iRetroPhone vs Thicket
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iRetroPhone
Relive the charm of old-fashioned communication with a realistic rotary dialer simulation. Experience the tactile and auditory sensations of vintage phones, complete with authentic sound effects and customizable designs.
- Authentic rotary interface
- Dial-up sound effects
- Customizable skins
- Nostalgic calling experience
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Take your iPhone back to the 20th Century. "And iRetroPhone, the goofiest $2.99 I've spent so far, draws an old-fashioned rotary dial on the screen." - Saul Hansell (New York Times - Bits Blog) A real rotary dial for your iPhone. And it really calls. Put your finger in a hole, turn the dial to the metal stop and let go. It spins back on its governor, clicking ten times a second, and lands with a clack. Dial the number, tap the green button, and your iPhone places the call. Or pick someone from Contacts and watch the dial do it for you, digit by digit. Never used a rotary phone? Tap the question mark and a ghost finger shows you how: into the hole, round to the stop, let go. Made for iPhone Duo: open it and the dial stays where it was, with a paper card beside it for Speed Calling, eight numbers under the digits 2 to 9 as on the phone company's old service, and How to dial. iRetroPhone went on sale on July 10, 2008, the day the App Store opened. Version 3 rebuilds it from the dial up. THE DIAL - Drawn, not photographed, so it is sharp on every iPhone - The letters above the numbers, as on the classic dial: ABC, DEF, GHI, JKL, MNO, PRS, TUV, WXY, and OPERATOR over 0 - A brass finger stop and a paper slip under the center cap - You pull every digit yourself, as on a real phone. Prefer to tap a hole and let it dial? Turn on Tap to Dial in Settings. THE SOUND - Every tooth of the ratchet clicks as you turn, so a quick turn zips and a slow one ticks - A pulse every 30 degrees on the way back, then the clack of the dial landing - The landing clack and the hang-up are the original 2008 recordings - Haptics follow every click, the stop and the landing - Plays with the ring switch off, like a music app. Sound and haptics can each be switched off in Settings. MAKE IT YOURS - Type your own exchange and number on the slip in the middle, the way real dials carried them, like LAkewood 3697 - Set the dial on black, graphite, green felt, oxblood or navy - Letters on the dial, or digits only ON IPHONE DUO - Closed, Delete, Contacts, Call and Settings stand down the side, Call level with the middle of the dial - Open it and the dial stays right where it was, the way the Home Screen keeps its icons in place. A paper card opens beside it. - Speed Calling, on the card: eight numbers under the digits 2 to 9, the digits the phone company's own Speed Calling service used. Tap a name and the dial turns by itself and calls. - How to dial, on the card: four steps, and a tap shows you on the dial - Stand it upright and the card moves to the top, the dial at the same size IN YOUR LANGUAGE English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. NOTHING COLLECTED No account, no ads, no analytics, no network requests. The system contact picker shares the name and number you choose. Speed Calling saves those entries on your device. Calls go through the Phone app.
Thicket
Create dynamic audiovisual experiences with interactive textures, movement, and sound. Explore five distinct modes, capture your creations, and enjoy a seamless blend of art and play. Perfect for those who appreciate generative art and ambient soundscapes.
- Interactive touch and gesture controls for visuals and sound
- Five distinct creative modes
- Screenshot capture for saving favorite moments
- Child lock for uninterrupted play
- VGA-out support for big-screen projection
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--Made Apple’s Top 10 Generative Art & Sound list-- --Multiple times on Apple Staff Favorites list-- Thicket is an audiovisual world of texture, movement, line and tone. Thicket is part art piece, part toy, part wind chime, part spiderweb. If you like snowflakes, chaos, fire, and music without words, Thicket is for you. From the app store reviews: "...I got lost in the thicket for an hour tonight..." "...seamless interaction of audio and visuals. Beautiful..." "...the fluid feel and a/v implementation is impeccable. extremely well made app." "It was lovely before, now it's exquisite..." "...It's so much fun, may never do anything productive again!" Features: - Control visuals and sound simultaneously with touch and gesture - 5 distinct modes - screen shot capture: save your favorite moments to your photo album! - child lock: removes interface and menu buttons for uninterrupted fun. - VGA-out support: Connect your iPad to a projector or monitor and watch Thicket on a big screen (iPad/iPhone4 and Apple adapter required) - save screenshots of your favorite moments - Universal App: works on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thicket at 78% against iRetroPhone's 39%. Thicket also leads on ratings volume (35 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). iRetroPhone's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
iRetroPhone costs $2.99 and Thicket $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
iRetroPhone holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thicket has 35 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of iRetroPhone's written reviews are positive against 78% of Thicket's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
iRetroPhone ships an update every 3 months, Thicket every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.
| Parameter | iRetroPhone | Thicket |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.5 (35 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 39.0% of reviews | 77.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 35 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 6.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ObjectGraph LLC | Interval Studios |
Customer experience
iRetroPhone
Thicket
User reviews
iRetroPhone
From 1 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and entertaining app
- 🤩 Nostalgic retro feel
- 🔊 Realistic sound effects
- ✨ Good graphics and design
- 💯 Works well for its purpose
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes or doesn't open
- 👎 Outdated design after updates
- 💸 Unexpected charges or rip-off
- 🐌 Slow or unresponsive dialer
- ❌ Missing essential features
Thicket
From 35 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Visually appealing and mesmerizing
- 🎶 Unique and engaging audio experience
- 👍 Fun and entertaining to use
- 🤩 Innovative and creative concept
- 🧠 Sparks creativity and imagination
Room to improve
- 🔈 Limited sound customization options
- 🕹️ Lack of precise control over audio/visual elements
- 🔁 Repetitive or limited variety of experiences
- 💰 Perceived as overpriced for the content provided
Bugs and requests
iRetroPhone
Reported bugs
9 issues- App does not open on some devices
- App crashes when calling from contacts
- App calls after dialing only 3 numbers
- Dialer does not always rotate correctly
- Sound effects are not accurate or missing
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Update ruined the app's functionality
- Memo feature not working for German numbers
- Dialing stops prematurely
- Incorrect charging amount
Requested features
12 requests- Bring back the old retro look/design
- Option to retain older design
- More dialer skins/options
- Add a backspace button
- Add # and * functionality
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Add favorites feature
- Improve sound quality/options
- Add a 'hang up' feature
- Option to have numbers as buttons
- Support for international prefixes (+)
- Improve number formatting for home/work numbers
- Add a lever-like cancel button
Thicket
Reported bugs
3 issues- Occasional crashes or freezes
- Compatibility issues with older devices
- Inconsistent or delayed audio-visual response
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to import custom audio samples
- Implement tempo and pitch controls
- Expand the number of visual and audio modes
- Include recording and playback functionality
- Provide more customization options for users
In-app purchases
iRetroPhone
No in-app purchases
Thicket
No in-app purchases









