Tellagami Edu

App review by
Patricia Monticello Kievlan, Common Sense Media
Tellagami Edu App Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+
(i)
Limited features, required purchases sink animation app.
Save
Rate app
Play or buy

Parents say

age 18+
Based on 1 review

Kids say

No reviews yetAdd your rating
Tellagami App: Screenshot #1 X of Y
Tellagami App: Screenshot #2 X of Y
Tellagami App: Screenshot #3 X of Y
Tellagami App: Screenshot #4 X of Y

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this app.

Educational Value

Kids can learn to use an animated character to speak text that tells a story, gives a presentation, or delivers another important message. Kids can place a custom character on a custom background and use this imagined space as the setting for a class presentation, a digital postcard, or another spoken message up to 30 seconds long. The biggest learning potential for Tellagami might be for students who struggle with social skills: The medium has potential for kids who might be uncomfortable presenting in person or on film but who are comfortable recording audio or entering text. Although it's fun to create a character and record audio, uneven features make for a disappointing user experience.

Ease of Play

Tellagami's main purpose is to allow users to share their gamis, but frequent error messages and crashes with the in-app sharing features make the experience uneven. 

Violence

The terms of service prohibit content that promotes violence, but it's possible kids could create and share a violent message.

Sex

The terms of service prohibit content that contains explicit or graphic descriptions or accounts of sexual acts, but it's possible kids could create and share a sexual message.

Language

The terms of service prohibit certain kinds of violent, harassing, and sexual content, but profanity isn't specifically prohibited. It's possible that kids will create and share messages with iffy language.

Consumerism

You'll get a few options for creating your character (gender, skin tone, eye color, head size, and emotion), but, to customize hair and clothing or to get a wider variety of backgrounds or text to speech, you'll need to make an in-app purchase. When you tap on a locked item, you're asked to sign in to the app store to make the purchase, but you're not told how much the item will cost before tapping. There's no menu with a list of in-app purchases or an option to unlock everything at once. Instead, users will feel nickel-and-dimed, especially those who had the app before the update that locked many of the options.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

The terms of service prohibit content that promotes illegal drug use or substance abuse, but it's possible that kids will create and share messages about drinking, drugs, or smoking.

Set limits for violence and more with Plus

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Tellagami is an app that lets kids create their own animated characters that speak typed or recorded audio. Kids can select the character's skin color, hairstyle, outfit, and gender and place their character in a real or imagined setting. Unfortunately, most background images in the app are only available as in-app purchases, and the on-screen character can't be customized much beyond its Caucasian-looking features. This app might be a good option for kids who are less comfortable reading a story in their own words or telling a story on video; they can type their words into Tellagami and have the built-in text-to-speech feature do the speaking instead. Although that feature is powerful and helpful, Tellagami's features and utility don't venture much further. The privacy policy states that kids need to be 13 or older to use the app.

Wondering if Tellagami Edu is OK for your kids?

Set preferences and get age-appropriate recommendations with Common Sense Media Plus. Join now

Continue reading Show less

Stay up to date on new reviews.

Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox. Subscribe

User Reviews

  • Parents say
  • Kids say
Parent of a 8-year-old Written bysuyantoanto July 27, 2018
age 18+

Kreasi

Anime
Report this review 

Add your ratingSee all 1 parent review.

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Add your rating

What's it about?

TELLAGAMI is a mobile app for creating a custom animated video called a "gami." Users enter text or record audio and then choose from a range of skin tones, outfits, and hairstyles (most require in-app purchases) to create a custom character to deliver the recording. Users then place a character against a background selected from the free built-in options or the device’s photo library or from among several background "packs" available for purchase within the app.

Continue reading Show less

Is it any good?

Tellagami is supposed to enable users to share their "gamis," but frequent error messages and crashes with the in-app sharing features make the user experience uneven. After making a few gamis, it becomes clear that there's not much variety in the animation: The character's hand gestures don't seem to vary depending on the audio. It also would be nice if there were more options for characters, more free background options, and the possibility to have more than one character on-screen.

The most frustrating part is the way the in-app purchases are set up -- it feels sneaky, and users are severely limited in options unless they make several purchases.

Continue reading Show less

Talk to your kids about ...

  • Families can talk about how changing the character's expression can affect the meaning of the text.

  • Ask kids to draw or import images of faraway places to serve as background images for videos.

  • Talk to kids about how Tellagami might help them explain a concept or tell a story in a new way.

Continue reading Show less

App details

  • Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
  • Skills: Communication: conveying messages effectively, multiple forms of expression, presenting
  • Price: $4.99
  • Pricing structure: Paid ($4.99)
  • Release date: February 20, 2014
  • Category: Entertainment
  • Size: 54.70 MB
  • Publisher: Tellagami Labs Inc.
  • Version: 1.0.2
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 6.0 or later; Android 4.1 and up.
  • Last updated: October 10, 2018
Continue reading Show less

For kids who love animation and creativity

Animation Apps, Games, and Websites
Comic-Creation Apps and Websites
See all recommended app lists

Our editors recommend

Animoto: Slideshow Maker App Poster Image
Animoto: Slideshow Maker
Freemium slideshow tool better on privacy than similar apps.
age 13+
Animate It! App Poster Image
Animate It!
Easy stop-motion animation from Wallace & Gromit creators.
age 10+
Prezi Viewer App Poster Image
Prezi Viewer
Cool presentations on the fly; website offers more features.
age 13+
Explain EDU App Poster Image
Explain EDU
Powerhouse presentation tool has a multitude of features.
age 13+

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate

About these links

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Thank you for your support.

Read more

Our ratings are based on child development best practices. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. The star rating reflects overall quality and learning potential.

Learn how we rate