Turn an old junk phone into a Talking Jack-O-Lantern

This is a DIY tool that turns an old smartphone into a talking jack-o'-lantern: choose a character voice, tap Start, allow the microphone, then put the phone in a carved pumpkin. The phone listens to visitors, answers out loud in-character, and makes the screen (and on Android the flashlight) glow and flicker while speaking. Voices can auto-match the language people use, you can mute/unmute by tapping or saying commands, and a Stream Mode can instead read and reply to a paired TikTok LIVE chat. Lantern lighting options include screen only, flashlight only, or both; iPhones use the screen while Android Chrome can also flash the flashlight. The setup requires maximizing brightness and volume, preventing screen timeout, and keeping the phone plugged in.

Access and privacy are handled via API keys: a free Google key (or paid OpenAI key) runs a basic pumpkin forever, while a Pumpkin Pass ($4.99 for ~400 replies, $2.99 refills) lets the service host everything. Alternatively, a one-time $1.99 unlock on your key enables every voice, custom characters, and colors; purchases are tied to keys (covering up to six) and processed by Stripe. Spoken words are sent to Google or OpenAI for replies; the tool claims not to store recordings and only saves a scrambled fingerprint of your key with purchases. You can share keys between phones by scanning, and refunds are available via the provided email.