Sphero Play vs Shadows
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sphero Play
Control and play with various Sphero robots using a single application. Explore multiple drive modes, engage in robot-controlled games, and learn basic programming through a block-based interface.
- Multiple drive modes (joystick, tilt, voice)
- Robot-controlled games
- Block Drive programming
- Sports-themed drive modes
- Voice control
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Drive and play games from ONE app with your Sphero Mini, Sphero 2.0, SPRK, SPRK+, BOLT, and BOLT+. Connect and control your robots with several exciting drive modes, use your robot as a controller to play games, or try out Block Drive for an intro to programming with colorful blocks. Features include: DRIVE MODES Drive your robots several ways with the Sphero Play app. Use the joystick and slingshot controls, tilt your device, or use your voice. Our sports-themed drive modes keep things fun with the ability to swing your device to "golf"*, or flick to "kick" your robot. BLOCK DRIVE PROGRAMMING Learn programming basics by controlling your robot with colorful movement and light blocks. GAMES Use your robot as a controller to shoot your way through space, race your vehicle through a tunnel avoiding obstacles and scoring points, or rotate your ball to destroy a polygon of bricks. Need robots? We know a guy. Visit sphero.com and order today. *This mode is not available on iPads.
Shadows
Enhance your board game experience with an official companion app. It offers a unique soundtrack and a customizable timer to improve gameplay atmosphere. Enjoy beautiful artwork from the board game.
- Unique soundtrack
- Customizable timer
- Board game artwork
- Enhances game atmosphere
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If you love to play Libellud' Shadows - Amsterdam, you will love to improve your experience with the official companion app. Enhance the board game atmosphere with a great soundtrack and a customizable timer. It features: - An unique soundtrack - Fully customizable timer to play 2-3 players mode - Beautiful artworks from the board game Give it a try, it's made with love !
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sphero Play at 4.8 against Shadows's 3.0. Sphero Play also leads on ratings volume (37K vs 2). Shadows's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sphero Play holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sphero Play has 37K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Sphero Play's written reviews are positive against 75% of Shadows's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sphero Play | Shadows |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (37K ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.2% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 37K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 193 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sphero, Inc. | Tempete Studio |
Customer experience
Sphero Play
Shadows
Bugs and requests
Sphero Play
Reported bugs
2 issues- Joystick controls not working as expected
- Alignment issues causing unexpected movement
Requested features
4 requests- More games and activities
- Support for additional Sphero products (e.g. Ollie, BB-8)
- Improved aiming and control precision
- Camera integration to see the Sphero's view
Shadows
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sphero Play
No in-app purchases
Shadows
No in-app purchases
