true.Maybe people invented it because she is selfish and talks only about herself and she is like dady”s princess and they did this for hate but I dont know.I mean she is little anoying and I started hating her a little before all this 😀 but if its true I want the old Angela back.The selfish one 🙁
You’re so dense, seriously.
Thanks
Scince when does it do that?(just wondering)
i decided to download app today to see for my self it asked my age i said 12 it then asked if i had been to a clothes swapping party i said no so then it came back with i will tell you a story about a time me and tom went to a clothes swapping party it starts the story with we met up at night and went out to party im sorry im surpost to be 12 years old it was at that point id made my mind up this app is not suitable for children
My sister told the app that it was a pervert and that she was deleting it and the app cussed her out using the F bomb and the b word.
"maybe I should just the facts before sharing this scare onto my friends"
Me fail English? That's unpossible! :o)
It should probably read "I should check the facts". Also, you don't "share onto"; you can share with, or pass onto.
The English is correct. The way they are phrasing it is as if speaking (thinking) to oneself. <<The chain letter warning about the "Talking Angela" iOS app is being unwittingly spread by Facebook users, presumably with the thinking of "better safe than sorry" rather than "maybe I should just check the facts before forwarding this scare onto my friends".>> They are saying people think better safe than sorry (to themselves) Rather than thinking (to them selves or asking themselves) "Maybe I should just check the facts…" and you forward something onto a friend they did not say share onto!
Forwarding is annoying, yeah, but this app sounds entirely A: Retarded. B: Unsafe. My reasoning? 1. This sounds like it won’t teach your kid anything but adult information should they trigger this “adult mode” which sounds like in most cases is somehow being automatically triggered. 2. Whether the data is being mined or not is irrelevant. What matters here is that the crazy thing is talking about tongue action, dating, smoking, kissing, and can take instant pictures. In conclusion, this stinks of, at best: A waste of time and a potential educational shock to children. At worst, something that some guy out there at his desk job gets off on and may or may not carry out to some crazy extreme. Either way it sounds like this app is pretty much worthless, regardless of any risk.
you should reread it .
You should reread it. You basically just paraphrased that sentence. It says “forward” not “share.”
Well done, your ability to know the “rules” of language has been demonstrated. I hope you feel suitably smug, you special, special man.
Could almost pass as an anti-marketing campaign, do they have competing apps by Russian developers?
This is actually a very legitimate theory. I just saw a “Facebook chain letter post” on a friends wall that, within the first paragraph, explicitly described it as “just like Talking Tom”. In an era where business managers will plant fake Yelp / Urban Spoon reviews, it’s certainly not a stretch to imagine this is a possible deliberate grass-roots movement by someone involved with said Talking Tom app.
That’s the one I saw and was like wtf? Im not surprised the ppl who are spamming my feed with it though, they do this will all kinds of garbage chain letters and fakes stories begging for likes. No facebook is not going to donate $100 for every share what if 100,000 people share. Think about it.
People need to do their homework. I have not let my kids play with it because when I checked it out FIRST the cat was VERY inappropriate. Last night this cat told me about “no-clothes party’s with her friend Tom” she said “she likes to drink funny drinks and get silly” The cat told me she was 18 years old, asked how old I was, I replied 5 and she asked me if I play dating! “What would I do on a date?” It went on and on so before you throw your children to the wolves DO YOUR RESEARCH. It’s not spamming when your trying to help children who can’t help them selves
That’s not true is it.
Now I can’t say about the rumors of taking pics and what not we did not have that experience but I agree that the cat was inappropriate. It did ask my daughter about kissing and dating which i just kind of blew off but it mentioned liking smoking cigerattes I removed the app then. She had been telling me it was saying things that she thought weren’t right and I’d say yeah it was doing that
I thoght the same thing about inappropriate questions. I think that OUTFIT7 who created it should be shut down as a company / at least looked into. Someone should let their child on it with the police present and get the child ask the cat unusual questions like do you want to meet me then a reply from Angela then show the police’s face to the camera. BUSTED!
Yeah you go!
Then we’ll put the cat in a computer prison!
Yay stupidity!!
Yay for wasting police time!!
Wow, your replies are priceless. This is an interesting thread…
its not stupidity. Ever thought of putting the processer of the game in prison? yeah.
yup i d totally agree
100% True bud – I have better things to do than make up lies about a cartoon cat. However I will spend the time to warn others that may not be as diligent
I just checked this app out and instead of saying I was an adult like it asks at the beginning I said I was you and then she said she was 18 and askes my age and I told her I was 14 and I never got anything inappropriate. the only thing that seems uncomfortable is that she acts a very strange when you pet her fur. Also she only talked about clothes swap parties which didn’t seem inappropriate since you are just swapping clothes. maybe you guys just don’t have a very good security app on your phones and someone is accessing the app while you are on it.
She Didn’t Say Anything Innapropriate Because You Told Her You Were 14. She Only Says Things To Younger Children Stating They Are 5 Or 6. Because They Are Unaware Of Whats Right Or Wrong Unlike A 14 Year Old Who Would Immediately Tell Their Parents
Isn’t this made by the same company as talking tom?
Yes it is!
Yes! But I dont see how they are comparing Talking Angela to Talking Tom? Talking tom is just recording and repeating what you say with a higher pitch, while Talking Angela is literally having a conversation with you. One is cute and repetitive, while the other is creepy and weird. I dont see the comparison.
Yes it is
Yes but talking tom is made by dif peeps
yea it is all the ‘talking’ animals are from the same creator I belive
Yes it is and talking Ben, talking Pierre , talking Lila ,talking ginger ,talking Santa, talking Gina , talking bacteria John , Talking baby Hippo, Talking Harry the hedgehog, Talking Larry the bird, Talking Roby the Robot and Talking Rex the Dinosaur.
Except that the same company that makes Talking Tom also makes this app.
WHAT does “RUSSIAN” has to DO with THAT, or ANYTHING???
Russia hacks US property more often that China does each year. So I’m assuming it could be because of that.
are you serious? Anybody can hack games there’s no specific types.You can be talking to a hacker right no and you don’t even know it
can i just say that, for an app that does asks questiong about a childs identity is not right, and ihave asked my child if this has happened and she has said yes, she has typed in details that it has asked her, so if it is safe y did it want my childs name, school and then take pics of her saying how beautiful she is
My nehbor was playing talking Angela it glitches then sounded like a man DONT GET THE APP
bullshit. It doesn’t ask stuff like that at all and it doesn’t take photos unless you place your face in the frame and click the camera button. It’s sheeple like you who spread stuff like this and cause people unecessary worry.
Its hardly fake when a girl was of school and then angela said where is your brother that girl never mentioned about her brother so how would she know that she had a brother without being told pictures are being unnecessarily taken
If you read it properly it says that the little girl and her cousin had told it she had a brother at the weekend!
I NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH SOME ONE MY SON WAS ON THE APP AND A GUY STARTED SAYING PERVERTED THINGS .WHERE ARE YOU PARENTS ARE YOU HOME ALONE CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR SELF THIS IS REAL HE SHOWED ME EVERY THING YOU CAN LOOK IN THE CATS EYES AND SEE A MON LAYING IN BED
Maybe it’s sheeple like you behind this, maybe?? hmmmmmm Who knows, maybe you’re the creep who likes this sort of thing. I say keep our children SAFE, shut this app down!!!
It does ask stuff like that! After reading an alert on fb I checked out the app my daughter has, and after sticking my tongue out at the camera it asked me’ ” What else do you I like to do with your tongue?” Not for my child.
Actually, the last one about the little girl and her brother was true. The poor mother called the police and they actually set a warning out saying to delete these apps.
I didn’t click tne ca era button and it automatically took my picture a d tnen proceeded to ask me questions..not good for children
I saw the second one on Facebook. The people who edited the second one cut off details about the police arriving. The police said there was someone behind the cat. Now, this doesn’t mean that this will happen to every user of the app. Most people may have no issues with it. The editors didn’t include the police part, which will most likely lead to people believing it is a hoax.
General Rule:
DO NOT automatically forward any message that says "Please pass this message on to family and friends…"
In the sixteen years in which I have used the Internet daily, I cannot recall a single instance wherein such a message was either true or useful. People who forward things without first verifying them are part of the problem.
Perhaps this was started by a competitor trying to negatively affect their sales?
This app asked my daughter for her name – have now deleted all talking apps from her iPod. My daughter was freaked out ( she has special educational needs) I'm not going to take the risk
The app asks players for a name, so that the Parisian cat can call you by that name.
You can enter Slartibartfast or Xena Warrior Princess if you want. Regardless, personally identifiable information doesn’t get shared with the app developers.
There’s a statement from the app developers in the Snopes report: http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/angela.asp
Well, you had me until you cited Snopes. They have been busted for hiding the truth.
You had me until you claimed Snopes had "been busted for hiding the truth." Really? Can you cite some evidence?
Check Snopes!
It is a dangerous game I Hate it
Dangerous Game???? It’s harmless. you have more chances of being a victim of terrorism than receiving any harm from this app. Grow up people.
Harmless you say. HARMLESS?! You need to grow up, not us. Do you know how dangerous it is to give child information to other people or sites you don’t know or trust? It is really serious and I suggest you take it seriously because you never know- a child can be raped or hurt or even KILLED because of this cause.
I see another ‘snopes hides the truth’ type is agitating again. Take off your tinfoil hat, there are a number of sites that state this is a hoax.
no app should be asking childrens names, where they go to school, and there age. especially living in the world we do.
By that logic, does this also include Facebook profiles?
Children don’t have Facebook at that age
I wasn’t talking about the age of the children using the app, I was talking about children in general. You made a claim stating that children shouldn’t be asked for their name and age by anything and Facebook demands this pretty much and more.
It is naive of you to think that children under the age of 14 aren’t on Facebook.
No, people on Facebook provide way too much info. My kids at 15 and 17 use made up names known only to friends and do not provide school or age. Common sense goes along way
I didn’t say Facebook users provide age, but Facebook asks for your age and a lot more info. No one is up in arms about that.
It’s not that people on Facebook “provide way too much info”, it’s that they don’t privatise this info. I know many people who provide their address, relationship status, phone etc but only a few people can see this on their profile.
Why do your children use made up names? What is this possibly achieving?
Just, why? If you’re that worried about them being on the bloody internet then don’t let them on! Grr.
yes they do. they just don’t enter their correct age
Why not? There were multiple games that did that when I was a child, some of them for actual marketing value. Happily, I didn’t get raped or abused because of it.
Seriously, do you keep a load of rations in your basement? Own an illegal firearm? not trust the immigrants?
a photo of some 18 year old lad suddenly appeared he was asking my mates daughter her name & how old she was while she was playing on the ipad in the back of the car yesterday. this story is true & ive seen the screenshot taken off the ipad wish i could post it on ere the bloke looks quite sinister. some sick mofo about dont use this app
yes Ruth My little girl has special ed needs, Im really worried now as she has this app on her ipad we will be checking it out fully tommorow.
Do so, I recorded the app whilst a child played it asking personal questions and showed the police!
aaaand they laughed and laughed after you left… Seriously, you showed the police? Jesus christ…
An they still allowing you access to the internet whilst in jail for wasting police time, man I thought police were meant to be tough on criminals.
you dont need to be an ass for someone talking there child’s safety seriously…clearly you don’t have kids
Having children is not a watermark of your own lack of common sense and/or intellect.
What is she doing with a phone in the first place dahhhh
The way adults are treated by social networks is appalling. To quote one industry expert :- 'many people do not understand what the comodity is on such sites. The comodity is you and your personal information'.
It would seem that the people who run talking angela(and, very sadly, the people who run this site) think that just because we are apathetic to this fact means that this apathy extends towards our children.
IT DOES NOT!
I have warned my children about the dangers of giving out personal information to such sites./ Im not saying that talking angela has any sinister intention but the fact that they have not considered that they are trawling data from children makes them, in my opinion, unsuitable to and untrustworthy for running a site for children.
You can not use 'well, other people(apps) do it too' as a defence.
children have no place on line period any parent who allows a young child on the net should have the child removed from their home. we all know the dangers to a child on line but society has forgot it even my children at 14 are being exposed to facebook by the cadet army core and no one seams to care about the risk. so yea can't blame stupid companies and apps for the parents stupid mistakes of allowing a child on line.
My children go online daily! Most school courses are completed online. And although you are entitled to your option… like hell would ANYONE try to take my children from me for it. Plus this isn't about being on the net it is about parents being responsible to monitor their children while they are. My children go on trusted non-chat websites designed for kids (pbs, ytv, teletoon, razzkids) that allow them to practice reading and reading strategies as well as math and other subjects. and sometimes they even get to play a few games like memory and make a cake! And by allowing my children online does not make me stupid or make it a mistake!
Schools nowadays encourage children to go online for research purposes etc and any child not allowed to will be at a disadvantage educationally. Yes parents should supervise what their children use, but saying children who are allowed on the internet should be taken from their parents is ridiculous.
My children do not go online at home, but go online at school all the time. This is what they learn in school now. Does that mean my children should be removed from my home? We are in a technological age what kind of comment is that “any parent who allows a young child on the net should have the child removed from their home”
Are you Fing serious my 5 year old gets online at preschool! and plays preschool educational games online at home every day and so does my 3 year old daughter!! So my kids should be taken from my home because we are technologically advanced!! Maybe if parents actually taught their children right from wrong they wouldn’t have a problem.
Jim get out of the 80’s it’s 2014 times are changing technology is the way of the future like it or lump it!!
You are either not a parent or not a very good one. Who doesn’t want their child to advance in their learning. If I choose to let my children play educational games on line by your account that makes me a bad parent your an idiot. Wake up to your self this is 2014 without computer your child is left behind. As a parent who cares about their children they need to learn how to behave and what not to display over the net.
You sound like a lot of fun!
Yeah! And f books! Anyone that les their child read books is a monster! Any parent that exposes their child to the dangers of a library should be lined up again at a wall and shot! When is the government going to start taking children away from dangerous, irresponsible parents who do things like letting them read, and be exposed to ideas and people and stuff?!
Children should be allowed on line but parents should monitor them. All computers have parental controls on them. I put it on my computers when my grandkids come to stay the weekend. There are a lot of educational information online.
Why is there such an argument about a child’s app that may or may not be inappropriate? If you bought something, lets just say its some type of food, and later found out that it may or may not be dangerous to your child. What would you do? There are no chances to be taken when it comes to children. I have two of my own and I have to say that the “food” as well as the app would go in the trash!
your an idiot. most school are turning to technology and there are ipad schools that all work is done on a ipad. most school require online research. alot of school are turning to web campus for turning in homework assignments and no longer accept hand written assignment or paper assignments and alot of school are turning to virtual schooling or require internet usage for assignments. I guess almost every school age child should be placed in foster care. my 6 year old uses a computer at school and is encouraged to participate at home on study island which is a school base website that helps children with school work. two of my children are attending a public school program that is a virtual school provided by the public school system. schools all over are switching to full technology learning basis curriculums.
The grammar in this comment is appalling.
okay, one more thought.
If you saw a man in a cat costume going down your street, asking young children what thier names were what would you do?
Is it less dangerous or in any way different when this happens online?
yes it is entirely different in so many ways i could not even begin to go into it.
However most parents are more than happy to place their children in “Santa’s” lap or have them hugged by the “Easter Bunny” in any given mall/department store and thank god for that! There is being vigilant and then there’s being paranoid. Just because something is online doesn’t automatically make it sinister, this reminds me of the condemnation of video games back when I was a teenager!
I did check it out for myself and was amazed that this app is allowed!
Angela sits there and asks questions as if your on a date with her and if you offer her a gift the camera pops up and takes a picture without warning. more surprising was the fact that you can pet her and she moves her body, winks and says how much she liked that!
I wouldn't say that this warning is wrong as I would share it on facebook any day after checking it out for myself. Not a happy Mom about that app that's for sure!!
I just deleted this from my daughter’s iPad because it is just inappropriate.
I agree with most people here. I am a young mum and I thought I was in the loop with most of this but obviously not!
It’s distressing to think that my 10 year old is being asked such adult questions. Another not happy Mum.
My cat winks when anyone stroke him and he moves his body as well, an purrs which is like a cat saying he likes it, I am so reporting him to the police.
My husband told me that he saw my 6 year old son talking to the cat and the cat said "let's talk about love". Sounds dodgy to me, especially when they can see the person they are talking to. Thoughts anyone?
this whole Angela thing seem so inappropriate to me, who in the world would let their young child play with an app that ask about kissing, dating, and say and make body language that seem sexual in nature?
Most parents wig out when they teens start dating etc. this app sounds more like it is geared to teen girls/boys and even at that, I would not want my teen let alone my small child playing with it, it just sounds inappropriate!!!
Thinking a cartoon cat made up of lines of code can see the user is the equivalent of thinking a calculator can psychically detect what sum the user is thinking of.
Sheer stupidity.
And this is supposed to be the height of human civilisation….
I heard about it, and my 11 year old had the app, but never used it. The cat talked about getting angry and scratching her friend and talked about meeting her boyfriend Tom in a seedy club and that he liked to give her presents, but always expected a kiss in return! Needless to say it is well and truly deleted along with all the other Talking Apps!
warning to all parents and cares delete talking angela she asked my daughter to come and see her one day and told her to tell her about her life story ………….. be care full
Permissions
This application has access to the following:
Hardware controls
take pictures and videos
Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation.
Network communication
full network access
Allows the app to create network sockets and use custom network protocols. The browser and other applications provide means to send data to the internet, so this permission is not required to send data to the internet.
Phone calls
read phone status and identity
Allows the app to access the phone features of the device. This permission allows the app to determine the phone number and device IDs, whether a call is active, and the remote number connected by a call.
Storage
modify or delete the contents of your USB storage modify or delete the contents of your SD card
Allows the app to write to the USB storage. Allows the app to write to the SD card.
System tools
prevent tablet from sleeping prevent phone from sleeping
AND THIS IS GOOD ?????????????? What are you Cracked?????????
Actually, most of these permissions are totally harmless, but of course if your judgement is clouded by a hoax spreading on Facebook, you wouldn't notice that. 1. "take pictures and videos" is needed because app uses the camera as stated in its description. 2. "full network access" means Internet access – there's a lot of functionality (like in-game items) that can be downloaded while playing. 3. "read phone status and identity" – you should be concerned about this one, but must of the apps use it to get the device's serial number for unique user analytics. 4. "modify or delete the contents of your USB storage" just means the app stores data on the SD card – that is preferred to using internal storage. 5. "prevent tablet from sleeping prevent phone from sleeping" is needed to prevent the screen from turning off while using the app. So, instead of using ALL CAPS and tons of ??????, get informed.
this app is under investigation..my friends daughters were asked by angela to stick out her tongue and what can she do with her tongue, it asked if she had brothers, his name,, what school they went to etc…ummm not good.
Funny how that is exactly what is stated on this chain letter on facebook
I like how If you scroll threw this feed That 90% that are complaints about talking angila being completely inappropriate is from “anonymous” users. Loving it.
I’m not anonymous, I tried it, it’s awful. Have you?
I gotta say I don’t see the harm in the tongue thing. As an adult I know how the tongue can be dirty. So can just about every part of the body these days. But I dont remember thinking of the tongue as dirty when I was a child. I never remember it being an “unmentionable”. Otherwise I think the app is probably harmless but I wouldn’t feel right letting any company have access to too much information about my kids. But he’s right most of the stuff it has access to is standard. Which should make parents think why they haven’t been more wary of all the apps their kids have been downloading onto their devices.
THANK YOU!!
seriously guys. cats meow. cats stick out their tongues. Oh my god somebody call the police again lets waste some more time. If the app bugs you just delete it.
Angela has a mimic function, "child mode" but she also has a conversation mode, "adult mode". Adult mode will interact in the manner described (but I assume without all the data mining and sharing).
I have never actually played with the app before. I fired it up and the first thing it did was say, "nice photo, is that a zit?" and then took my photo. I knew it happened and I can see the pic.
She asked me if I own a fake Rolex… and why not? You don't like it because it's illegal? Or that you haven't had the opportunity to buy one? And then how Clint Eastwood's daughter burned a Birkin bag as an art project. Hey, I'm learning stuff!
I think it's always good for a parent to play these apps themselves before turning their child loose… looks like I have a lot of work to do haha.
Never ever download Talking Angela to your tablet . they are formal thieves , so be aware of it . and it is treat your children in a rude manner.
My daughter, she showed me the app a while ago.. I had a funny feeling about it, so I told her this is not right I am not comfortable with this. She said no mommy its okay watch this: She told "Angela" , "I have to go to bed" the cat replied saying "I can't I am a virgin" That was it for me, I deleted all talking apps. Please listen to the warning!!
there is an adult mode and kid mode…so yeah prob on adult mode.
if its adult mode it shouldnt be so easy to acess for kids the hais are standing up on the back of my neck my kids will never hear of or see this app.
Can someone explaine to me why there is an adult mode on a kids game anyways?
How can u delete the app without them downloading it again?
Good grief, welcome to parenting in 2013, I really do despair…
My kids are not allowed smartphones until they demonstrate the maturity to use one responsibly – even then I've drilled my eldest on dodgy apps etc. Your young teen/pre-teen should have a basic phone with nothing more than pre-loaded games – NO app downloading capability so not an iphone, not an Android, Blackberry etc. And younger kids shouldn't need phones at all…
You're so right…… my kids weren't even allowed regular cell phones when they were younger. My youngest daughter (now nearly 22) was complaining about all her friends having them. But her first one was a phone she bought herself, and could pay for herself as well.
Exactly! I didn’t have a phone until I was 13 and then it was just a black and white one that could basically just call and text, for if I had an emergency walking home from school! It disgusts me when I see primary school age children with their own iPhones or iPads. If people don’t want their kids downloading dodgy apps (this one or others) then maybe they should’ve thought before giving them such complex devices.
Kids need the internet it’s too big a thing to hide. It just needs to be open to them through specific devices and services that has a safe level of access. Messaging should be limited to close friends only requiring a cable connection between mobile devices to do the initial invitation. Allow just two wi-fi connections that parents manage: home and one for authorizing on the move using the parents own password. Microsoft’s family system is ready for this. Data connection should be through pre-installed apps only. Lastly all files especially pics should automatically, without choice, sync to with parents PC/laptop or a government service acting as big brother..
However the education of dangers should never stop. Even adults are screwing up online and responding to phishing emails. Kids just need a more realistic eye opening method of convincing them to use the internet for important reasons.
just want to know how on earth does this animated cat know what colour shirts we are wearing…..who is on the other side?
Nobody. It can't know unless you tell it via the chat function. Stop being paranoid.
that little man inside the box@ Probably because if it’s a girl, the odds are, it’s pink, purple or red, and for a boy, ,blue, green or black. So that lowers the chances right there. However, if you don’t read the terms of agreement and/or watch your child playing the app and see how it is… how can you justify letting your child play.
PARENT, watch the app work before you let them loose with it… Listen to the music before you let them listen, just because the music is fun *ie: the ong Timber or Call Me Maybe the words are inappropriate. It’s really all about parenting
All about parenting? My kids have never played with this app however I HAVE. I pretended to be a child and yes, this cat is EXTREMELY inappropriate. Before this comment is made I work for a tech company and yes, it was on child mode. This app should not be aimed at children if the content is not for children. It appears normal at first, you know, until it starts talking about “no-clothes games that I play with Tom” and asking my child “if you went on a date,what would you do.” Yes, parents need to do their homeworkand yes, this app needs to be banned!
Oh wow! I am not negating the fact that this particular app may need to be banned, however, I am promoting the fact of proactive parenting vs reactive parenting. I believe parents, when taking an ACTIVE, PROACTIVE role in their children’s life, then the app would never have gotten that far. In other words, do the research on every game your child downloads, play with them, read their books, watch their movies and shows etc.
That’s where all about parenting comes in to play. I don’t for one second, take from this that the app is a good thing, I played it and it scared me.
Seriously though, why would a parent NOT know this app could do these things.
To me that is lazy parenting.
Stick your child in front of a tv or ipad/tablet etc and pray for a good outcome??
I think not!
I have used this app on many occasions with my child and it is in no way inappropriate! it has never asked or said those things at all so I’m at a loss as to what you are talking about
I have played this app with my child and it didnt say or do anything inappropriate. we even tried giving her gifts to see if it snapped a picture and it did not. I had her stick her tongue out at it and it didnt react to it at all. she does move her body if you pet her and say that feels good, but this is because she is a cat, and that is how a cat behaves when you pet it. also she speaks of dating her boyfriend tom, but never said anything about “no-clothes” games or anything of that sort. It has only asked her name to use in conversation, but not her age or any other information. I will continue to watch this app and see if anything changes or causes me concern. But for the time being, I dont see what others are complaining about.
maybe it’s because YOU are with them for the whole time while playing it if it has a camera then the person behind it will see you. the pedophiles are after the children aren’t they?. so it would be common sense fr them to try and act normal when an adult is watching.
yes it does say inappropriate stuff. I am a kid who just deleted this game today because my friends warned me. I have had this game for about a year and i haven’t noticed it until now. i am still very very scared. i also noticed that if you take a screen shot open ti and zoom in you can see a shadow of a man in a room.
It's not Facebook that's bad about spreading unverified information, A.K.A. rumours, it's the denizens of Facebook. It's so bad that I, as a moderator on a political forum, had to warn a member that he wasn't on Facebook. It's just plain ole laziness on their parts.
It's probably more harmful to have a parent with such horrible spelling than to have an app that gathers all of the same information that all other apps do.
Amen, at the least, LEARN to spell and use CORRECT grammar if you are so worried about what your child is exposed to!!!
nope, cant do it, their to worryed about why the govment isnt raising theyre kids. and shutting down all those nasty apps. WHY would anyone want the government telling us what apps we can get on? WHY even go down that road? I teach high school and we have parents emailing every other week griping because they see that their child has been “allowed” to get on this app or that site at school. “Why don’t you have a filter” they ask. “We have a filter”, we reply, “but they are sharing hot spots because their parents have bought them smart phones with unlimited data.” They say” well it costs a fortune when they go over…..” Uhhhh, take the phone away IF and WHEN they go over???? Seems like a no brainer to me. Or worse yet, let them have the phone, just not the internet. Surely the service provider can do that.
Perhaps, and I can't stress this strongly enough, people who are quick to share a warning like that are simply doing so out of concern for children's safety; either their own or family/friends. This is spoke as someone who DID share first and investigate after. What's the harm? And why be so damn judgmental about it?
Where is the harm of spreading untruths and fear for no reason? And where is the harm of causing trouble for someone (in this case, the maker of the app) because thousands of Facebook users treat a shared hoax as truth? How would you like it if someone spread untruths about you and investigate later. The damage would be done at that point and an angry mob at your door.
You are still assuming the rumours are untrue … there are people on this discussion who have had clear experience that their children were being put in danger. …just read the previous comments in regard to the REAL and not rumoured experience with their children using this APP – including myself. I am certainly glad i discovered, in the presence of my child using this app that – as the app stands right now FEB 2014 – I can honestly say : the app is not SAFE for children! IT is DANGEROUS for CHILDREN as it stands right now!
I cant make it any clearer.
apps arent for children fullstop.. thats the actual problem.
I absolutely agree – there is a problem with this app. I’m wishing I got the kids Microsoft tablets instead – they tend to monitor their app store more closely. Hopefully no harm done though and it forces me to educate the kids in the various internet scams.
like the saying goes “shoot first, ask questions later!
I m not much for chain letters etc so I downloaded the app myself to check it out. I can see why it worries parents. I turned it to child mode and did not allow access to mic (it asks) and basically I couldn't do much. Just poke the cat and she taells you off or purrs. When I changed it out of child mode she started talking heaps. I bumped the dad at the top and the iPad changed to a safari (web) page and I noticed for a few seconds the camera was on. The app never asked me permission to this like it did the mic. Also I blocked the camera so nothing would have been seen. After that I just kept typing questions to the cat and she answered either cleverly or stupidly. Very much like Siri. Personally I wouldn't advise parents to let their kids have this. It would be easy to change to adult mode (and tempting) and yes, she does ask age and name. But if you I add it, maybe try turning wifi off and all internet capabilities to be safe. It could easily be an innocent game but the evidence is worrying.
If you're a parent, go by your gut judgement. Try it our for yourself first.
My view: too risky
The article was good though. Thank you
More proof about how stupid people in general are.
Is it so damn hard to take 30 seconds to check facts?
The overuse of exclamation points is a dead giveaway.
It takes plenty more than 30 seconds to investigate this serious of an accusation and hoax.
Not a hoax! Try it yourself before you say it’s not true! The cat asked me to meet her so she can show me her no-clothes game. Is that OK for children.
Just curious, if this “cat” can see your child, then why could u fool it into thinking you were a child? It would have seen that you were an adult. If it asked you that, (about meeting to play her “no-clothes” game) then that is definately not alright, but I just think if it was taking pictures and video then it would know that these parents were not children.? I played with my child and observed her playing it alone, and saw nothing inappropriate. In fact it had a ten minute conversation with her about traffic, pollution and driving on the opposite side of the road in other countries. Then talked about fashion. Nothing concerning at all.
Thank you, people have become so lazy, heaven forbid they should have to take the time to do something when instant gratification is at our finger tips. 30 seconds or 30 min. The time it may take to check something out for the safety of your child should not have a time limit on it. There are too many parents out there who can’t even find the time to cook a meal that does not come in a box, or require the microwave, for their children and heaven forbid they should have to take a little time out of their day to check on something that might be putting their child at risk! and by the way I am guilty of over using exclamation marks!!! lol
I agree that people should check the facts before bombarding their FB friends with panic and paranoia messages about technology, as I think this shows a complete lack of education where IT is concerned which then causes 'beware!' bushfires – but there is the crux of the issue that is being exploited – people's fear and unawareness.
I do think as a whole the techno-savvy in society (including software developers) should be doing more to educate people on these apps, games and programs so they understand the implications of their use and also manage what they are sharing… however there is also the abdication of parental responsibility in some cases where the Xbox or Smartphone becomes a babysitter… and like in real life, if you have an untrustworthy and unvetted babysitter, you are responsible for the breach in security as you're allowing something unchecked into your home in our children's hands.
I was a user of this app and I have realised how weird it is for it to keep asking what my name is, how old I am, where do I go t school etc…
And then I pressed the love heart icon on the left hand corner and I could asure you now that I heard little sound that sounded like a picture was taken. Then I started to read some information online because my big brother told me about the story of the angelica cat pedophile then i saw a load of stuff online telling the story. That night when I went bed I went on talking Angela and said im going to bed now and it said ”no no I cant, im a virgin!” I was shocked and I immediately deleted the app and all of the other talking friends apps, since then I have not even dared to look on the app store to download it. So my point in this comment is to warn all parents which have kids about this DANGEROUS app please, for you and your child’s safety, under any circumstances do NOT let your child download this on their device. Thanks.
Fwiw, parents shouldn't let kids d/l their own apps, anyway. A friend of mine from years ago (Skot) started a company very much like this in California around ten years ago. My then 10 or 11 y/o daughter even beta tested it. They're both AI programs, where the character learns about the child through their answers, and then asks questions in conversation at future points, based on those answers. They're actually very cool programs, and keep kids from chatting to live creeps online.
Or it conditions kids to accept it as totally normal to chat to creeps online. While it appears this particular app has no malicious intent, I for one will not be allowing my children to access it.
so it’s not o.k. to let your child play with an app connected to the net, that asks them creepy questions, but it is o.k. to let them play with an interactive (anything) that asks creepy questions?
I think the point here is what questions are being asked! where are the child appropriate questions/language? from what I have read thus far there are not any CHILD appropriate questions being asked.
The current version of this hoax claims children have been kidnapped after using the Talking Angela app and that it is run by a pedophile ring. There's tons of such reviews on iTunes and Google Play app stores, it's amazing how powerful a false accusation spreading on Facebook can be. But the real danger is: such claims can ruin lives (if about people), companies (if about a supposedly dangerous app) and can (and maybe should) result in legal action against those who chose to share them further.
Chile safety comes first! I dont give a fiddlers about a company over my childs safety. Put me in jail… I want to know the rumours…fears…suspicions…. i can discern the truth from the exaggeration – i wont believe most comments – people do overreact.
But more often than not – “Where’s there’s smoke – there’s fire… ”
…. some kind of fire.
where there’s smoke, there’s usually paranoid idiots too
so if an app asks someone to meet them somewhere thats being paranoid? na mate
It asked me to meet it too!! The app said it could only tell me about her and Tom’s no clothes game if I came to meet it
And where did it want to meet? Come on Miss Marple, tell us!
Inappropriate is the key word here, smoke, fire, whatever, you are o.k. with an app that asks children about kissing, dating, telling them “I’m a virgin etc. CREEPY!
can i just point out i have been reading for myself and someone said their child pushed the heart button and it took their child’s photo and i seen a few people saying that but im reading up the app now on Google play just to see if its all true and may i point out i just seen something that jumps out at me as a mother it dont sit right if all these people are saying its done that what are they gonna get out of making it up and A VERY BIG POINT OUT THAT THEY said its took photo of their child as i said what would they get out of making it up but right here on google play it says ( Use the “Heart” button and make Angela read you a fortune cookie ) and also point out it says you ask and she answers SO WHY THE HELL is it asking all what its asking and you have gotta answer? work that one out sorry but just doesnt sit right with me i dont care what anyone says
anyone that thinks its ok for an app or anything else to be asking our kids personal questions have major issues. how can this be ok and safe!!?? we warn our children about stanger danger in public..the same rules and principles apply for online as well
Its like no one’s listening. There’s and adult mode and a child mode! :L
Why have an adult mode in an app which is obviously targeted at children?
What kind of child’s game supposedly made for children, would have an Adult mode?
Why would a game for kids tell my son to use birth control… It’s a bit sick
Im not one to jump on these type of bandwagons. Im very skeptical about most things i read but obviously when something like this comes up, as a parent I need to get answers for myself. I have not used the app at all. But i must say, have you read the reviews on the Apple App store? They look ridiculously like someone trying way to hard to sound like a little kid. Even some of the user names look like someone has smashed their hand on the keyboard. I compare these to other kid game reviews – all which look like a parent has written, I dunno about this but i definitely won’t be trying it anytime soon.
Does anyone have ideas as to why the reviews are like this other than the reason that someone has been sneaky about writing them?
I would say that for the most part Carl Sagan had it right when he said and a I paraphrase… we are proceeding forth in a world where our technology is advancing past our understanding of said technology. The Angela App is a clone of the Talking Tom app, which uses technology created as like an Artificial Intelligence (think the Teddy bear from the movie A.I.). The app runs locally and is incredibally infuriating after about 10 minutes of play. I, as a parent, looked into this app before I had even heard of this “scare” and quickly realized all of these Talking apps have a more mature overtone that the age group of my child would find hard to understand or contemplate. Lets not forget too, if younger children are accessing this app they are going to see this in a different, more innocent lens. I definately would not reccomend this app for young or any audience, but not for the reasons stated in the scare but for more personal reasons that may or may not jibe with others. Clearly most parents who have the reactionary message posts are technophobes and i dont expect them to learn from any of the more salient responses. My message to them is if you cant understand it, dont buy it; its not a right to own an apple/android product.
In this day and age paranoia is completely understandable, but it is still paranoia. Parents see threats to their kids coming from every direction, and they go to increasingly unreasonable lengths to protect the kids from all the bogus threats…which can leave them blind to real threats, like childhood obesity. We are so worried about kidnappers that we con’t allow the kids to play outside with the neighbor’s kids. We’d rather plant them in front of a tablet and have them play games or use “safe” sites.
Perhaps if we stopped being so reactionary when these hoaxes come along, we wouldn’t be so afraid of letting kids be kids. Sadly, we’ll never know because paranoia is all but incurable.
Have you tried it? I have. It’s not a hoax, these people are damaging our children, or trying to anyways as I checked it out before allowing my kids to play with it. I can tell you a dozen inappropriate comments that app said to me LAST NIGHT!
No smoke without flames
As far as I am concerned, When you use an app to appeal to children and have an adult mode- that is red flag number one. Number 2- a child’s app should never need to know names, Number 3- What in the hell do you need to snap photos to put into your own phone memory on your cellphone? all devices have cameras. This is not an issue about slandering a company especially when you see the comments made by parents warning you about something that could potentially harm your child or your child’s image. Wake up folks, don’t let your ignorance and denial get In the way of seeing an obvious fact. Criminals are getting smarter and we are just giving them easy targets.
It seems to me that the real danger here is in the type of interaction that this app might encourage in young people. I am pretty sure that the ‘interaction’ is just as automated as in Talking Tom and other apps. But why have an adult setting? That’s just silly. Keep adult and child apps separate. Then you might save yourself a whole heap of bad-mouthing by careful parents who act quickly if a scary situation arises.
A recent (within 24 hours) friend of a friend posted that her daughter had this app and the “cat” had asked her and her friend questions (age, school, address, her family members’ names etc)…and then on monday the cat remember the name and asked “where is ___ (brother) now.” Then proceeded to ask her about all the different things she can do with her tongue, and the mother was sitting there listening to this when she noticed that the voice changes when the more personal question were being asked. I’m just going to point out that finding your own information to this is important, but I’m not sure whether it is on “child” or “adult” mode that this is okay…in any circumstance. I have had the talking tom app…and it never remembered anything I said. This just sounds fishy to me, whether it’ a hoax or not. Why would an app be generated to ask such personal questions and say things like “I hope you slip into a coma” and other such inappropriate things.
As a concerned parent who has checked the app. It is not for children eventhe childs version only teaches negativity why make an app that can so easily be changed from child to adult. The fact u even need to do this is not clear. Even so it still takes photos and acts inappropriately. So if u make an app for kids keep it safe n clean and dont judge parents who forsee the potential dangers this app bring in future that it is normal for STRANGERS to ask questions and the child so readily answer. Yes parents have a responsibility to monitor the childs usage of such devices but to pretend they dont exist for ur own fears will hold them back in todays world of education. The responsibility also lies with the makers too to make it clear it is not child friendly and can not be down loaded with the safety monitor on the device. Which is a protection we parents put in placd just in case and as an extra safty precaution. So make two games one for adults one for children not one that changes with this clearly stated.
Personally I would not allow my child to download such an app and secondly I would listen to a parent over a creator, moderater or anyone who stood to gain though finacial gain or worse a pedophile to please a sick desire. (Not saying makers of all such apps are) but a parent has one gain to protect their child or any other child who they believe may be at risk!
I understand why some of the formate and terms of usage have been placed as descibed above in legitimate sites but lets be honest who is hiding behind the cat we dont know!
Some sicko who use the same technology for a less than kosha reason now we protect our bank details so why would we be any less vigilant with our children if not more so….
Needless to say after reading all views and testing. My concern still lies with my children and other people.
I now have shared the warning.
Concerned mother.
This is insane! People need to stop and investigate for themselves before spreading these things.
Coming from many years as an IT professional I advise people to air on the side of caution because of the things that technology can do (which would scare you if you had any idea – do you cover the built-in camera on your laptop?… you should) but you shouldn’t just repeat everything you see. In the last 15+ years I only recall seeing one such ‘informational’ message that was ‘true’ and even that had a fake story to bring the point home (real message about tires hidden with a fake story and stolen picture). For the life of me I cannot fathom why people continue to mindlessly click ‘share’.
I won’t get into my opinions on unsupervised electronics access for children. Check out the app for yourself and if anything doesn’t sit well don’t let the kids at it. It’s called parenting and more people need to try it.
Did anybody here read the story that the NSA was allegedly using Angry Birds to get intel? In my opinion any developer can reach any info he/she wants on a phone that has his/her app, and communicate with us trough our phones if he/she wants to, so I am not a mother yet, but I also think “better safe than sorry”.
“Better safe than sorry” is the one phrase which causes ignorance and poor-parenting everywhere. You might think this is a bad thing and is harmful, but “better safe than sorry” is the kind of mentality that your future child doesn’t need. He/she will grow up and become afraid of technology and become, like yourself, part of the tin-foil hat brigade.
really! so to make such a commit is like saying yah it’s o.k. to leave this loaded gun/book of matches on my bed side table…
children are curious, and WILL check out things that peek their curiosity. I think better safe than sorry is VERY appropriate where children are concerned. oh hold on while I adjust my fin-foil hat!!!
Leaving potentially dangerous objects around for children to pick up is not the same as this app. That’s like saying leaving a bottle of bleach within arms reach of a child is the same as a kid going on a chat room.
The two are very different. I’m not saying parents shouldn’t err on the side of caution with this, but “better safe than sorry” is a ridiculous phrase that parents apply to almost everything. It’s lazy parenting.
that’s true but the better safe then sorry phrase is just saying once you have done it you cant take it back in the real world or on chat worlds
So, it’s seemingly confirmed that there is an ‘adult’ mode and a ‘child’ mode. Even so, they shouldn’t really be included in the same app. They should be separate apps. It’s not really a hoax then afterall? It’s kids using the ‘adult’ mode by mistake, which shouldn’t be possible.
So it dosnt seem clear if there is something “evil” behind this app, I suppose time will tll. What has shocked me is the number of parents who have mentioned that they overheard something untoward coming from the app or there children have told them something this cat has said afterwards. WHY ARE THESE CHILDREN BEING LEFT UNATTENDED TO PLAY WITH APP’S, HAVE INTERNET ACCESS ETC ETC. Lazy parenting makes me mad. If you let children play with apps please make sure they are next to you when they are, even if the app is innocent nothing to stop thier cureosity wandering and going online and opening themselves up to the darker side of technology when you arent there.
From the Outfit 7 site:
Get the facts about Talking Angela app!
Q: IS TALKING ANGELA SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?
A: Yes. As a company that supports family-friendly entertainment we ensure we are protecting personal privacy and offering a safe environment for game-play. Upon initial download, users are given the option to play the Talking Angela app in child mode, a function specifically designed to safeguard the privacy of young players. Within child mode, the chat bot feature is disabled so Talking Angela can respond only to touch and repeat what she hears over the microphone, similar to other apps within the Talking Tom and Friends series. Child mode can be selected at any point within the app’s settings.
If child mode is not selected, chat bot will be enabled and Talking Angela will engage in two-way communication with the user. This involves Talking Angela asking the user questions – topics of which are defined in the app description on all app stores.
Q: DOES TALKING ANGELA ASK PERSONAL QUESTIONS?
A: When not operating in child mode, Talking Angela asks users their name and age. The reason for this is to provide the best possible experience and optimize the app’s content. Although all topics are family-friendly, the Talking Angela app is able to determine the most suitable topics of conversation according to a user’s age. For example, if the user is a child, the chat bot will discuss familiar topics such as school.
This information will be visible to Outfit7 only on an aggregated level. This means that we will be able to see how many users of each age we have, but will not be able to determine the name and age of a particular user.
Q: DOES TALKING ANGELA STORE PHOTOS OF YOU?
A: No. The app uses gesture recognition technology through the use of a front camera. This enables Talking Angela to recognize face gestures, which enhances users’ interaction with the app. This function does not take photos or videos of the user and no personal data is shared with third parties.
* An older version of the app enables users to take their photos by pressing the heart button in the app. Any photos taken are not stored locally on the device and are not sent anywhere.
Q: DOES THE TALKING ANGELA APP COLLECT PERSONAL DATA?
A: The app sends anonymized and obfuscated data log files to Outfit7. This data relates to the chat history that cannot be attributed to any individual person and any personal details that are provided voluntarily (e.g. names, addresses, places, etc.) are deleted within the app before they are sent. The data is used solely for development purposes and improvement of individual functions within the app with the aim to make Talking Angela more appealing to users. The data logs are not disclosed to third parties. For additional information, please visit our Privacy Policy.
Q: WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ON TALKING ANGELA?
A: A true a clear description of the app can be found on all app stores so customers can read about Talking Angela and its core functionalities before downloading on iOS, Android or interacting on Facebook. For any further questions or customer support, please contact us directly.
Okay, that’s great and everything…but explain to me why my friend heard a man’s voice as well as the ‘bot’ asking the child where she lives/goes to school/what she would do on a date, etc…if the bot goes based on the age. This girl said 6, so how does that make sense to ask dating questions.
Thank you, thank you!!! indeed why would an app ask these types of questions, even to an adult? to have these types of questions being asked is to say that the user started this line of conversation. as an adult I would not want an app asking me personal questions of this nature! it all sounds so inappropriate period!!!
I agree, 100%. And to a child of 6, how would she know what is “right or wrong”. If it is a child’s app, don’t provide an adult mode! It grinds my gears that people are defending this! Each to their own I guess, but seriously people, take off your blinders.
Erm, because you’re lying?
Yeah so there must be an issue if it’s asking personal questions to my 6 year old in child mode. And I keep hearing this glitch or what have you is mainly on android devices. Which is what my daughter has. Forgive me for being cautious when it comes to the safety of my daughter. Also just a two cents type of side note for all those who are grouping the use of technology by our children as the only thing they do. My daughter spends most of her time reading books doing homework, playing outside all of that. There’s nothing wrong with also letting them play games and such on a tablet or other game system.
Here’s an idea take the tablet away from the kids and give them a book…it’s sad that people actually have to talk about this… parents are ruining the future leaders of America with all this technology…
Because there’s nothing better than a president that can’t use a computer 😉
AMEN, technology might be a great thing, but what has the over usage of it done to our young children’s minds? turned them to mush, most of them are so reliant on these gadgets that they never experience actually writing and mailing a real letter etc. not to mention the lack of correct spelling, grammar etc. a fine point is my 21 year old step son who recently applied for some form of assistance and had to fill out and mail a form and asked me how do you mail a letter!!! I was amazed and shocked. people put a book in your child’s hands, make them play in the back yard once in a while, challenge them to use their own mind…
I hate when people overgeneralize. Just because a parent lets their child use technology does not mean they let them sit there and play from sun up to sun down. My daughter does play games on the computer and consoles, where I can see her of course. But she also goes to preschool, plays outside, and sits and reads books everyday. She gets a book before bed every night, she helps me cook, we go out and watch meteor showers, we go on bike rides, she builds with her blocks, plays soccer, has played t-ball, dances ballet, she’s even been sledding in the Bavarian alps in Germany, and she’s only 4. We are raising her to be a well rounded kid and that includes knowing how to use technology.
There IS a security issue with the Talking Angela app on Android and I’m saddened that Sophos are brushing this issue aside as ‘bogus’. On my kid’s tablet, the app started harmlessly enough, then the voice changed and it started asking her personal questions. It seemed to be an automated voice however as every time she restarted the app, the same question was asked. Has Sophos actually done any experimentation with the app before posting the denial above? Do they realize that tens of thousands of kids could potentially be put at risk, or have their personal information and photos distributed on the internet. If Sophos are going to write this stuff, they need to have more responsibility. If my daughter can find the problem with this app then surely Sophos can too.
Now, I don’t know much about samsungs…but I do know that people like you or me can make our own app…it’s not generally regulated. You can have feedback, but this app does look relatively harmless. Does anyone know when it was made, I can’t seem to find out, but you think maybe it was harmless for quite some time before this stuff started happening…just a thought.
Parents, what is up with you letting your under 13 year old use a 13 year old or older app? You have no say in the matter if you are doing just that because you are breaking the license agreement.
Same as for the majority of applications. Unless it specifically says that it is for the young, it is likely for no one younger than 13 years of age.
Do your homework and look at the minimum age requirements before you complain about it being a risk to your young child.
Of course it could likely be a risk to them when it is a teenage app!
sorry for ignorance, but where exactly does it say that it is not for under 13s? I’d like to know for future downloads
you mean to tell me that these types of questions/conversations are appropriate for a 13 yro, OMG what am I thinking, of course all 13 yro kids are adult enough to be having these types of conversation, my bad…
Are people stupid? The only time the app asks questions is when it’s in A-D-U-L-T mode – it’s not the apps fault if people are too stupid to check the settings on apps to make sure that the child is playing with the appropriate version. Any parent that think there is a paedophile ring behind this are absolutely stupid – there is nothing behind this. It’s just a game, albeit an inappropriate one if YOU DON’T DO YOUR JOB AND CHECK WHAT YOUR CHILD IS PLAYING.
I really despair.
People are mad you should have full control over your kids phones, tablets, iPads etc and know what they want/are down loading you must be mad if you don’t , we are in 2014 not 1969 !!!!!! Get with the real times and yes check what your kids are playing on !!!!!!!!!
that’s all well and good, but the point here is WHY is there one app for two age groups, that can easily be switched by any one who knows how to do so, and may I point out that children nowadays are learning computer tech at very young ages. As for the creeps out there, have you ever hear of people who can hack computer programs etc. there is a real risk in today’s world…
I’ve heard more than once of the computer’s voice suddenly sounding like a man…odd, must be a glitch, hey? People will come up with whatever excuse they want. Calling people stupid for erring on the side of caution is what’s stupid.
What seems very odd to me is that the original poster of this latest FB version appears enormously worried about her child’s privacy, but PUBLICLY reveals her daughter’s name, as well as her own (???). She could have conveyed the same hysteria without sharing all the actual private information. So either not a real situation or the mother is an idiot.
Even if it is a hoax it can be a reminder to parents to guide their children on safe online practices.
The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it limits (Einstein). Parents, even showing a modicum of responsibility would be nice. Check what your child may or may not be doing whilst you get to grips with the latest episode of Eastenders. You know, things like taking the time to discuss, and educate your children how to be mindful of potential issues with today’s technology. Roll out the ‘well I know a friend who’ stories. i suspect the poster who suggested the app made inappropriate comments probably went on there in the hope. Just went to check it out ? of course you did!!
Oh good, the perverts who made the app say it’s safe so it must be. Are you serious? Adult mode on a child’s app, what simple minded adult wants to talk to a cartoon cat? Obviously all these people are lying just because it’s fun to spread rumours about apps. Is it possible that the perverts behind the app do not target every user with sexual predator behaviour so as to not draw too much attention?
This App asked me to take my clothes off and do a start jump??? it then asked if i liked to roll around without my clothes on??? I love it!!!
Knowledge is the key people! If your kid has access to Ipad an so on restrict content, change settings, be aware, monitor what your kid is doing and keep passwords under lock an key so if they want to download something they have to go through their parents. Don’t hate the world for technology, learn how to use it!
(I have kids too)
Actually, he is wrong, the app is Not supposed to repeat it back, you are supposed to talk to it, but not like it’s talking
It would be useful if those people who claim that the app is doing inappropriate things could post a video of the app. At the very least it would help the company work out what is happening.
Not on mine anymore !! So wrong to have an app that asks questions !! Even if innocent better to be safe than sorry
well either way, anyones kids safety should be way more important then a dumb game, if this game is a danger then it should be deleted just to protect childs safety.besides there are plenty of other safe games to play or books to read or other things to do. this game is definitely not worth putting your kids safety at risk!
I deleted all of the Outfit7 talking apps from my six-year-old’s phone after she was able to access inappropriate YouTube videos through the app. Sure, some of the videos are just some goofy videos of the talking animals, but there is not a good filter on the access. Check it out yourself. Regardless of the security concerns, do you really want your young child watching inappropriate YouTube videos through the Outfit7 apps?
There is a setting to disable YouTube videos in all of their apps.
people wouldn’t have this problem if they wouldn’t give their children cell phones and iPads, and then not keep an eye on them when they are using them. Its funny you have no problems blaming these companies for not doing your parenting for you.
i had a friend whos child used the app and now they have police investigating it because it started asking personal questions like where is your brother, and what school do you go to and other personal information an app shouldnt know
So I downloaded this app to see what was happening. It told me that it’s good to find protection from kidnapping nd ransom attempts. It asked how much money I have and where I live. It also asked a lot of personal questions about my sex life.
Okay, so I saw this “letter” on Facebook and immediately checked my daughter’s I-Pod apps. She did have the Talking Angela app, so I tried it to see what it was about…because I have learned first hand to discern for yourself the truth. Well, it was a bit disturbing that my daughter was on this app. I noticed first of all that there was a window in the upper left corner that showed me (and I thought of all the times she gets on this app in only her towel or pjs). Angela asked me if I was in elementary or high school, it asked me if I went to a public or private school, it asked me if I liked to wear a uniform to school. It was just a little odd–and a bit creepy. I did delete the app because I will err on the side of caution where my daughter is concerned–everyone needs to decide for themselves, but like I said, there was something off-putting about this app.
I definetly have to agree that kids should not use this app not bc of the hoax but it is definitely inappropriate and very rude.
I also received something about all this. I went and deleted it off my daughters tablet. I asked her what kinds of questions it asked her. And she told me it asked her where she lived and where she went to school. Also said when it asked those kinds of questions it did it in a more robotic male voice. Now I don’t know about all of the rest of you. But that is not something I would test. Deleting it is the only safe way to get rid of the potential threat. Any PARENT should do the same.
After hearing this I deleted the app. I told my husband and he upload it again and started chatting. He had just finished dinner and the car asked him if he ate beans. And guess what was dinner? Yes beans!!!! Creapy. This app is not for kids at all.
She asks everyone if they ate beans.
So how about everyone just deletes the app. May it be creepy, inappropriate, or some pedophile waiting to pray on your children or not. If there is a question about it being safe then just DELETE it! Seriously these are your kids your talking about, and I know with mine I don’t take any chances. If this was something other than an app would there be any hesitation to get rid of it? Pull your heads out of your asses stop reading this feed and just delete the app. Your kid will get over it.
the company who made the app should just make one just for kids.that way there is no switching to adult mode. simple fix!
what I have to say on the talking angela deal here is that there is two modes Adult mode and Child mode. the “facebook chain letter” was probably because she was on Adult mode. and besides this “cat game” knows a lot of words. And I bet you it was probably a glitch! because when im on my kindle most of the games I have get glitches one time or another. the owners of this game could have also been updating it or changing some things around. so my opinion is that im starting not to believe its real…
I have this app and it asked me where I lived my age and where I go to school I just got done reading what was on fb and I deleted that app……scared
here are my thoughts on this app. Is it not at the very least a possibility that maybe when the app is downloaded that some one may have hacked the app that you downloaded?? With all the controversy and all the nerve wrecking things some people have said this app has said to them or their children I would say that this is a possibility. Nasty sick sexual predators are everywhere and are always working on finding their next way to harm our children. this may be why some people have not encountered problems . Just an idea to throw out there for people to think about before saying certain people are lying and etc…..
I downloaded the app just to see if it actually was a hoax that she asked you all these personal questions and to my surprise she asked me how old I was and told me she was 18. She asked me if I have ever been to a clothes swaping party. Adding winking faces after every innapropriate question. When I mentioned it to my boyfriend and asked her how old she was her responses changed to “im young” and when I asked how old I was she said “a few years”. If u ppl dont think a talking cat that remembers your names and askes personal questions isnt weird or creepy then there is something seriously wrong with u.
thank you for the note therefore i am i kid and had the app and told her my name and what country im in and i pressed the heart button alot so it must of took LOTS of pics of me luckly i dont have it now and will make sure of what i download and play
Your guys’ cases would be a lot more believable if you were able to at least type a coherent sentence. Geez. The only times I have ever been around so many illiterate individuals is when they’re from Facebook parenting groups.
This is real. I used to play this game and It asked my age,schoo,name told me adult only things like kiss the one next to me, asked me the color of my shirt, and tell me about her dates and what THEY do. One time, i said good night to her because I was gonna sleep, she said with you? And I can’t because Im a virgin. Even if you change it to kids mode, It will still ask you personal information even how much your money is.
Dont let your kids play this. You might not know that they’ll be blackmail your children with the information they got. Or take us kids for ransom.
If it’s a kids app, then why does it have an adult mode anyway.
And besides, it’s ADULT mode. ADULT.
My girls play with this all the time.. so I asked my 7 year old if talking Angela ever asked or said anything creepy to her. She said no.. but she did ask her what her name was once.. and she said that she gave her a few presents and slapped her a couple times… lol
it’s true! when you look at a picture on google ‘talking angela’ you can see a room or whatever in her eyes.
We have had Talking Angela for a few months. It does ask lots of personal questions: age, name, what you are doing, where you are. I got on today & was SHOCKED it is not appropriate at ALL! It was asking about clothing, kissing, loving, and then I pushed the button and it took a pic of me. Then I made weird faces & it said rude things back to me! This is a creepy app…I took it off my phone. No doubt in my mind that there is a creeper behind this. What sickos!!!
PLEASE READ THIS! Im 17 my name is scarlett to start off with.. Right this says its just a hoax well read this
My little sister was playing on this on my own ipad, I was confused why it has a child mode, I went alone and turned it off, Then it said turn ur camera on, I did it put pointed it at the wall so it couldn’t see my face, It then said i like your front room, Now i didn’t say i was in my living room so it creeped me out, I turned the camera off and it kept saying – Turn the camera back on now! I got scared so i wrote in the little box – No sorry.
It then turned to me and said – I know your Scarlett and i know your trying to hide your sister from me.. i like girls
I then freaked and screamed for my brother because my little sister Lily didn’t say my name. It then said where we lived witch lily didn’t tell it at all, It turned to me and said – I have really big hands and do naughty stuff to little girls who don’t do as they are told. My brother deleted the app. Now please i know people make things up but this is true how would i have also known my name when we didn’t type it at all, This was all of child mode, And i know how sneaky little kids can be so please keep your kids safe, Im 17 And it scared me so who knows how your children will react to this if it happens to them.. Stay safe.
Look into Angela’s eyes and you see a man
No, you see a pavement and the outside of a building! and she is sitting outside a coffee shop, so MAYBE what you see is the opposite of the street as so suppose where the user is sitting….
I am really scared now. When I got the app, I typed in my name and age backwards and I said everything opposite to what it actually is like information and things. She has never asked me what school I go to or anything. Can someone please tell me?
If all these bad reports, then why not just uninstall the app, and leave it alone? If all this is really true then just stop downloading it and the install rates will go down until it’s shut off by the world? That way, there will be no more rage. In not sure what to believe, but I do know how to try to fix the problem.
I have heard that ” Talking Angela isn’t safe” I really can’t add much more to this , because all of you have really great answers, But otherwise I strongly recommend not to download it or let your children, nieces, nephews, ect. Stay Safe ! 🙂
I agree with anonymous, I had the app! I saw her eyes! there was a man there! She started asking me personal stuff, so i entered a made up name and deleted it. my brother thought that was smart, but my mom didn’t.
also in my school, everyone is freaking out! they are are sending notes in class about what they said to Talking Angela, they’ve gone MAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is really scary i used to have this app but i deleted it when i got bored
This app is fine everyone. If you look up news reports and reports on this everyone says it is okay. If you are on kid mode it doesn’t a sky you questions like your name and age, it only does off of child mode. The only prob.em is that it is too easy to get off of child mode. And little kid would switch off of kid mode by accident and answer the questions. The eyes may be creepy but if there was a pedophile person on the app why would they show it in the eyes? They animate the eyes so its not like they accidentally put a picture of something in the pupil of the cat. I have even began to think that the animator person put that thing in the pupil so it looked like a reflection of the person talking to the cat. I know this app gives a few reasons to be creeped out but I really don’t see why we immediately jump to the conclusion of a pedo trying to kill children.
Take a picture of it then go to pictures and zoom it in there’s a man standing there
You know why she didn’t react to you? YOUR A GUY. The person that is behind the angela is not interested in guys. My friend had a friend that had the app and it was a guy, and he said it was harmless. As soon as my friend takes his device the app starts asking personal and bad questions.
I think that even if you think it’s safe still delete it because what if it is real it could get something bad so just for your safty please just delete it .. It’s on the news and everything please it’s very dangerous
Everyone is scared of this app. iOS devices has a low probability of being hacked, unless it’s jail broken. Most iOS app are not allowed to connect to other utilities/ system functions without permission. With the weird question being asked, the app has a bot designed to ask or answer anything related to the subject first brought up, also know as the “if” command. It’s basic programming. With it taking pictures, I doubt it. But the NSA taking picture of you without you knowledge, most certainly. 🙂