Support

Each puzzle is graded by solving it the way a person would, always using the simplest technique that works. Its level is set by the hardest technique it needs: Beginner and Easy need only singles, Medium adds locked candidates and pairs, Hard adds triples, X-Wings and XY-Wings, Expert adds swordfish, XYZ-Wings and coloring, and Master needs chains. Every puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved by logic alone.

Tap Hint and choose how much help you want:

• Show a hint teaches one idea at a time, always the easiest one available. It reads your own notes, so it never repeats a step you've already done. First you get a nudge: the technique, the number to look for and where, such as "Look for a Hidden Single: 5 has only one place left in box 3". Tap "Show me" to see the pattern highlighted on the board. Nothing changes until you tap the last button, which fills in the cell or, for techniques like an X-Wing, updates your notes.
• Solve a cell fills in one correct number right away.
• Fill in notes adds every possible number to every empty cell. Undo puts your own notes back.

If a number you entered is wrong, or a cell's notes leave out its answer, a hint points that out first. Tap the technique's name in a hint to read how it works, or browse all 21 techniques in Settings under Learn. Free players get 3 hints per game; Pro has no limit. Games won without hints or mistakes count as perfect in your stats.

Apex Sudoku is free to play: today's Daily at all six levels every day, with streaks, stats, achievements, 3 hints per game, the technique guide and the Classic theme.

Apex Sudoku Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. It adds unlimited games at every level, every past Daily from the calendar, unlimited hints, all six themes, cell coloring and iCloud sync between iPhone and iPad, and it supports the app's development. Tap Apex Sudoku Pro at the top of Settings to see the price in your country.

Sign in with the same Apple ID or Google account you bought it with, then go to Settings, tap Apex Sudoku Pro, and tap Restore Purchases. Pro is also checked automatically each time the app opens. With Family Sharing turned on, family members can restore it the same way.

By default, a wrong digit turns red and counts as a mistake, and three mistakes end the game. You can try the same puzzle again or start a new one. Both behaviors can be turned off in Settings under Gameplay: "Show mistakes" and "Mistake limit".

Yes. Pause the game and tap "Give Up". The solution is shown on the board, and the game counts as a loss in your stats. You can then try the same puzzle again or start a new one.

Every day there is one puzzle for each level, and everyone gets the same one. Completing a daily puzzle at any level on that day keeps your streak going. You can also play earlier days from the calendar, but those don't count toward your streak.

Cell coloring is part of Pro and helps you follow chains by hand, the way the Simple Coloring hint shows them. Turn it on in Settings under Gameplay, and a Color tool appears in the game. While it's on, the number pad becomes a palette: pick green, purple, blue or orange, then tap cells to color them. Tap a cell again with the same color to clear it, or use Clear and Clear all. Colors are saved with your game and can be undone, and placing a number clears that cell's color.

Yes. Use the "Cell first" / "Digit first" button in the game toolbar to switch. In digit first mode, choose a number, then tap every cell it belongs in. Tap a digit again to remove it, or turn on Erase and tap the cells you want to clear.

Your games, stats and settings are stored on your device, and there's no account. With Pro on iPhone and iPad, iCloud sync also keeps your stats, achievements and Daily history in your own iCloud (see "How does iCloud sync work?"). There are three ways to bring your progress to a new phone:

• Your phone's own transfer or backup. Setting up a new iPhone from your old one (Quick Start) or from an iCloud or computer backup brings Apex Sudoku's data along. Android phones can restore it from a Google backup.
• iCloud sync (Pro, iPhone and iPad). Sign into the same iCloud account, restore Pro, and your stats, achievements and Daily history come across on their own.
• A backup file. In Settings under Data, tap "Export data" and save the file somewhere you can reach from the new phone, such as Files, iCloud Drive, Google Drive or email. On the new phone, tap "Import data" and choose the file. This also works between iPhone and Android.

If the new phone already has its own history, Import lets you combine the two or replace it. Deleting the app deletes its data, so export a backup first if you want to keep it.

Go to Settings, then Data, then "Reset statistics", and confirm. This clears your stats, achievements and daily history. Your current game and settings are kept. With iCloud sync on, it clears them on every device signed into your iCloud account. Consider exporting a backup first.

iCloud sync is part of Pro, on iPhone and iPad. On every device signed into the same iCloud account, your stats, achievements, Daily calendar and streak show the same numbers: games from all your devices are added together, the fastest best time counts, and a Daily solved on one device counts on all of them. Your game in progress and your settings stay on each device.

There's nothing to set up. Changes usually reach your other devices within a minute or so, or the next time you open the app there. You can check it in Settings under Data. Sync goes through your own iCloud account; we never see your data. iPhone and Android don't sync with each other, but a backup file moves your progress between them.

Both have switches in Settings under Feedback. Sounds also stay quiet when your phone is on silent, and they mix with any music you're playing.

Yes. Every cell and control works with VoiceOver and TalkBack, and mistakes, completions and hints are announced. Text follows your system text size, wrong digits are marked by more than color alone, and animations respect Reduce Motion.

No. Every puzzle and feature, including new games and daily challenges, works completely offline. Only buying or restoring Pro needs a connection to the App Store or Google Play, and iCloud sync catches up the next time you're online.