DEEP DIVE

WHAT IS FUNIMATE?

Funimate is a free smartphone app where users can create and edit music video clips, lip-sync videos and more, as well as collaborate with other users. Not only can users record videos on Funimate, but they can also add fun effects, music, and emojis to their creations before sharing directly to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok (formerly Musical.ly). As of November 2018, the app has over 25 million users.

TikTok video creators and influencers have found the app to be beneficial for editing videos before sharing. There are more than 100 advanced video effects to choose from, however, users can also create their own video effects and save them for future use.

Though the app is free, there are available in-app purchases and upgrades.

SOCIAL NETWORK

One of the app’s unique features is the social networking aspect. Funimate users can create an account using existing social media accounts, which makes it easy to find friends who might already be using the app. Connecting with other users is as simple as viewing users’ creations, searching via hashtag, or checking out featured (or “Lit“) videos. Once users “follow” each other, they can also collaborate with each other in videos.

SAFETY & PRIVACY

According to the AVCR Privacy Policy, there is no age limitation to use the app. However, users must be of “legally minimum age” to create an account: 13+ in the U.S., hence the “Teen” rating in the App Store. Since users connect to Funimate through a third-party service like Instagram or Facebook, they grant the app permission to access and store personal information (name, email address, etc.) from said service, as permitted by that service.

Users who wish to use the Funimate app just for personal videos can set their accounts to Private. They also have the option of selecting whether or not others can share their videos.