Mosquito Apps – Do They Really Work as Protection?

Mosquito bites are not only annoying but in some areas they can also pose serious health risks. No wonder people are ready to try anti-mosquito apps to keep these pests at bay. The apps claim to repel mosquitoes using ultrasonic sound from your smartphone, either for free or for a small fee. But do they actually work? We took a closer look at what these apps allege to do and what science has to say about their effectiveness.

Anti-mosquito apps are smartphone applications that claim to repel mosquitoes using high-frequency sounds or ultrasound. These sounds are typically emitted through the phone's speakers. Some premium versions offer various frequency modes.

The basic idea behind these apps is the same: They use sound to drive mosquitoes away, without relying on chemicals or scents. The user only needs to start the app and place their smartphone nearby.

Since it’s always the female mosquitoes that bite, all mosquito apps aim to repel them. There are two main approaches:

• Imitating male mosquito sounds:

Some apps claim to mimic the wing-beat frequency of male mosquitoes to deter females. The theory is that, after mating, female mosquitoes have no further interest in the males.

• Simulating bat frequencies:

Bats are natural predators of mosquitoes, including species like the common house mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito. Some apps emit high-frequency sounds that supposedly imitate the echolocation calls of bats.

These approaches may sound simple and promising, but there are issues with their practical implementation.

Despite the many positive reviews these apps receive, there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest that anti-mosquito apps reliably keep mosquitoes away. On the contrary – one laboratory study even found that certain sound frequencies could increase the biting behavior of certain mosquitoes. This makes it worthwhile to take a closer look at the study. However, research in this area has so far been limited, and the study in question was conducted with a comparatively small number of test animals.

Researchers from the Entomological Society of Brazil (SEB) wanted to use their study [1] to find out whether electronic mosquito repellents and app-like sound frequencies actually have a deterrent effect or even promote attack behavior.

To test this, a controlled laboratory experiment was conducted:

• In a test chamber (made up of a tube and box), ten female yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) were placed in each trial.
• The mosquitoes were kept hungry to ensure consistent “aggressive” behavior.
• A human hand was used as an attractant, and the sound source was placed nearby.

Each trial lasted 12 minutes and was divided into 4 phases: device off, device on, device off, device on. This set-up allowed for a direct comparison. The following sound sources were tested:

• Three commercially available ultrasonic devices
• One anti-mosquito software
• Five different frequencies ranging from 6 to 20 kilohertz
• Sound levels between approximately 34 and 52 decibels

Each trial was repeated multiple times, and the data was analyzed statistically.

[1] Andrade, C. F. S., & Cabrini, I. (2010). Electronic mosquito repellers induce increased biting rates in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Vector Ecology, 35(1), 75–78.

When the devices were switched on, the number of biting attempts rose quickly, by roughly 20% to almost 50%, depending on the frequency. Mid-range frequencies between approximately 9.6 and 18.2 kilohertz were particularly notable. Equally notable was the rapidly falling biting rate as soon as the sound was switched off, in some cases by up to 25%.

With one of the tested devices, switching it on again later once more led to over 30% more attack attempts. With other frequencies, this second effect was less pronounced, possibly because the mosquitoes had become habituated to the continuous tone.

The researchers interpreted the results as follows:

• Sound sources in the immediate vicinity of the skin seem to stimulate rather than deter.
• The tones can trigger or intensify attack behavior.
• The tested frequencies showed no reliable protective effect.

The study concludes that electronic mosquito repellents and comparable mosquito apps have no proven protective effect and, under certain experimental conditions, can even have counterproductive effects.

Beyond the study results, there are further reasons why anti-mosquito apps do not work reliably in practice. These lie in technical limitations as well as in the biology and behavior of mosquitoes.

From a technical perspective, a fundamental problem already lies in the fact that smartphones can reproduce the advertised ultrasonic frequencies only to a limited extent or not at all. Moreover, a deterrent effect of such frequencies on mosquitoes has not been scientifically proven.

• Phone speakers are not ultrasonic devices

Most smartphone speakers are not designed to generate ultrasonic frequencies with defined intensity and quality.

• Very short range

High sound frequencies are attenuated more strongly in air than lower frequencies. As a result, their intensity decreases comparatively quickly with increasing distance.

• Limited acoustic output

Smartphone speakers have only limited output power. Even if high frequencies can be generated, this does not by itself imply a biologically relevant effect on mosquitoes.

Even more decisive than the technical limitation is the biology of the animals. Mosquitoes do not locate their hosts primarily by means of high-frequency sounds, but above all via various chemical and physical cues. These include in particular:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) from exhaled air
• Body heat
• Moisture
• Individual odor compounds from the skin
• Visual cues

These signals are significantly more relevant to mosquitoes than acoustic cues.

Moreover, the wingbeat frequencies relevant to communication between mosquitoes typically lie well below the ultrasonic frequencies advertised by many so-called ultrasonic repellers. Whether a mosquito app plays high-frequency sounds or not therefore plays no significant role in the orientation of the animals.

This is also supported by a study published in 2024 by Italian researchers [2]. In that investigation, four tested electronic mosquito repellents showed no detectable deterrent effect on Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) and common house mosquitoes (Culex pipiens).

[2] Toma, L.; Lo Catro, F.; Severini, F. et al. (2024): Evaluation of four common electronic mosquito repellers on Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens. Ann Ist Super Sanità, Vol. 60, No. 4: S. 258-263. DOI: 10.4415/ANN_24_04_04

Since mosquitoes find their hosts in particular through odor compounds, carbon dioxide, heat and moisture, established protective measures make considerably more sense than acoustic smartphone apps.

Proven methods include:

• Skin repellents:

Skin-friendly insect repellents with tested active ingredients offer reliable temporary protection.

• Mosquito nets:

Especially at night or when traveling, mosquito nets provide a simple and very effective physical barrier between humans and mosquitoes.

• Avoiding breeding sites:

Standing water in watering cans, plant saucers, buckets or rain barrels is an excellent breeding site. Such accumulations of water should be removed regularly, and containers should be covered or stored dry.

Special solutions such as mosquito traps also offer more reliable protection than apps, because they can specifically attract and capture mosquitoes.

If you would like to see for yourself, feel free to watch our video from the Biogents contract research laboratory. It shows what happens when a phone with an anti-mosquito app switched on is held inside a cage with mosquitoes: