Skip to main content

Donate to charity while chatting with a celebrity with new app Chatter

chatter charity celebrity chat drake views booklet 1
Drake
If talking to Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t enough to raise your blood pressure, maybe the thought of donating to charity will do it for you. Whether you’re titillated by good actions or good looks, Chatter just might be the new social media app for you. Making its debut on Thursday, this app promises to “make the dreams of many come true” by allowing users to chat directly with some of their favorite stars and most popular celebrities. From Leo to Drake to models like Amanda Cerny and Nina Adgal, the stars seem on board to contribute not only to your fangirl or boy dreams, but to great causes as well.

Chatter claims to connect fans directly to these stars via a one-on-one video chat, while simultaneously raising money for charity. Already, more than 30 actors, singers, and influencers have signed on to not only reach their fan bases in a new, creative way, but also draw attention to some of their favorite non-profits.

These charities are in turn able to boost their own social media presence and reach a wider audience, making it a potential win-win-win type of situation.

“No other mobile app on the market is able to benefit and touch the lives of such a broad spectrum of people — it is the ultimate social giving network,” said Chatter co-founder Pasha King. “This innovative technology breaks down the invisible barriers that currently exist between celebrities and their fans, giving users the experience of a lifetime, whilst more importantly enabling people to donate to charity and help those less fortunate than themselves,” added co-founder, Teague Egan.

So how does it work? For the chance to speak to a celebrity, fans are asked to purchase a $5 raffle ticket. A random winner is granted a one-on-one video chat within the app. And if you want to up your chances of being the lucky chosen one, you can bid in an auction-style format, raising more money for charity, and improving the likelihood of being able to ask Pharrell what the best part of being famous really is.

And to ensure that celebrities are incentivized to raise money for their respective organizations, Chatter has a “Celebrity Leaderboard” in the app to track which star is most successful in soliciting funds.

“Stars are the most competitive people on the planet, so it will be fun to see the competition heat up,” Pasha said.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps
The iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro's voice recording apps running together.

The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.

Read more
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far
Two Galaxy Z Fold 5 phones next to each other -- one is open and one is closed.

Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.

Read more
Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look
Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.

Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.

Read more