It’s in TV all the time- someone is talking on the phone to their boss/spouse/inlaws, and they think they hang up, but instead just set the phone down, and then proceed to talk about the person who is still listening to everything. Has this ever happened to you? If so, or if you find yourself dropping calls and talking to nobody for minutes on end, you definitely want to check out today’s app- DeFunkt Calls, an app that will alert you whenever your call ends.
Developer’s Description:
DeFunkt Calls saves the need of having to worry about whether a call was dropped, or stopped intentionally. And it does all of this using a friendly, pre-programmed voice, too!
| Category | Score | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Does it Fulfill its Purpose? | 15 | DeFunkt Calls is an app that plays an alert noise whenever your call ends. It’s a simple app, and performed its task well in our tests- a few seconds after a phone call was completed, it played a noise to alert you. This can be a useful feature, as a number of phones don’t alert you to certain instances when calls are finished, such as a call dropped due to bad service. If used regularly, users will also be able to recognize when their phone did not hang up from a call, or be alerted if a call is made unintentionally. It had all the features that would be necessary for this kind of app to function, though it would be nice to be able to preview the chosen sound and vibrate settings without actually making a call. In addition, the choices for the alert are nice, but some users might want to be able to use their own alert sounds. |
| Does it Look Good? | 18 | The app itself is very simple. However, you likely won’t be spending much time within it, as it primarily deals with changing settings, and the audio alerts sound very pleasant. |
| Does it Run Well? | 9 | DeFunkt Calls runs around 1.5MB with no ability to install to SD. It uses a number of permissions, including some that don’t appear to be necessary for the app to function- such as the ability to call phone numbers, read contact data, modify SD, read phone and network state, and control vibrator. I also ran into a bug while using the app. You can set the volume at which it plays your notification in the menu screen. However, this simply uses the phone’s media volume setting, and if anything else- such as music, a game, or another app- changes this volume, it applies to DeFunkt Calls, too. In other words, if you make your phone quieter in order to play a game, DeFunkt Calls ignores its setting and follows the quieter setting used in the game. This could make it very easy for some users to accidentally disable the app without knowing it. |
| Is it Easy to Use? | 20 | DeFunkt Calls surprised me- it began doing what it was supposed to do before I even did any setup. The app is simple, and has no features that are difficult to understand or implement. |
| Is This App Useful to Everybody? | 17 | I can’t count the times that I’ve been talking to an empty phone after a call has dropped- or even had my pocket accidentally call my family over and over. This is an app that would help with that problem- a problem that many Android users face. If you find yourself regularly driving in a place with mediocre service, there’s nothing that can make the phone not drop calls, but this app could help ease some of the frustration out of it when it happens. |
| Overall Score | 79 | The amusing video that the developers created claim that DeFunkt Calls could save your life. I’m not sure that I would necessarily go that far, but it is definitely a useful app that deals with an extremely annoying problem that many cell phone users experience. Their website has a 30-day trial version, so if you’re still on the fence check it out! |
Reviewed Version: 1.0
| Direct market access: |