Every now and again we come across a lottery app that confuses us. It confuses us because we are not sure whether we love it or hate it. Lotto 6/49 is an app that left us confused in a way that is hard to explain. In this Lotto 6/49 Android app review, we will look at what Lotto 6/49 does and how you can use it—or at least try to use it—when selecting numbers for your favourite lottery.
Stand-Out Feature
Lotto 6/49 is, for all intents and purposes, a simple random number sequence generator—except for the fact that it offers some features that we have not seen in any other random number generators.
When you launch the app, you will be greeted by a main screen that just looks confusing. The screen is divided into a green Fix section that has 4-leaf clovers on either side of it, a yellow Ignore section that has no entry logos on either side, a light green dead space, and finally two large blue buttons which are located at the bottom of the screen.
After playing with the app we came to realise that each of these areas had a specific function. Each one controls the following:
Fix: This section will display numbers that you have chosen to have frozen into any number generation that you request. For instance, if you select to have the number four frozen the number four will appear in each sequence of random numbers that you generate.
Ignore: As the inverse of Fix, this feature allows you to select specific numbers that are completely ignored by the randomization algorithm—thereby ensuring that they do not appear in any number sequence that you generate.
Numbers can be entered into the Fix selection in one of two methods. The first is to manually type the number into the small text box located on the right of the Fix bar. This text box shows a default value of 1 – 49 (the number range that the generator is limited to). By tapping in this box, you will open your device keyboard and will be able to enter in what numbers within the supported range you would like to remain static. The second method is to tap on the Payslip button at the bottom of the screen. This will open your payslip view. By default, Fix will be selected (you will see this due to the red outline around the large 4-leaf clover at the top of the screen). All that you then need to do is tap on the numbers that you would like to be frozen. These numbers will then be highlighted in green to show that they are frozen.
To select numbers that should be ignored you will need to either tap on the Ignore banner or navigate to your payslip view using the same method mentioned above. Once you have your payslip view open you will need to tap on the large yellow no entry logo at the top right-hand side of your screen. As with the Fix, you will know that this is selected once it has a red outline around the icon. Then, as before, simply tap on the numbers that you would like ignored and these will be added to the exclusion list. This is shown by highlighting the numbers in yellow.
After you have entered in any parameters for frozen and excluded numbers you can simply tap on Next. This will make the app run the generation algorithm against your parameters and display a random number sequence prominently above the large blue Payslips and Next buttons.
While we do think that these Fix and Ignore features are cool in some ways to have, we do not see the point in having them—thus leading to our confusion. The point (in our opinion) of using a random number generator is to generate random number sequences. Sequences where you have purposefully included or excluded certain numbers cannot be truly random and, therefore, completely defeat the purpose of a random number generator.
That being said, the randomization algorithm works well when you do not enter in any specific parameters. In a number of generation tests we were pleasantly surprised by the random sequences that we were presented with.
Additional Features
We generally expect random number generators to come with at least a few basic additional features. These could include things like a generation history or the ability to share your random sequences using your device share feature. Disappointingly, Lotto 6/49 does not offer any of these features or any others.
The only thing to mention is that in the payslip view there is a third button between the Fix and Ignore options. This button is labelled Invert and simple changes the way that the grid of numbers is displayed. By default, the numbers are displayed in ascending order from left to right and line by line. In inverted view, the numbers are displayed in ascending order starting from the bottom left corner and moving upwards and to the right.
Location & Lotteries Available
Lotto 6/49 does not support any pre-defined lotteries. However, the app is limited to certain lotteries like Canada Lotto 6/49, Polish Lotto, Hong Kong Mark Six, and Romania Lotto 6/49 in that it can only be used for lotteries that require six numbers and have a number range of 1 – 49.
User Interface & Usability
The user interface of Lotto 6/49 is not great. As we said earlier, upon first seeing it, it is easy to become confused and not realise what button does what. The design and colours of the app are also dated and not modern by any stretch of the imagination, which is generally something we expect from the best lottery apps.
Even more confusing about the app is that, even though it does not have much going for it in terms of design, it does support full-view mode.
Ads
At the very top of the home screen there is a banner ad that is prominently displayed. Unfortunately, this is the least of the problems with Lotto 6/49 in relation to ads. Almost every single time that you tap Next in order to generate a new number sequence you will be bombarded with a full-screen ad. While these are easily dismissed, they become incredibly annoying and there is no paid version of the app that does not feature ads, so you’re stuck with them whether you like it or not.
Conclusion – Lotto 6/49 Review
Lotto 6/49 confused us in several ways. The first is the inclusion of features that—while fun and cool to play with—completely undermine the point of a random number generator. The second is a terrible design that is confusing to get used to and makes navigation a nightmare. The final nail in the proverbial coffin is the horrific ad system that bombards you at every turn. There is not much the developer can do to try and rescue this train-wreck of an application—despite its decent randomization algorithm—so we strongly suggest our readers to look elsewhere.
