Hoverophone vs HandyStrum
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hoverophone
This app reimagines the theremin for your iPhone, allowing you to play music by waving your hands in the air without touching the screen. It offers a polyphonic synthesizer with various sound options and microtonal capabilities for unique musical exploration.
- Air-based theremin playing with front camera hand tracking
- Polyphonic synthesizer with multiple voice options
- Microtonal keyboard with 12-TET or 24-TET quarter tones
- Stack up to twelve notes by pinning voices
- Continuous pitch glide and volume control
- Fully offline functionality
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Play a theremin in the air with your hands—no screen taps, controller, or antenna required. Hoverophone uses the front camera to follow your hands. Raise or lower a hand to glide the pitch, change the distance between your thumb and any finger to control volume, and move from side to side to pan the sound. Raise a hand and you are already playing that unmistakable, otherworldly theremin voice. A POLYPHONIC SYNTH Choose a sine, triangle, saw, or square wave, then add drive and ring modulation. Movement across the camera controls the stereo field. Hoverophone tracks up to four hands at once, so you can play chords instead of a single melody. Bring two sounding hands together to pin a note in place. Pinned notes continue to ring while you play, giving you as many as twelve simultaneous voices: four live and eight sustained. MICROTONAL NOTES IN THE AIR Leave the note grid off for the classic continuous theremin glide. Turn it on to snap the pitch to 12-TET notes or 24-TET quarter tones on an isomorphic hexagonal grid. Move your hand into a cell and the note lands in tune without touching the screen. The 24-TET mode opens the door to microtonal and xenharmonic music while preserving the instrument's in-air control. FEATURES - Front-camera hand tracking with no screen contact - Continuous theremin pitch or an isomorphic note grid - 12-TET and 24-TET tuning with quarter tones - Up to four tracked hands and twelve simultaneous voices - Four waveforms, drive, ring modulation, and stereo panning - Sound through the speaker or headphones, even in silent mode - No account required; plays without a network connection HOW TO PLAY THE THEREMIN A theremin is an electronic musical instrument played without physical contact. In Hoverophone, simply raise a hand in front of the camera. Move up and down to change pitch, open and close the space between your fingers to shape volume, and move left or right to place the sound in the stereo field. If you are learning how to play the theremin, start in continuous mode and practice smooth pitch glides. Switch to 12-TET when you want help landing on familiar notes, or choose 24-TET to play quarter tones and explore microtonal music. Hoverophone is a touch-free theremin app and polyphonic synthesizer app for iPhone and iPad, built for musicians who want expressive camera control without extra hardware. Camera frames are processed entirely on your device and never leave it. Hoverophone does not use the microphone. Create a soft ambient pad, build a dense drone, or summon the eerie sweep of a science-fiction soundtrack. For the most reliable tracking, play in a well-lit room where the camera can see your hands clearly.
HandyStrum
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HandyStrum is a guided magic sing-along camera. Pick a song you already know, set up your iPhone, and play with both hands in the air. Follow the lyrics, chords, and motion cues. The app recognizes your gestures on device, locks them to the beat, and turns the take into a vertical video you can watch, save, and share. You don't need an instrument or music theory, and the app does not score your singing. Miss a motion and the song keeps going. Hit one, and you hear that it was you. You can: • Choose a song and learn the moves in a short rehearsal • Record a vertical sing-along with both hands in frame • Watch a finished take, not a screen recording of the app UI • Save or share without creating an account Camera frames, microphone audio, and rendered takes stay on your iPhone by default. Hands up. Magic on.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HandyStrum at every 5 days against Hoverophone's every 9 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Hoverophone ships an update every 9 days, HandyStrum every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hoverophone | HandyStrum |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 153 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Maxim Oransky | Shanghai Twiddle Technology Co., Ltd |
In-app purchases
Hoverophone
No in-app purchases
HandyStrum
No in-app purchases








