Thumbs support
Need a hand?
Email hi@nextgensoftware.co and we'll get back to you, usually within two working days. It helps to include your iPhone model, iOS version, and the app version, shown at the bottom of Settings in the app.
How to play
Lay the phone flat on the table between you. Each of you takes an end, and your end of the screen faces you: the bottom player is Player 1, the top Player 2. On your own, hold the phone and play the bot.
Pick a game on Home, choose 2 players or vs bot, and tap Play. The first time you play a game, its rules appear at both ends: tap the board to start. After that they're in the pause menu.
Dots and Boxes: take turns drawing a line between two dots. Close a box to claim it and go again. Most boxes wins. Play on 4 × 4 or 5 × 5 boxes.
Four in a Row: take turns dropping a disc into a column. Line up four, across, up or slanted, to win.
Sea Battle: hide your five ships, then take turns firing at the other sea. Ships can't touch. Sink the whole fleet to win.
Tic-Tac-Toe: Classic is three in a row. In Vanish you only keep three marks: placing a fourth wipes your oldest, and the faded mark is the one that goes next.
Hangman: one of you sets a secret word and the other guesses letters. Six misses and the word wins. Then swap. If only one of you solves, they win; if you both do, fewer misses wins.
Snake duel: swipe on your side to turn. Food makes you longer. Hit a wall, yourself or the other snake and you lose the round. Best of three.
Secrets: in Sea Battle and Hangman you pass the phone between turns, and a curtain in the next player's colour covers the screen. Press and hold Hold to open, so a stray tap never gives anything away.
The cup: a running score between two names that never ends. Every win is a point; draws count for neither. Rename the players in Settings and the cup goes with them. Games against the bot keep a cup of their own for each level.
Best of 5: turn on Best of 5 on Home, tap five games in the order you'll play them (or Random mix), then Start series. First to three wins takes the series and a bonus point on the cup.
Questions
How do I unlock the Hard bot?
Choose vs bot, and under Bot level tap Unlock Hard with an ad. Watch the ad to the end and Hard opens in every game until you close the app. If no ad has loaded, for example when you're offline, Hard stays locked. Easy and Normal are always open.
When do ads show?
Only between matches, never during one. A full-screen ad may show when you tap Rematch or Next game after every second finished match, but never inside a best of 5, never in the first 20 seconds after you open the app, and never twice within 90 seconds.
Do I need an account or the internet?
No. There's no sign-up, and every game plays offline, bots included. The cup lives on your phone, so deleting the app wipes it.
A match got interrupted
Every move is saved as it's made, so opening the app again takes you straight back into the match. One started more than a week ago waits on Home instead, where you can carry on or discard it. Quit a match from the pause menu and it counts for nobody.
How do I reset the cup?
Settings → Reset cup, then type RESET to confirm. It wipes the cup between the two players named in Settings.
How do I change ad tracking or consent?
Tracking: on your iPhone, go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking. In the UK, the EEA and Switzerland, your ad consent choices are in the app under Settings → Privacy options.
Is there sound?
No. Thumbs uses haptics instead, and you can turn them off with the Haptics switch in the app's Settings.