“Finally someone has released a rather fantastic mind reading app that genuinely triggers that “wow – how did you do that?” response.” Derren Brown Blog.
Ever wanted to read a person’s mind? Well, now you can with Telepath, the new mind-reading iphone app that the wonderful Sarah Angliss and I are releasing today. The idea is simple. Someone thinks of a number or image, and mentally sends their thoughts to the iphone. They then turn over the iphone and are astounded to discover their thoughts on the screen. Here is Telepath in action….
I hope you like it. As we say in the video, Telepath can also be used on dates, so can even improve your love life. Feel free to guess how it might work or, if you buy it, let others know what you think (but no giving away the actual method!).
Telepath has been months in development and we are very proud of it. Hope that you like it too.
Download directly onto your iphone or itouch, or visit the Apps Store.
Update: Telepath does not use voice recognition, nor are there any hidden extra devices! Also, it will work on the 2nd generation itouch, but not the 1st generation itouch.
Update 2: The nice people over at Derren Brown Blog have had the great idea of having people film themselves performing Telepath and uploading the video onto You Tube. If you do film one, let me know!
Richard Wiseman 
Voice recognition? 😉
Voice recognition? 😉
Yeah… I think voice recognition too. Every time she picks a number you make her say it to you and then you repeat it. Or you use that creepy language that Derren Brown uses ” so we know what number we’re looking FOR (4)” 😛 Still fun, though! 😀
Not unless it can count fingers, too.
Ah, he does cheat on the finger one… tricksy!
This is a complete speculation: I’m guessing it has to do with the cues the user sends to the target. For example, Richard shook the phone twice when the target was to be 2, and he took a sip of his drink when it was to be “get a drink.” So the app doesn’t read anyone’s mind so much as some protocol is used to select an answer in the app beforehand (perhaps by touching it), and then it’s up to the performer to implant the suggestion for that “choice” in the target.
Basically I’m guessing it’s a very simple form of neuro-linguistic programming.
Wait, no, he shook it 4 times on the first one. Hm. And I don’t notice any specific stresses on “two” or “to” or whatever.
Subliminal message on the screen?
Ooh, but after she leaves it on the table, he’s very very careful to always say a homophone of the number.
Obviously it works by morphic resonance!!
It must be the voice cues, can’t be the shaking – he shakes it before she tells him what she was thinking.
Shakes to activate voice recognition.
The one with the drinks may be a little trickier. Finger to prompt her into saying “party” or “drink”?
That’s my guess. 🙂
Oh wait. I missed out on the update that it doesn’t use voice reco. Now I can’t figure out how it might work. 😉
It will be a a primer or subliminal diffrence to the number, symbol that will draw the subject to pick the reveal answer.
So “2” might be slightly brighter (or more contrast etc.), the subject is forced a “free choice” = 2
Am I right? (:
PS “If you want to impress someone like Jenny” as Harry Hill may say: “ooh dirty boy!” (; >.<
@Joe, but that wouldn’t work if i had a favourite number like 3.
I guessed, paid my $0.99, and was correct 🙂
Nice trick. Will be a good companion to “Rising Card”, another trick iPhone app that convinces people that “It must be voice recognition!”
to vinyarb:
I was wrong anyway, I over-thought the answer.
(:
If you download the app, it tells you how it works; however, you can work it out by watching the video here… <__>
Just bought it – OMG – soooooooooooooooooooo clever!
PS is not a link to a new video, I meant the video on this site. “<__>” is sneaky eyes looking for the clue.
I think it’s to do with the way he holds the straw…very odd…
@Joe But I don’t have an iPhoneeeeeee! -____-
hahaha… what an ingenious idea! Downloaded the app, figured out how it works, and can’t wait to try it out on all my friends
I’ve already got one of these. Hehehe.
Ok, any clues for those of us that don’t have an iPhone?
I’m guessing some kind of multiple out. Where the reveal is different for each choice?
To non-iPod Touch/iPhone owners and people who don’t want to pay for app: The answer is in the video. Watch and listen to it all, remember it’s not voice recognition. And the subject has to tell the operator her answer before the reveal.
What is odd? What is out of place?
Only things that seem out of place to me is the shaking of the phone and the music. Had a theory about the music but that seems too risky.
4 choices, 4 sides to the phone.
The turning over for the numbers is different for the no.’s 2 & 4
That would imply she was in on it, wouldn’t it?
All of the footage in the video is genuine – no stooges!
Is it the time taken until turn-over?
That is what I am speculating as well.
me 2
I’m guessing there’s a mini Derren Brown inside the phone which correctly reads the right answer….
Haha, I can’t look at the video at work, but will be checking later!!
I see only two possibilities if we can rule out voice recognition and bluetooth remote.
1) He’s studying her eyes and where they are most likely looking at, and turning the iphone a certain way to get the answer he thinks she chose.
2) It’s going through the options on a timer. I noticed that he varied how long he waited until he asked her to turn it over.
I think #2 is correct simply because the screen is faced down, away from view.
Hmmm, I’m not sure. On the first one he asks her to turn the phone over, and she says “shall I go for it” and then pauses and does it. Which would suggest that it’s a very long gap (which would make the 4 unlikely) or something else again.
I’m intrigued. While I would happily spend the .99c it’s the hardware cost that is holding me back. But I will happily give someone at work a dollar tomorrow so we can sort this out.
My boss bought this. It’s truly brilliant. I think his iphone is possessed by demons, personally.
Great! All down to wonderful work by Sarah Angliss.
Oh, and my first thought was something to do with tapping the phone. My feeling is, the only way this can work is if the owner of the phone somehow communicates to the phone after he finds out the answer.
I also assume that, therefore, if the owner of the phone doesn’t know the answer then nothing happens (like Clever Hans’ owner not knowing the answer to the maths puzzle).
I’m a bit intrigued by the “2” that comes up on the screen at the start of the video. I don’t think the power of suggestion would be strong enough to be as accurate as Richard claims the app is, though, so I think it’s a bit more concrete than that.
Essentially I am using words to cover up the fact that I really have no idea.
I have a Nokia 34 10… the frustration is huge
So worth 59p. I would never have figured that out. Very clever. Great psychology.
Genius idea, beautifully executed. Well done Richard and Sarah!
Yes, Sarah put in loads of work into this and I think it looks great!
I think I know how it works, but without an iPhone, I can’t check.
I’m guessing it uses the accelerometers and a timer. That is, the number or image displayed depends on how long the phone remains face down. Once the subject makes their choice, the trick is to get them to turn over the phone at the right moment. Fill in the intervening time with chatter, for example. A bit like forcing a card.
But then the user should know the other person’s answer in the first place.
Oh right, Sarah is actually revealing the number before turning it over, so I guess that’s important eheh
Have purchased but, without giving anything away, will not work on v2 ipod touch or earlier (even if runnig V3.0 software). I have passed my comment onto Richard as this should be made clear.
My best guess is that it is the camera, and showing a gesture to the phone, you need 3 gestures defined to transmit 1 out of 4 options (4th being not doing any gesture).
The timing is a little bit tricky (while still possible), but it can be combined with the camera for best results. It involves the difficulty of having a difficult person trying to slow things down, or speed them up.
Sorry, I should have used the correct nomenclature and said it won’t work on the 1st generation ipod touch (ie prior to autumn 2008)
From that, I’d guess that the built-in speaker is key. Ah, so, the song indicates the correct time to pick up the phone. That’s much easier than just a straight interval timer. It’s just a matter of stalling until the right part of the song is playing.
Thanks for pointing that out. It will work with 2nd gen itouch, but not 1st gen. Sorry about that – happy to give you a refund or send you something nice. Please email me.
Nice one Richard Wiseman. It’s not the money, but the principle. I bow to you, Prof. osu.
I don’t have an iphone and i’m completely stumped — is there some other way to get the answer?
Is that tinkly music coming from the phone? It sounds like a simple loop of four chords. If the phone has an accelerometer then it could presumably detect a suitably timed nudge to the table.
Would this work on the iTouch that doesn’t have a built in mic?
Kewl! But I just looked this up on my iPhone and wasn’t telepathic enough to see there’s no free trial version. 😦
sorrry – no!
I mean lite version.
It is that to do with the sparkle noise. Basically when u shake it. It cycles through numbers 1 – 4 that sparkling noise u hear every 10 seconds is a number. U ignore the first one as u shake it. Then say they pick 2. U wait for two sparkle sounds turn the iPod/iPhone the right way and that stops the cycle. Voilà lol
My friend has it, and says that it is v clever, and something to do with the distance that people are from the phone.
Seems like it has to do with how long the phone is facing down. Maybe it rotates through each of the four choices every 30 seconds or something?
I know how it’s done. Send me a cheque or postal order for 12p and I’ll tell you.
Lol! First Richard puts an advertisement for his stuff on his blog, then you follow up!
Would this work in another language? I’m from Chile, South America, and I want to know if it would work for me. I don’t need the app to be in spanish, I just want to know if it’d work with the victim saying the number in spanish.
Thanks!
Telepath will work no matter what language you or the spectator speaks
The victim. teehee.
Hmm… why doesn’t it work on the 1st gen? I only have a first generation, unfortunately.
I’d have to agree with Michelle, timing the changes w/ the noise seems the logical way to go.
Hi Richard,
I love your trick. Have you played with iForce yet? I would love to know what you think about iForce.
all the best to you,
Greg Rostami (Developer of iForce)
i wonder if it knows how cool i think it is, boost up it’s ego 🙂
May I reccomend the iPhone/iPod Touch app Alter Ego, a port of the classic text based life sim which leads you from birth to death. Originally co-writen by a psychiatrist.
what about the way of picking up the phone at the end? it looks to be different each time…
Duh, Occam’s Razor people. The simplest solution is that Richard has psychic powers.
Or maybe his iPhone does. Haven’t quite worked that out yet…
It has to do with timing. When it was ‘4’ he wasted time by talking a lot. When it was the martini (which is in the ‘1’ spot), he had her pick it up immediately. The four choices cycles in fixed time increments i.e. every ten seconds. My best guess!!
From what i’ve read here this app doesn’t use voice recognition, which completly threw of my theory on how it worked.
That being said i’m just wondering if this app requires the user/s to speak in english. Might be a dumb question considered what i just wrote. Still, i want to buy this app. But if i have to talk in english everytime i do the trick on someone, it would pretty much ruin it.
Had i read all the comments i would have found the answear to my question. My fault 🙂
OK, I watched it 3x and my wild guess is that that its all about the timing of when the phone is picked up. The magical music is the cue:
1. When the phone is face down on the table, the screen slowly scrolls through the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, while the magical music is playing
2. Depending on the number the “victim” chooses, the owner will use the music as a cue to know when the phone needs to be picked up
3. Once the phone is picked up, the number sequence stops, and the correct number is displayed.
So if someone is doing this trick on you, and they ask you to turn the phone over, say “ok” but then pause for 5 seconds, and see if the phone still displays the correct number.
I hope I am wrong and haven’t spoiled it for everyone…but at the same time, I want to know if I am right!!!
maybee where you looked at…maybe it sees your eyse 😀
I really really really REALLY wanted to buy the app of Telepath and I live in the US and the app is only in UK stores. Can they make it available for the US store too?
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