Flinch is a fresh app that lets strangers challenge each other to staring contests
FlinchВ isВ a fresh iPhone app that brings the awkward childhood game, staring contests, to mobile devices. It launched last July and an updated version was released a few weeks ago.
Reminisicent of Chatroulette, a once-popular movie talk app, Flinch uses movie conferencing to randomly pair up users. It accomplishes this via an iteration of ooVoo’s intelligent movie platform.
The very first to smile, laugh or "flinch," loses. The app uses facial recognition software to tell who cracks their serious face very first.
Users are having mixed reactions to the app.
I have way too much joy with this Flinch app
— Nick Bruemmel (@NBruemmel) April 14, two thousand fifteen В
During my very first attempt at Flinch and my opponent makes some sicko comment. Y’all delete that app.
— Cards вњЊпёЏ (@cardinale_amber) April 8, two thousand fifteen В
flinch is literally the greatest app I’ve ever had
— Zaddy Long Gams (@zhammanta555) April Five, two thousand fifteen
the app flinch is the sketchiest thing ever
Already, the app is having some issues with inappropriate or dangerous content. People have streamed alarming things, like this:
A Flinch user was screengrabbed doing this, which was posted to Twiter via @youngrees_ Matthew Speiser
There have also been reviews citing wordy manhandle and indecent exposure by users of the app on Twitter.
Toni Bridsong , a Family Safety Evangelist at Intel Security, wrote about her Flinch reservations in an April seven blog post. Bridsong finds Flinch "creepy" and thinks it’s the ideal cyberbullying and predator platform, adding that the app has a mostly masculine 20-40 year-old audience.
Flinch is a fresh take on the classic staring contest where users challenge against each other in the very first real-time вЂvideo’ game. The app is unique in the fact that the app is the judge of the game – detecting which player cracks a smile very first. Matt Farrell
" Frankly, the instant streaming movie of strangers on my iPhone 6-plus screen was acutely creepy," В Bridsong wrote. " The app, which is now being downloaded and applauded by nosey teenagers, is undoubtedly gaining traction as more of a hook-up app. While Flinch features some awesome, advanced facial expression technology (it detects who smiles very first and issues a win), my brief time using this app sent it straight into the crimson zone when it comes to family safety."
Matt Farrell, a product manager at Spitfire Technology, helped design Flinch. He says censoring against offensive content is a "significant concentrate" for the team.
"We have taken several steps to create the safest possible environment for our users," Farrell told Business Insider in an email. "In addition, the Flinch team takes account monitoring gravely; user accounts as well as social media channels are proactively monitored for violations and inappropriate uses of our app.В W hen we identify inappropriate use through monitoring or other measures, we instantly deactivate the accounts."
Farrell contends that all users have the capability to block other users so they will not be matched with them again. He also pointed out that Flinch is a game with a finite amount of time in which interaction can occur (each game is a maximum of 60-seconds).
Still the app seems to be gaining popularity and it’s one of the top free games in the iOS App Store. Farrell says the growth has happened "organically and virally" and that the app has been in the top fifty for the past few weeks. At the time of writing, Flinch was #46 on Apple’s Top Free App chart.