The Brief:

A multiplayer live-trivia game where users have the opportunity to win money.

Bluesquiggle
DEEP DIVE

Can you tell a Kardashian from Joan of Arc? This app encourages users from around the world to test their knowledge of pop culture, historical events, and random know-how. Every day, users can tune into HQ for a live trivia game, answer questions and complete puzzles, all at the click of a button, and potentially win their share of up to $10,000 – or sometimes, more.

Players must complete/answer the puzzle/question before time expires in order to advance to the next round. If more than one person makes it to the very end, they split the prize. The app may be free, but users have the option of purchasing “extra lives” within the app.

HQ has a rotating group of hosts, though most users are familiar with pun-loving Scott Rogowsky. HQ has also featured special celebrity hosts like Gordon Ramsay and Neil Patrick Harris.

Safety & Privacy

Users must be 18+ to download the app, due to mild-mature/suggestive themes and references. HQ helps users connect with one another via saved mobile contacts, as users sign up for the app with their phone number.

Though players can write public comments, it is by no means a social media or messaging app. There is very little opportunity for bullying or trolling, especially since the messages one is able to send to another player are limited.

Users can also connect social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to their HQ account, however by doing so, the user authorizes HQ to “post their comments and opinions to their own social media pages”. HQ also stores voluntarily-contributed content like name, phone number, and stored phone contacts, and according to their Privacy Policy, reserves the right to share users’ personal information with third party vendors and other service providers.

When it comes to cashing out, users must enter a PayPal account in order to receive their winnings. At this time, that is the only option. Despite the fact that the $20 cash out limit was removed early last year, thereby allowing players to cash out at any time, many players have complained that their their cash out button is still grayed out, meaning they can’t tap it and receive their winnings. User have reached out to HQ about the glitch, though several of them have reported that they did not receive a response from the app.