How to Create a Magic 8 Ball App with MIT App Inventor
Have you ever wondered what the future holds for you? Do you need some guidance or advice on a yes or no question? If so, you might want to try using a Magic 8 Ball, a popular toy that gives random answers to your questions. But instead of buying one, why not make your own app that works like a Magic 8 Ball? In this article, you will learn how to create a Magic 8 Ball app with MIT App Inventor, a web-based tool that allows anyone to create Android apps without coding. You will also learn some basic concepts of app design and programming along the way. Let's get started!
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What is a Magic 8 Ball and How Does It Work?
A Magic 8 Ball is a plastic sphere that resembles an oversized eight ball from a billiards game. It is used for fortune-telling or seeking advice. It was invented in 1946 by Albert C. Carter and Abe Bookman and is currently manufactured by Mattel. The user asks a yes or no question to the ball, then turns it over to reveal an answer that floats up into a window. The answer is one of 20 possible responses printed on a die inside the ball. The responses are usually vague or ambiguous, such as "It is decidedly so" or "Reply hazy, try again". The Magic 8 Ball is a fun and simple way to get some entertainment or insight into your life.
What is MIT App Inventor and How Does It Work?
MIT App Inventor is a web-based tool that allows anyone to create Android apps without coding. It was developed by Google and MIT as a way to make app development accessible and enjoyable for everyone. MIT App Inventor consists of two parts: the designer and the blocks editor. The designer is where you create the user interface of your app, such as buttons, images, text, and sounds. The blocks editor is where you program the logic of your app, such as what happens when a button is clicked or when the device is shaken. You can use blocks to create variables, loops, conditions, events, and more. MIT App Inventor has a large library of components and blocks that you can use to create various types of apps, from games to social media to education. You can also test your app on your computer or mobile device using the emulator or the AI Companion app. You can also download or share your app with others using a QR code or a link.
How to Create a Magic 8 Ball App with MIT App Inventor
In this section, you will learn how to create a Magic 8 Ball app with MIT App Inventor. Your app will have a button that shows a question mark and an image of a Magic 8 Ball. When you click or shake the button, the app will play a sound, generate a random answer from a list of 20 possible answers, and display it on the button. Here are the steps to create your app:
Step 1: Set up your project and download the media files
To create your project, go to and sign in with your Google account. Click on "Start new project" and give it a name, such as "Magic8Ball". You will see the designer screen with an empty phone screen on the right. To download the media files for your app, go to and click on "Download Media". You will get a zip file containing an image of a Magic 8 Ball and a sound file of a shaking noise. Unzip the file and save it in a folder on your computer.
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Step 2: Design the user interface
To design the user interface of your app, you will need to add three components: a button, an image, and a player. To add a button, go to the "User Interface" section in the palette on the left and drag a "Button" component to the phone screen. To add an image, go to the "Media" section in the palette and drag an "Image" component to the phone screen. To add a player, go to the "Media" section in the palette and drag a "Player" component to the phone screen. You will see that the player component does not show up on the phone screen, but it appears in the components list below. This is because it is an invisible component that only plays sounds.
Now you need to set some properties for each component. To do this, click on each component in the phone screen or in the components list and change its properties in the properties panel on the right. Here are some properties that you need to change:
ComponentPropertyValue
Button1Text?
Button1FontSize36
Button1FontBoldtrue
Button1WidthFill parent
Button1HeightFill parent
Button1ImageMagic8Ball.png (upload from your computer)
Image1PictureMagic8Ball.png (upload from your computer)
Image1WidthAutomatic
Image1HeightAutomatic
Player1SourceMagic8Ball.wav (upload from your computer)
Player1VolumneLevel50
Your user interface should look something like this:
Step 3: Program the app's logic
To program the app's logic, you will need to use blocks to make the app play a sound, generate a random answer, and display it on the button when it is clicked or shaken. To do this, go to the blocks editor by clicking on the "Blocks" button on the top right corner of the designer screen. You will see a list of blocks on the left and a workspace on the right. You can drag blocks from the list to the workspace and connect them to create your program. Here are the blocks that you need to use:
BlockDescription
when Button1.ClickThis block is triggered when the button is clicked. It contains other blocks that define what happens when the button is clicked.
when AccelerometerSensor1.ShakingThis block is triggered when the device is shaken. It contains other blocks that define what happens when the device is shaken.
call Player1.StartThis block makes the player component play the sound file.
set Button1.Text toThis block sets the text of the button to a value.
pick a random item from listThis block returns a random item from a list of items.
make a listThis block creates a list of items. You can add or remove items from the list by clicking on the blue gear icon.
text (e.g. "It is certain")This block represents a text value. You can change the text by typing in the white box.
To program your app's logic, you need to connect the blocks as shown below:
The logic of your app is as follows: When the button is clicked or the device is shaken, the app plays a sound, picks a random answer from a list of 20 possible answers, and sets the text of the button to that answer.
How to Test and Share Your App
To test your app, you have two options: using the emulator or using the AI Companion app. The emulator is a program that simulates an Android device on your computer. The AI Companion app is an app that you can install on your mobile device and use it to connect to MIT App Inventor and run your app. To use either option, you need to click on the "Connect" button on the top right corner of the blocks editor screen and select "Emulator" or "AI Companion". You will see a QR code or a code that you can scan or enter on your device to connect it to MIT App Inventor. Once connected, you will see your app running on your device or emulator. You can test your app by clicking or shaking it and see if it works as expected.
To share your app, you have two options: downloading or sharing. Downloading allows you to save your app as an APK file that you can install on any Android device. Sharing allows you to generate a QR code or a link that you can send to others who can scan or click it to install your app on their devices. To use either option, you need to click on the "Build" button on the top right corner of the blocks editor screen and select "Download to my computer" or "App (provide QR code for .apk)". You will see a QR code or a link that you can use to download or share your app.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully created a Magic 8 Ball app with MIT App Inventor. You have learned how to design a user interface, program an app's logic, test and share your app, and use some basic components and blocks of MIT App Inventor. You have also created an app that is fun and interactive, and that can give you some entertainment or insight into your life. You can now enjoy using your app or share it with your friends and family.
If you want to learn more about MIT App Inventor and how to create other apps, you can visit for more tutorials, resources, and examples of apps created with MIT App Inventor. You can also explore other components and blocks of MIT App Inventor and see what else you can do with them. You can also customize your app by changing the answers, the image, the sound, or adding other features. The possibilities are endless with MIT App Inventor. Have fun and happy app making!
FAQs
Q: Can I customize the answers of the Magic 8 Ball app?
A: Yes, you can change the list of answers in the blocks editor by adding or removing items from the list block.
Q: Can I use a different image or sound for the Magic 8 Ball app?
A: Yes, you can upload your own image or sound file in the designer and set them as the image or source of the button or player component.
Q: Can I make the Magic 8 Ball app speak the answer instead of showing it on the button?
A: Yes, you can use the TextToSpeech component to make the app speak the answer. You will need to add this component to the designer and use its Speak block in the blocks editor.
Q: Can I make the Magic 8 Ball app rotate when it is shaken?
A: Yes, you can use the Animation Utilities component to make the app rotate. You will need to add this component to the designer and use its RotateClockwise block in the blocks editor.
Q: Where can I learn more about MIT App Inventor and how to create other apps?
A: You can visit for more tutorials, resources, and examples of apps created with MIT App Inventor. 44f88ac181
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