Indian kids build apps for Android, iOS

With the growing popularity of smartphones and apps, even children as young as 10 to 12 years old may operate apps effortlessly. However, brothers Sanjay (10) and Shravan (12) have gone ahead and have started building apps, reports TOI. The duo's company is called ‘Go Dimensions’ and two of their apps have together crossed the 5,000 downloads mark, with a majority of downloads being from the US and China. These kids use Apple’s iOS kit and spend about two hours every day on their projects - only after they finish their school homework. The kids reveal that they are inspired by Steve Jobs, followed by their parents Kumaran and Jyothilakshmi.

Catch Me Cop screenshots

Apps developed by the kids include Catch Me Cop, a game wherein a convict has escaped prison there is a nation-wide hunt for him. The convict has to run through deserts, beaches and a maze to escape the cops. The game features multiple levels and has been downloaded more than 2,500 times. The other  game is Alphabet Board, which has been crafted to teach alphabets through interesting games. All their apps are free and they earn their profits through advertisements. They also plan to offer more localized apps for Indian customers. Another app they've designed is Prayer Planet, which helps play Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Buddhist religious songs.

Their agenda for the future includes an app to create awareness about the increase in pollution in Chennai. "The app we are planning for the Apple and Android platforms will be based on location-based media. It will bring you the pollution status of the city at your fingertips," says Sanjay, the younger of the two. The two brothers set aside 15 percent of the company's total profit for the poor.

Clayton Ward is yet another teen who began developing apps in eighth grade. He first grew comfortable with the tools that Apple provides to begin working on two apps: Boondoggle Full and Boondoggle Lite. It took him about six months to complete them. He then submitted them to the App Store and they were released on December 16, 2010. After Boondoggle apps, Clayton created a game called City Sky. The arcade style game requires the player to fly through a city dodging buildings and other obstacles. The game includes features like changing the main character's cape color and saving high scores. This game was released on September 28, 2011. Now 16, he has developed five iOS apps, the most recent being Xellic 2. The app is designed for the iPhone and iPad and took him five months to complete.