Case study · Independent
Candle Blower
A consumer Android app that blows out real candles using nothing but the phone's speaker, installed millions of times.
- Role
- Independent developer: design, engineering and release
- Period
- 2022 – Present
- Stack
- FlutterDartAndroidAudio synthesis
- 5.8M+Lifetime installs of my consumer apps, per Google Play Console
- 17K+Public ratings on Google Play
- 29.5MViews across three YouTube reviews
- 100+YouTube channels that tested it
The idea
A phone speaker is a small diaphragm that pushes air. Drive it with the right sound at full volume and it moves enough air to put out a birthday candle. Candle Blower turns that piece of physics into a one-tap trick.
It is a simple idea, which is why it spread: anyone can test it in ten seconds with a candle and a phone.
How it works
The app generates its sound rather than playing a recording, so pitch and volume can change while it runs. The sound is shaped to put its energy where a phone's small speaker moves the most air.
- Raises the media volume automatically when the blower starts.
- Ramps up and winds down like a fan motor, instead of switching on and off.
- Detects headphones, since sound routed to them never reaches the speaker.
- Several blowing modes, plus a built-in guide for when the candle stays lit.
Running a consumer app
I design, build and release the app myself, including ads, in-app purchases and analytics. It has been on Google Play since 2022 and is now on its fifth major version.
Most of its reach came from people testing it on camera. More than 100 YouTube channels have reviewed it, and three of those videos alone have about 29.5 million views.
Outcome
My consumer apps have passed 5.8 million lifetime installs, most of them from Candle Blower, which has more than 17,000 public ratings on Google Play.