Black Hole Sandbox
Real black hole physics in AR
Only for iPhone
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
Now free. See a real black hole bend light in 3D and AR, then unlock the full designer once to restyle it with color, texture, facets, emojis and your own photos.
A realistic black hole, in the palm of your hand.
Black Hole Sandbox gives you a scientifically accurate black hole, ray-traced live on your iPhone. It traces light through curved spacetime using the equations of general relativity: light that comes too close falls into the shadow, and light that passes nearby bends around it. The galaxy behind stretches into arcs, the far side of the disc lifts above and below the shadow, and a thin ring of photons wraps its edge. Orbit it, zoom in, and watch the light bend as you move around it in real time.
TWO WAYS TO SEE IT
• In-app 3D: set it against a whole galaxy or a field of stars, and watch the lensing bend everything behind it as you orbit around it.
• In augmented reality: the star of the show! Put it in your living room, sit it on a table, and walk around it as it warps your room behind it.
DESIGN YOUR OWN
Go beyond realism and let's see your creativity!
Free, to get you started:
• Shape and disc: start grounded. Set the size of the shadow, how bright the photon ring burns and how far its glow reaches, and the gap, width and tilt of the accretion disc.
• Presets: twelve come built in, and you can save as many of your own as you like.
Unlock the full designer with a single one-time purchase. No subscription.
• Color and light: dial it up a notch. Choose from 37 palettes of single and dual color combos, or pick your own inner and outer colors, and set how brightly the disc glows.
• Texture: wrap the disc in 14 dynamic textures, from smooth swirls and drifting wisps to bands, clumps and cells. Set their strength and detail, spin the disc faster or slower, and add wind to curl the swirls tighter toward the center.
• Facets: break the disc into 14 geometric patterns, like triangles, diamonds, scales, spirals and gems, then set the size of the cells and how fast they turn to create a shimmer.
• Emojis: feed it your favorite emojis and watch a swarm of them orbit the shadow, glowing as they go. Change their size, density, and how they tumble.
• Photos: make one of your own photos the accretion disc and watch it spin around the abyss.
Bought Black Hole Sandbox before it was free? The full designer is already yours.
Build either a realistic black hole or one that could never exist, then set it on your coffee table.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Black Hole Sandbox is now free.
• Free for everyone: the black hole in 3D, in the galaxy and in augmented reality, the built-in presets, and the shape and disc controls.
• One unlock, paid once, opens the rest of the designer: color, texture, photos, facets and emojis. No subscription.
• Already bought the app? Everything stays unlocked for you, automatically. There is nothing to do.
• Restore Purchases is on the About page.
The developer, Tim Corin, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Tim Corin
- Size
- 7.2 MB
- Category
- Entertainment
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 17.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 17.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 14.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- Full Designer $1.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 Altroad Studio