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FaceApp: AI Face Editor
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that FaceApp is a photo app that lets users snap a selfie and manipulate it with a few key filters. There are only a few choices: You can make yourself older or younger, swap your gender, or add a smile. In addition to letting you take a photo, the app lets you select photos from any other app on your device for which you've enabled the camera. FaceApp caught some negative media attention in spring 2017 when another filter, called "Hot" and then "Spark," was introduced, intending to alter images to make them more attractive; users posted images online showing that this feature lightened dark skin and altered facial features to make them look more European. This feature has since been removed and isn't available at the time of this writing. In 2019 it's also has gotten a lot of attention around privacy concerns, including questions about uploading your picture to process off of your device, overriding your phone's permissions, and sharing data with third parties. Though there are valid privacy concerns when uploading photos to apps like this one, many privacy experts feel the concerns around this app's privacy aren't substantially different from other apps like it. You can read the developer's response to consumer concerns here. The app's free version includes ads along the bottom of the screen; the paid version removes the ads but has no additional features. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared, and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Thin, yet intriguing facial app raises privacy concerns
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What's it about?
FACEAPP: AI FACE EDITOR is a photo app that lets you manipulate images with a series of filters. First, you can either snap a selfie or select a picture from your camera roll or from another social media app like Instagram, Face Swap Live, Twitter, or WhatsApp. You can then apply a filter that adds a smile, makes you look older or younger, or makes you look more masculine or more feminine. You can then share one image or a collage of images by saving it to your device or sharing it on social media. The free version of the app features ads at the bottom of the screen; the paid version removes ads and allows you remove the FaceApp logo from your exported images.
Is it any good?
Your first spin through the features is pretty fun, but the appeal may be short-lived. It's weirdly absorbing to snap a selfie and see it alongside more masculine and more feminine versions of your face. The smile filter is pretty neat, too: While some other apps' filters twist and contort your face into clearly impossible shapes, FaceApp: Neural Face Transformations creates remarkable, realistic images. However, that's really all there is to it. Fans of Snapchat and other photo apps may be surprised to see that there are really only a handful of features, and the paid version doesn't offer more options -- it just removes the ads. Overall, this is an amusing app to try once or twice, but look elsewhere for more features and more interesting ways to share.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about what it means to take photos and manipulate images with apps like FaceApp. 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, Android
- Pricing structure: Free ($3.99 for Pro version)
- Release date: May 4, 2017
- Category: Photo & Video
- Size: 35.70 MB
- Publisher: Wireless Lab OOO
- Version: 1.0.12
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 8.0 or later; Android 4.4 and up
- Last updated: July 18, 2019
For kids who love photography and funny apps
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