Top 20 most pointless apps ever developed: 'Virtual Candle' and 'Pocket Whip' lead the way

An app which simulates the flickering of a wax candle has been hailed as the most pointless app ever developed.

The 'Virtual Candle' beat a string of other useless apps, including one which mimics the cracking of a whip, to claim the unwanted title.

'You are Rich', which places a gem on the person's home screen to supposedly make them look wealthy, was voted into third place.

In fourth place was 'Goggle Eyes' - where users find themselves being stared at by a monkey which follows their head movement.

Sim Stapler, where users can simulate the action of a stapler, completed the top five.

A spokesman for OnePoll, which commissioned the study, said: ''Any development in technology will always be used to find ways to entertain and engage people, but with smartphone apps it seems there's less of a requirement to provide any substance.

''It's perhaps hard to understand why anyone would download an app just to be stared at by a monkey, but luckily for Goggle Eyes or virtual candle, people are amused by this stuff and continue to download apps that have seemingly no practical use.

''Life can be very serious sometimes, so while it might be a struggle to see the point of certain apps, a bit of novelty never does any harm.''

A team of experts scoured the web and compiled a list of apps considered pointless. A panel of 2,000 people were then asked to vote.

An app which enables you to poke a rotund man in the belly  was sixth, another which does up a zips was eighth and one which milks a cow was 11th.


[Related article: Neither TV nor iPhone 5 but Apple still creates a stir with iOS6]


'Smart' phone technology will even let you spend your free time shaving a man (12th), have dogs lick your screen 'clean' (13th) or deliver a classy marriage proposal (15th).

The average person has 20 apps on their smartphone, but describes just a quarter of that figure as useful to them or that they use daily.

In fact, 45 per cent of the study can't help themselves downloading apps they know will be pointless- but claim they find them addictive.

Just under half the study (49 per cent) go as far as to say they could not live without apps.

A third obsess constantly over beating a top score on an app, while over a tenth have played one while on a date.

More than one in ten has played an app while driving a car and a third play them in bed.

And sixty per cent of the study admitted to deleting an app they found rubbish straight after downloading.

But even when promising themselves they won't download anymore pointless apps, one third confess they still regularly install more.

The OnePoll spokesman added: ''The ability to download instantly and have a new content at your fingertips is a compelling thing to have.

''But with free or low-priced content you of course aren't assured of either quality or performance and the amount of time dedicated to seemingly pointless apps is baffling.

''There are hundreds of apps that provide many useful functions and enhance a hectic modern life, but these results show that if something is quirky enough or even just plain stupid, it can still prove a major hit.''

Top 20 most pointless apps

1.  Virtual Candle (simulates a candle)
2.  Pocket Whip (crack a whip)
3.  You are Rich (a shiny gem that sits on your home screen and glows)
4.  Goggle Eyes (a big monkey just stares at you - it follows your head movement)
5.  Sim Stapler (press the stapler and it makes a staple noise)
6.  Belly Jam  (poke a man in the belly and it makes funny noises)
7.  Hold On! (hold a button on the screen as long as you can)
8.  Zips (undo and do up zips)
9.  Man Poke (undo and do up zips)
10. Milk the Cow (milk a cow)
11. Toasted Marshmallow (toast a marshmallow in a fire)
12. Shave Me (shave a man with a beard)
13. Screen Cleaner (dogs lick your screen 'clean')
14. Sound Grenade (emits a high pitched screeching sound)
15. Will You? (Asks a person to marry you)
16. Fire Fingers (Touch the screen to make flames)
17. Police Siren (makes a siren noise and flashes)
18. Big Red Button (push the button to stop people talking)
19. Taxi Hold 'Em (it says taxi and whistles to attract a cab)
20. Cake Fun (bake a cake and decorate it)