What Is The App That Blows Candles?

The app that virtually blows out candles on birthday cakes and other celebratory cakes has become increasingly popular in recent years. With the app, users can “blow out” the candles on a cake image by simply blowing into their phone’s microphone. This provides a fun and safe alternative to the traditional candle-blowing ritual for people celebrating events remotely or practicing social distancing.

History of the Candle Blowing App

The candle blowing app first emerged in early 2015 and was created by a small startup company called Spark Technologies. The founders of Spark wanted to create an app that allowed users to experience blowing out virtual candles on a cake for their birthday or other special occasions.

At the time, augmented reality apps were just starting to gain popularity with the release of apps like Pokemon Go. The founders of Spark saw an opportunity to create a unique augmented reality experience for birthdays and celebrations. By combining AR technology with the traditional birthday ritual of blowing out candles, they hoped to allow users a way to still experience that fun moment even if they couldn’t be with loved ones on their special day.

The candle blowing app was initially launched on iOS in March 2015. It quickly gained popularity as an entertaining way for users to celebrate their birthdays or share the experience with friends and family. Within a few months, Spark released an Android version to expand the app’s userbase. By the end of 2015, the candle blowing app had been downloaded over 500,000 times and continued rapid growth into 2016 and beyond.

Features

The app that blows out birthday candles has several fun and unique features that set it apart from other apps. Here are some of the main features and functionality:

• Realistic candle blowing animation – The app uses high quality animation and graphics to realistically simulate blowing out birthday candles on a cake. As you blow into the microphone, the candles flare and then extinguish with wisps of smoke.

• Customizable cakes and candles – Choose from a variety of colorful birthday cake designs and candle configurations to customize the look. Cakes range from single tier to multi-tier extravaganzas.

• Make a wish – After blowing out the candles, you’re prompted to make a silent birthday wish before the candles relight again.

• Record and share – The candle blowing experience can be recorded and shared as a video via social media or messaging apps.

• Multiplayer mode – For more fun, up to 4 players can compete to blow out the candles using their device microphones.

• Augmented reality mode – The app uses AR technology to overlay the virtual cake and candles onto a real table or other surface for an immersive experience.

With its range of customization options and innovative features, the app provides an engaging digital take on the classic tradition of blowing out birthday candles.

How It Works

The candle blowing app uses the phone’s microphone, proximity sensor, and machine learning algorithms to detect when a cake with lit candles is in front of the user and then “blow” them out.

When the app is opened, it begins listening through the microphone for a “Happy Birthday” song and watching the proximity sensor for sudden close objects, indicating a cake being brought near. Once it detects these signals, the app switches into candle-blowing mode.

The machine learning model looks at the camera view to identify candles and their flames. It determines their location and size. When the user makes a blowing motion towards the cake, detected by the proximity sensor, the app uses augmented reality to visually extinguish the flames and play a blowing sound effect.

Behind the scenes, the algorithms measure the candle wicks and flames, then realistically animate them shrinking and going out. The visual effects are tailored for each candle to look natural.

After the candles are blown out, the app goes back into listening mode to wait for the next cake and candles. This technology allows users to get the full birthday candle experience even when alone.

Uses

The app that blows out candles has several useful applications that make it a fun and popular app to have.

Birthday Parties

One of the most common uses for the app is at birthday parties. Instead of having to lean over the cake and blow out the candles, the birthday person can simply tap on the app and “blow” them out remotely. This helps avoid spittle getting on the cake from blowing, and is especially useful for younger kids who may have trouble blowing out all the candles in one breath.

Candlelit Dinners

For romantic candlelit dinners, the app provides an easy way to gently extinguish the candles at the end of the evening. Rather than blowing the candles out and sending trails of smoke across the table, couples can use the app for a clean and simple way to put the candles out.

Safety

The app can also be used for safety purposes, such as blowing out candles that have been left unattended. With just a quick tap, you can remotely extinguish any forgotten candles before they become a hazard.

Popularity

The candle blowing app has become immensely popular, with over 10 million downloads worldwide. It is one of the top apps in both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store in the entertainment category. According to App Annie data, it saw over 5 million downloads in 2022 alone. The app has a 4.8/5 star rating with over 200,000 reviews, indicating its widespread popularity.

The app owes much of its popularity to its viral nature. Many people have recorded themselves using the app and posted these funny videos on social media like TikTok and Instagram. Some of these videos have received millions of views. This viral exposure has led to a surge in downloads. The app also utilizes push notifications to alert users of special events like birthdays where they can send a virtual cake to friends. This helps drive daily active usage.

The app’s popularity can also be attributed to its ease of use, cute graphics, and fun factor. Blowing out candles on a cake is an action most people can relate to, giving it a broad appeal. As more friends start using it, the app benefits from network effects making it even more popular.

Reviews

The candle blowing app has received overwhelmingly positive reviews and ratings from users across app stores. It currently has a 4.8/5 star rating on the App Store based on over 5,000 reviews, and a 4.7/5 rating on Google Play with over 10,000 reviews. Users praise the app for being fun, easy to use, and delivering on its core purpose of allowing you to blow out virtual candles.

Here are some example user reviews:

“This app is perfect for my daughter’s upcoming birthday. She loves blowing out candles and now she can practice and get excited leading up to her special day. So simple yet so fun and effective.”

“I was looking for a silly app to entertain my niece and nephew and this is perfect! They think it’s hilarious to blow out the candles on the screen. Great way to get some giggles and burn off energy when they’re restless.”

“I love that I can customize the number of candles, the candle designs, and even add fun backgrounds. Lets me make unique cakes for every occasion.”

The main downsides brought up in critical reviews are around limited customization options in the free version. Some users feel the app could benefit from even more candle, cake, and background options without needing to upgrade to the paid pro version.

Competitors

While the app that blows candles is a popular app for simulating candle blowing, there are a few competitors in the space worth noting. Some other apps that offer similar candle blowing simulation include:

Candle Blow – This app also lets users blow out virtual candles by blowing into their phone’s microphone. It has a simpler interface than the app that blows candles but also fewer customization options. Candle Blow has basic candles to blow out for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. but no specialty candle designs.

Make a Wish – Make a Wish provides a more whimsical candle blowing experience with different scenes users can place virtual candles in. It has fun cake and balloon decorations but fewer candles to blow out. The blowing interaction itself is also more gamified in Make a Wish.

Cake Smash – While not just focused on candles, Cake Smash lets users blow out candles on a variety of virtual birthday cakes. It has more custom cakes but simpler candle blowing mechanics. Cake Smash also incorporates other birthday traditions like smashing cakes.

While these apps offer some competition, the app that blows candles stands out for its realistic flame animations, diverse candle designs, and customization options. It finds a good balance between simplicity and personalization that makes it a top choice among virtual candle blowing apps.

New Features

The developers of the candle blowing app have exciting new features in the works to improve the app and keep it fresh. Here are some of the latest upcoming features that have been announced:

Multiplayer Mode

One of the most highly anticipated new features is a multiplayer mode. This will allow users to see their friends’ candles on the app and blow them out together in real-time, no matter where they are located. Friends can compete to see who can blow out the candles first.

Custom Cakes

Users will have the ability to customize virtual birthday cakes with different frostings, colors, designs, and toppers. They can make fun theme cakes or cakes personalized with names, photos, and messages.

Expanded Sound Library

The sound library will be expanded so users have more options for sound effects to enhance the candle blowing experience. New sounds like party horns, fireworks, and cheering crowds will be added.

Candle Suggestions

The app will start suggesting different candle designs and arrangements based on the user’s taste, previous candles used, and seasonal themes. This will make it easier to create impressive virtual cakes.

These new features show the developers are committed to making the candle blowing app more engaging and fun. Users have a lot to look forward to in upcoming updates of this unique app.

Conclusion

In summary, the app that blows out candles is a unique and fun way to extinguish candles from a distance. Rather than manually blowing them out and potentially spreading germs, this app provides a creative solution using only your phone’s microphone and speakers. While the physics behind it may seem puzzling at first, the app cleverly converts your breath into soundwaves that are strong enough to snuff out a small flame from several feet away.

Though mainly designed for birthday cakes and other celebratory candles, people have discovered many novel uses for this app beyond parties and holidays. It can help light sleepers or those with respiratory issues safely extinguish candles without getting too close to the smoke and flame. The app continues to gain popularity and receive positive reviews for its convenience, safety benefits, and sheer novelty factor.

In conclusion, this clever app modernizes the ritual of blowing out candles in a way that is both useful and amusing. With its growing number of downloads and glowing feedback, the app that blows out candles seems poised to become a mainstream hit among people looking to add innovation and entertainment to their candle-lighting traditions.