My Experience with Talking Ben the Dog
I downloaded Talking Ben the Dog a little over a year ago, mainly because my nephew Max was visiting and I had nothing for him to do while I made dinner. He was five at the time and gets restless fast. I searched the app store and saw this dog with glasses on the icon and figured, why not. The first time Max talked into the phone and Ben repeated it back in that deep goofy voice, he lost it. He laughed so hard he nearly dropped my iPhone 15 Pro. Honestly, I laughed too. It’s just stupid fun. We spent maybe an hour poking Ben, watching him yell when you tap his belly, and feeding him pretend food. The animations are simple but charming. Over the months, I’ve pulled it out a handful of times — long car rides, waiting at the dentist, lazy Sunday afternoons. It’s not something I use daily, but when I do, it does exactly what it promises: makes a kid giggle. Last Tuesday around 3 PM, Max asked me, “Can we see Ben again?” That says something. It’s not deep or educational. It’s just a ridiculous dog with a bad attitude who copies your voice.
Features Worth Noting
The main thing that works here is the talking. You speak, Ben repeats it in this weird deep voice that cracks me up every time. It’s not perfect — sometimes it misses words — but when it hits, it’s gold. There’s also a bunch of mini-games in the app. One is a simple puzzle where you match shapes, and another is a basic action game where you tap flying things. They’re nothing special, but they keep little hands busy for a few minutes. You can also dress Ben up in silly outfits like a pirate hat or a little suit. Max loves putting a party hat on him. The recording feature is cool too — you can film Ben doing his thing and save it to your camera roll. I’ve sent a few videos to my sister and she cracked up. There’s no real story or goal, which is fine by me. It’s just a virtual pet that talks back and reacts to touches. Some of the reactions are surprisingly funny — like when you poke his nose and he sneezes. It’s lightweight, doesn’t lag on my iPhone 15 Pro, and takes up hardly any storage.
What Needs Work
Okay, so the big issue I ran into was with the in-app purchases. After playing for a while, the app really pushes you to buy stuff. Like, every time you open a mini-game or try to unlock an outfit, there’s a pop-up asking for money. It gets annoying fast. Last month I tried to contact support because something glitched — I bought a food pack and it didn’t show up. I sent an email through the app and got a vague reply two days later saying “please check your connection.” I checked everything. It was fine. I replied again and never heard back. That left a bad taste. Also, the app drains battery pretty quick if you leave it running. And the talking feature sometimes gets muffled if there’s background noise. One time Ben repeated my nephew saying a bad word because my brother was watching a movie in the other room. That was awkward. Overall, the core app is fine, but the money-grabbing stuff and the useless support make me hesitant to recommend it to anyone who hates pop-ups.
Pricing
The app itself is free to download, which is great. You can play with Ben, talk to him, pet him, and do the basic mini-games without spending a cent. But the extras cost real money. Outfits, special food, and extra mini-game levels are all locked behind purchases. Prices range from about one dollar to maybe ten dollars for a bundle. I spent $2.99 once on a costume pack and honestly regretted it. It didn’t add much. The pop-ups for purchases are constant. After about ten minutes of play, a screen will slide up asking if you want to unlock “Ben’s Ultimate Party Pack” or something similar. If you’re handing this phone to a kid, be prepared for them to beg you to buy stuff. I found myself saying “no” a lot, which took some of the fun out of it. For what it is, the free version is enough. Don’t bother paying unless you really want that top hat.
Developer Notes
The developer is Outfit7 Limited — same people who made Talking Tom. You can tell because the style is almost identical. They update the app every few months, usually to add new seasonal outfits or fix bugs. I noticed last Christmas they added a Santa hat. That’s nice. But the updates also bring more ads. There are video ads after some mini-games that you can’t skip. It feels like they’re trying to squeeze as much money as possible out of a simple concept. On the bright side, the app has been around for years and hasn’t crashed on me once. It’s stable. I just wish they’d tone down the ads and make support actually helpful instead of sending copy-paste replies.
Security & Privacy
When you first open the app, it asks for permission to use the microphone and camera. That makes sense because it needs to record your voice for the talking feature. It also asks for access to your photo library if you want to save videos. I’ve never had any weird issues with that, but it’s worth knowing the app does collect data for advertising. The privacy policy says they share anonymized data with third parties. Nothing shocking for a free app, but if you’re worried about kids using it, keep an eye on what they’re doing. I turned off permissions for the camera unless I specifically wanted to record. It still works fine for just talking. The app doesn’t require an account to use, which I appreciate. No logging in or creating passwords. That’s a big plus in my book. Just download, open, and go.
How does the voice repeating feature work in Talking Ben the Dog?
You speak into your phone, and Ben repeats what you said in a deep, goofy voice. It works best in a quiet environment, as background noise can muffle the recording and cause it to miss words.
Can you record and save videos of Ben's reactions?
Yes, the app includes a recording feature that lets you film Ben talking and reacting, then save the video directly to your camera roll. This is great for sharing funny moments with family and friends.
What should I do if an in-app purchase doesn't show up after buying it?
First, check your internet connection and restart the app. If the item still doesn't appear, contact support through the app's email option, but be aware that responses can be slow and may not resolve the issue quickly.
Why does Talking Ben the Dog drain my battery so quickly?
The app uses continuous animation and voice processing, which can be battery-intensive if left running for a long time. To save battery, close the app completely when not in use instead of leaving it in the background.
How does Talking Ben the Dog compare to other talking pet apps like Talking Tom?
Talking Ben focuses more on a single character with a grumpy personality and simple mini-games, while Talking Tom offers a wider range of activities and characters. Ben is better for quick, silly fun with voice repetition, but it lacks the depth and educational content of some competitors.
