Common Sense Media Review
By Patricia Monticello Kievlan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Silly pic creation with Internet search, social sharing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Face Swap Live
Parent and Kid Reviews
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
FACE SWAP LIVE is a photo and video app that lets you manipulate images captured by your device's camera in two ways: Swap two peoples' faces on screen or layer one face with other features. The first feature -- Swap Faces -- is exactly what it sounds like and instantly swaps the facial features of two people on screen. The other option -- Use Photo -- lets users pick a photo (such as the Mona Lisa) or a facial feature (big eyes) and apply a filter to change the appearance of the image on screen. In addition to several built-in photos and features, users can import an image from their devices' camera rolls or search the Web for images. In "Mask Mode," those imported images are then layered over the face on camera as a mask or as a background. All these images can be saved to the device's camera roll and shared to a public gallery or posted to social media. To post to the public gallery, users need a public Twitter account (photos are posted there also), and their Twitter handles will appear next to the pictures.
Is It Any Good?
Swapping faces with your friends with this app can be monstrous and hilarious, but the Internet search and social sharing make it best for tweens. Want to paint your face like Ziggy Stardust or see how you look with Hagrid's beard? You can do that here with remarkable flexibility and success. Though the built-in face choices can feel a little random (J.S. Bach?), that option to search the Web for faces is a fun, surprising dimension that invites creativity and has real potential to delight kids and adults alike. While the search filter doesn't let naked body parts through, you can get images of people in their underwear and drug paraphernalia, so those things might show up in the public gallery. Also note this app topped the sales charts for a reason: It's weird and pretty wacky, and swapping faces with your kids or your friends might just be the stuff of nightmares for some. Plus, there's no privacy policy or terms of service available on the developer's website, which might make this an iffy choice for kids and families.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what it means to take photos and manipulate images. When is that fun, and when might it not be OK?
Talk about sharing things online. What's entertaining and funny to post, and what's not?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Release date : January 12, 2016
- Genre : Photo & Video
- Publisher : Laan Consulting Corp
- Version : 1.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 8.0 or later
- Last updated : February 15, 2023
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