Playink

For Android phones and tablets

Scratch art for kids. There's a hologram underneath.

Draw with your finger and your phone or tablet becomes magic scratch paper. Every stroke reveals a holographic foil that shines as you tilt it.

Get it on Google Play

No ads · No purchases · No account

Scratch here with your finger or mouse

The app

Five backgrounds, and every drawing shines differently

A cat drawn on the black layer, showing the holographic foil
Feel the scratch: shavings fly
Background picker with holographic, glitter, gold and silver
Holographic, glitter, gold and silver
The same drawing on a gold background
Hidden colors that shine
The same drawing on a silver background
Tilt your phone, watch it shine
Preview of the whole hidden foil
Tap the eye to peek underneath

How it works

Kids get it in seconds

  1. Draw

    Run your finger over the black layer.

  2. Reveal

    Every stroke uncovers the foil underneath.

  3. Tilt

    Move your phone and the light moves across the drawing.

  4. Switch it up

    The magic wand picks another foil.

For families

Made for a child to use on their own

Playink is part of the Google Play Families program. It collects no personal data and there is nothing to buy.

  • AdsNone
  • In-app purchasesNone
  • AccountNot needed
  • Personal dataNot collected
  • Crash reportsTechnical only, to fix bugs
  • DrawingsSaved to your gallery

The shiny backgrounds and video sharing need Android 13 or later. On earlier versions, every drawing reveals a color gradient.

Questions

Questions parents ask

Is Playink free?
Yes. Playink is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
What is scratch art?
Scratch art paper is a sheet covered with a black layer. When you scratch it, the colors underneath show through. Playink does the same on the screen, with a holographic foil underneath that moves as you tilt the phone.
Which devices does it work on?
Android phones and tablets with Android 7.0 or later. The shiny backgrounds and video sharing need Android 13 or later; on earlier versions every drawing reveals a color gradient.
Does it need an internet connection?
No. Drawing, saving and sharing work without a connection.
Does my child need an account?
No. There is no sign-up and no login.
Is there an iPhone version?
No. Playink is only available for Android, on Google Play.

In motion

The shine makes more sense on video

The real app: scratching, switching foils and tilting the phone.

The video plays from YouTube. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.

Behind the hologram

How the holographic foil works

The foil isn't a video. It's a shader that works out the color of every pixel as you tilt the phone, imitating the colors of a soap bubble and the sparkle of glitter.

Read “How a holographic foil effect works in Jetpack Compose” on Medium