4 Celebrity iOS Apps That Are Actually Useful

Celebrity influence on consumer behavior is undeniable. Take actress Lupita Nyong’o. She just dropped a $24 Clarin’s lip balm into the “tip hat” at the 2014 Oscars. The lip balm immediately sold out. Not because of a commercial or magazine ad but because of a real-time association with the actress. It’s not surprising that this excitement to try anything famous people use or recommend carries over to celebrity iOS apps.

Apps by celebrities are always big news, but they aren’t always useful. Often the famous name is meant to make up for the fact that an app is a dud. Still, there are a few notable celebs who lent their names to products that are actually pretty good. Here are some of the best celebrity iPhone apps around.

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? I can hear your eyes rolling from all the way over here. Can a person who many consider famous just for the sake of being famous have a solid app? Well, in Kim Kardashian-West’s case, she most certainly can. Kim K.’s “Hollywood” app is an insanely popular guilty pleasure game. The premise is a simple one: get famous and stay that way!

Fans of the game were so addicted that they had a meltdown when the game went down. Whether you like the Kardashians or not, you can’t argue with the app’s runaway success. The app is free to use with in-app purchases.

Shatoetry

William Shatner’s Shatoetry app borrows from Shatner’s particular style of poetry. The app “lets you arrange words to compose sentences, statements, phrases, and messages.” You can then listen to William Shatner himself speak the text you’ve created. You have the option of saving your “Shatisms” or sharing them with friends.

Shatoetry is a fun iOS app for finding your inner poet – or geeking out with your fellow Star Trek fans. You can own it for $0.99.

Biophilia

Bjork’s Biophilia app is an ambitious educational app aimed primarily at children. According to the Biophilia Education Project website, “[Biophilia] is based [on] creativity as a teaching and research tool, where music, technology and the natural sciences are linked together in an innovative way.”

The user is encouraged to interact with the music in interesting ways. For instance, MoMa references the song “Solstice.” In the app the song becomes a nifty space exploration tool. You can control a set of planets, the distance from their star, and even adjust their orbits. Bjork’s Biophilia, which costs $12.99, is definitely a unique celebrity iOS app.

Hanx Writer

The Hanx Writer app by Tom Hanks brings the typewriter to the iPhone. Yes, you get the typewriter sound effect. You also get the absolute lack of a “delete” function. The point of the app is to write. Not second guess or fret over the inevitable typo … just write.

A document made with Hanx Writer “can be emailed, printed, and shared and has its own unique statement-making personality. ” The app is free to download, with in-app bundles available for purchase.

Conclusion

You’ll notice an interesting pattern with these apps:

Kim K.’s app was a game all about shallow fame.
Bjork’s app meshed music with innovation and art.
William Shatner called on his unique style of speaking and poetry.
Tom Hanks honed in on writing.

The apps weren’t just about a name; they drew from who the celeb actually is. The best celebrity apps are just great apps. They’re fun and useful on their own; it wouldn’t matter if a celebrity released them.