# Holiday Bells — Play Christmas Handbell Music

> Play Christmas songs on virtual handbells with interactive features and festive extras. (iPhone/iPad app by Lightsphere LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holiday-bells/id300097303 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Lightsphere LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/300097306)
- Category: Music, Entertainment
- Price: $0.99
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 56 App Store ratings · 81 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 118 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2008-12-18
- Data updated: 2026-09-03
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holiday-bells/id300097303/reviews.md

## What is Holiday Bells?

Play Christmas songs on the handbells with Holiday Bells! The beautiful bell sounds are real handbells!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jingle Bells: Shake the phone to ring the bells. 

Handbell: Tap to ring. Tap on the clef to change pitch.

Handbell Set: 15 handbells. Tap on the bells to play your favorite holiday songs!

Songs: 20 Christmas songs, with favorites like "Jingle Bells", "Away in a Manger", "Joy to the World", and more. Scroll the songs list to see them all. Choose a song, then follow the snowflakes to tap along, or press the Auto-Play button to have the app play the song for you!

Stickers: Add some holiday cheer to your text messages! Holiday Bells stickers have bells, stars, animated music notes, a music sheet and songbook, an animated candle with flickering flame, a Christmas wreath, birds (cedar waxwing, cardinal, and peace dove), and a red poinsettia. All of the stickers are original hand-drawn artwork by artist and app developer Kira Matrejek.

Widgets: New in iOS14, add festive holiday widgets to your home screen! Holiday Bells has small, medium and large size widgets. Widgets can display the date, the days until Christmas, or holiday song lyrics, and there are several seasonal backgrounds to choose from.

Merry Christmas!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

## Key features

- Realistic handbell sounds
- Interactive song playback
- 20 Christmas songs
- Home screen widgets
- Festive stickers

## What do users think of Holiday Bells?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🎶 Beautiful bell sounds
- 🎄 Festive holiday cheer
- 👍 Easy to use and fun
- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Enjoyed by all ages
- 🎵 Good for learning music
- 🎶 Multiple playing modes
- 🎶 Great for stress relief
- 📱 Works well on various devices
- 🎶 High-quality sound
- 🎶 Interactive musical experience
- 🎶 Pleasant and clear tones
- 🎶 Good for practicing music
- 🎶 Brings holiday spirit
- 🎶 Fun for caroling accompaniment
- 🎶 Well-designed and user-friendly
- 🎶 Long-time favorite app
- 🎶 Outstanding and flawless app
- 🎶 Soothing sounds
- 🎶 Great for teaching iPhone use

**Cons**

- 🐛 Lyrics off beat
- 🐛 iPad screen rotation bug
- 🐛 Graphics issue on iPad
- 🐛 Handbells silent for some users
- 🐛 App crashes for VoiceOver users
- 🐛 Bell volume too low for some
- 🐛 Handbell duration too abrupt
- 🐛 In-app screen lock request
- 🐛 Volume adjustment missing in update
- 🐛 Bells not ringing on older iPads

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Lyrics off beat
- iPad rotate for song doesn't work
- Handbells are silent
- App crashes on handbell/more tab for VoiceOver users
- iPad screen edges graphics issue
- Bells do not ring on iPad 2
- Cannot adjust volume after update

**Most requested features**

- Label bells with note names
- Add another octave
- Songs that play automatically
- Add non-holiday songs
- Upload sticker pack to iMessage
- Next note highlight for easier play
- More songs
- Auto-play feature
- Different bell sounds
- Background music during songs
- Record own songs
- Adjust bell volume/speed with shake
- Sharps and flats
- Three octaves
- Marts and damping for handbells
- Extend range to two octaves
- Add half-steps
- Adjust handbell fade into silence
- Lock screen within app

## Recent user reviews (10 of 81)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holiday-bells/id300097303/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Pretty

*2020-12-26, version 3.2*

I love the soothing sounds of the bells. 
Thank you for this. Each Xmas I play away to my hearts content.

### 1/5 — Description Unclear

*2020-12-25, version 3.2*

Description made it sound like the sounds would play in iMessage— which is what I bought it for. The emojis have no sound , or it’s not clear how to activate the sound. I want my money back. I don’t want/need an iPhone app that plays bells and music. I can do that other ways. Bah humbug.

### 5/5 — Best App EVER!  🔔

*2020-12-19, version 3.2*

I have had this app on my phone for more than 10 years, and I still play with it every Christmas. I’m trying to teach my 95-year-old neighbor how to use her iPhone, and yesterday I gifted her this app. As I showed her how to use it, her eyes lit up! I’ve never seen anyone so excited about anything! She can’t wait to show it to her family! It was such a hit that I gifted it to another neighbor, a single father with a 7-year-old boy. I know they’ll have fun playing the songs. Thank you to the developer for such an outstanding, flawless app. I’ve never encountered any problems, and it’s so well-designed and user-friendly— even for kids and older people!

**Developer response:** Thank you! Merry Christmas!

### 5/5 — Love it!

*2020-04-17, version 3.1*

Great bell to begin homeschooling during this pandemic. Relaxing to listen to the songs even though they are Christmas songs I love the bells. Peaceful.

### 4/5 — Really good but...

*2019-12-09, version 3.1*

I would love to have the bells labeled with their note names so that you can play your own music more easily. Love the sound and general function. It would also be nice to have another octave to choose from.

### 1/5 — ipad rotate for song doesn't work

*2018-12-04, version 3.1*

this feature is not working

### 4/5 — Label the bells!

*2018-11-24, version 3.1*

Please label the bells to make it easier to identify the notes.

### 4/5 — Oh, what fun!

*2018-11-24, version 3.1*

The app is a delightful way to easily get the “hang” of note values. It’s a fun experience all the way ‘round. Mrs. Santa gives it four and a half chocolate chip cookies!

### 5/5 — So Cool!

*2017-11-28, version 3.1*

I love this App!  It works perfectly too!  Thanks!!

### 3/5 — Lyrics off beat

*2016-12-15, version 3.1*

The printed lyrics highlight one beat later than the note they go with. Otherwise an ok app.

## Frequently asked questions about Holiday Bells

### What can I do with Holiday Bells?

Holiday Bells allows you to play Christmas songs using realistic handbell sounds. You can tap on individual bells to create music, follow visual cues to play along with 20 included holiday songs, or let the app play them automatically. It also offers festive stickers for messaging and customizable home screen widgets.

### How do I play songs in Holiday Bells?

You can play songs by tapping on the individual handbells in the 'Handbell Set' mode. Alternatively, select a song from the list and follow the snowflake indicators to tap along. For a hands-free experience, you can press the 'Auto-Play' button to have the app play the song for you.

### Is Holiday Bells free to use?

Yes, Holiday Bells is a free application. The description indicates that it does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, meaning all features are accessible without cost.

### What devices is Holiday Bells compatible with?

The description mentions widgets being 'New in iOS14', suggesting compatibility with iOS devices. The app's core functionality of playing music and using stickers is likely available on a range of smartphones and tablets.

### What kind of stickers does the app offer?

The app includes a variety of original, hand-drawn holiday-themed stickers. These feature elements like bells, stars, animated music notes, a music sheet, an animated candle, a Christmas wreath, various birds, and a poinsettia, designed to add holiday cheer to text messages.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.2 — 2020-12-08

Now with Christmas widgets for your home screen! Countdown the days til Christmas, show holiday song lyrics, or display today's date.

Also updated for iOS14 and all screen sizes. Holiday Bells has been ringing in the holidays since 2008!

### 3.1 — 2016-12-08

Now with Auto-Play: the app can now play the songs for you! Also: a new song (Pat-A-Pan), and a new holiday sticker pack for your iMessages!

Also new this year:

* Auto-Play! Choose a song, then either follow the snowflakes to tap along, or press the Auto-Play button to have the app play it for you!

* Beautiful new bell sounds! These were professionally recorded with the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Celebration Ringers' handbell set. These new bells sound sweeter, mellower, and more in tune. Many thanks to Keith Chuvala at Gloria Dei for ringing and recording the new bells!

* New song: Pat-A-Pan! This French Christmas Carol was originally written for flute and drums, but it sounds great on the bells!

* New holiday sticker pack for your messages app! (Activate it in the "Manage" tab in the iMessage App Store.)

* Updated for iOS10 and all screen sizes.

* Bugs fixed in 3.1: 
   • The iPhone/iPad now stays awake while you're auto-playing songs.
   • Fixed a bug with snowflakes not getting cleared.
   • Corrected the layout of musical notes on the scale in the iPhone handbell view. 
   • Fixed the auto-play timing on Jingle Bells.

Holiday bells is also available for the new Apple TV! Look for it in the App Store on your Apple TV.

Happy holidays!

-- Kira Matrejek, app developer

### 3.0 — 2016-11-28

Now with Auto-Play! Choose a song, then either follow the snowflakes to tap along, or press the Auto-Play button to have the app play it for you!

Also new this year:

* Beautiful new bell sounds! Holiday Bells has *always* used real bell sounds, but I wanted to update the bells so they would sound good on larger speakers. The new bell sounds were professionally recorded with the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Celebration Ringers' handbell set. These new bells sound sweeter, mellower, and more in tune. Many thanks to Keith Chuvala at Gloria Dei for ringing and recording the bells!

* Updated for iOS10 and all screen sizes.

Holiday bells is also available for the Apple TV! Look for it in the App Store on your Apple TV.

Happy holidays!

-- Kira Matrejek, app developer

### 2.6 — 2013-11-21

Three new songs!
  * I Saw Three Ships (come sailing in on Christmas day)
  * O Holy Night - I love this song and have wanted to include it for a while, though it's more complex than most of the other songs. It spans more than a single octave, so some of the notes drop down into what the app can play. I think it still works though, and hope you enjoy it!
  * Auld Lang Syne (Ok, this isn't a Christmas tune, but now you can ring in the New Year with Holiday Bells.) :)

I've also updated the icon to look nice on iOS7, and made a few other minor fixes and improvements.

Have a great Christmas!

### 2.5 — 2012-11-28

New Stuff:
• Graphics updated for iPhone 5!
• 4 new songs: 
 . . . The 12 Days of Christmas
 . . . We Three Kings Of Orient Are
 . . . Silent Night
 . . . The First Noel
• Added a "More" tab, with more info and goodies:
 . . . Tips on how to get the sound working, if you're not getting bell sounds
 . . . Lyrics for all of the songs
 . . . A set of Christmas wallpapers for the iPhone

Other Changes:
• Removed rotate-lock buttons from the iPad version (use your iPad's rotate-lock button to achieve the same thing)
• Removed "shake to clear" from iPhone handbell set, because it was causing many people to accidentally clear the song in the middle of playing it. There's now an "End Song" button on the bell set screen and the songs screen.
• Moved to the Music category

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## More apps by Lightsphere LLC

- [Dot-o-mator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dot-o-mator/id320509905)
- [Draw Lights](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/draw-lights/id473552534)
- [Holiday Bells for TV](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/holiday-bells-for-tv/id1056307853)

All apps by Lightsphere LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/300097306

## Related topics

[bells musical](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bells-musical)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*