QuizUp
By Amanda Bindel,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Expansive social trivia great for facts but not privacy.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
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QuizUp
Community Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
THE BEST
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What’s It About?
Players add friends (by linking their contacts, Facebook account, Twitter account, or Game Center account) and challenge them to trivia quizzes. They also can choose a quiz from the topics and let the system find an opponent for them. More than 400 topics cover the arts, business, education, games, geography, history, lifestyle, literature, movies, music, nature, science, sports, and TV. Friends don't have to take the quiz at the same time to compete against each other; scores will be tallied after both have played.
Is It Any Good?
Word lovers have Words with Friends. Artists have Draw Something. And trivia lovers have QUIZUP. It's truly fun, social, competitive -- and addictive. The range of topics means there's something for everyone (including some things not for kids). The matches are short, making for a perfect little brain break, and it's really fun to match wits with friends. The scoring is oddly complex, but it's still plenty of fun to just play and see who wins. The iPad version is more responsive than the iPhone version, which sometimes responds slowly or not at all when setting up games.
Settings can be tightened up enough to make it somewhat safe for teens, but it's a lot of work. Open chat and the ability to play with strangers mean that safety is compromised, but teens who simply want to play against their friends may be able to use the app wisely. Discussion boards are the biggest problem, though, often containing totally unintelligible posts, posts to "Message me to hook up!", and a spattering of actual trivia-related conversation. One post starts with the subject "Sext?" and then clarifies "only girls 15-19." The discussion board seems to serve no purpose beyond making the whole experience iffy for teens, which is too bad, because the actual gameplay and trivia are pretty much appropriate.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Read You're Not as Private as You Think, and discuss with teens who do sign up for QuizUp how to protect themselves online.
Advise teens not to link their Facebook or Twitter accounts if they use their real names and pictures there, since they'll be included in their QuizUp profiles. Also, encourage them to use an alias and an avatar rather than their real name and picture. Get more tips on Internet safety in our article Tech Talk: Beyond Internet Safety.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Subjects: Language & Reading: reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, Math: algebra, arithmetic, money, Science: biology, chemistry, physics, Social Studies: geography, government, historical figures, history, Arts: improvising and music analysis, Hobbies: board games, collecting, cooking, sports
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning: memorization, Self-Direction: academic development, work to achieve goals, Communication: multiple forms of expression, Tech Skills: using and applying technology
- Release date: March 17, 2014
- Category: Trivia Games
- Topics: High School
- Publisher: Plain Vanilla Corp
- Version: 1.1.4
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 5.0 or later; Android 4.0.3 and up
- Last updated: August 16, 2016
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