Blackbox
Think outside the box
Free · In-App Purchases
So you think you understand this thing you’re holding? Think again. Stop tapping. Stop swiping. In fact, stop touching the screen at all. To crack Blackbox’s puzzles you’ll need to find solitude and stillness, climb mountains, call on friends, get in tune with the cosmos, and think outside the box.
Minimalistic visual clues make for incredibly satisfying “Aha!” moments, while sonic interfaces provide an extra level of guidance and nuance that makes Blackbox accessible with or without vision. Thoughtful haptic feedback, Easter eggs on Easter eggs, and solutions that can’t be found beneath the glass of your screen redefine what a puzzle can be. You’ll never see your device the same way again.
Think you’re clever? Prove it.
(Blackbox is a living game under active development by Ryan McLeod. When not eating burritos or drinking coffee, he’s busy designing and developing new Blackbox challenges.)
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more The most ingenious thing about Blackbox’s puzzles isn’t that you solve them without tapping or swiping. It’s that you’ll happily spend hours figuring out the game’s subtle clues. Do you need to tilt your iPhone, shout into the speaker or do something a lot trickier? Thinking creatively and finding the answer feels deeply rewarding, even profound—earning Blackbox an Apple Design Award.
The most ingenious thing about Blackbox’s puzzles isn’t that you solve them without tapping or swiping. It’s that you’ll happily spend hours figuring out the game’s subtle clues. Do you need to tilt your iPhone, shout into the speaker or do something a lot trickier? Thinking creatively and finding the answer feels deeply rewarding, even profound—earning Blackbox an Apple Design Award.
Fixed some issues with sharing the game
3.0.5 22 Apr
Fixed the screenshot for the “React on TikTok” flow
3.0.4 16 Apr
■ Share to TikTok! Take a screenshot, react, win a prize?
■ Long-press the app icon for a gift ;)
■ A very frustrating red meta challenge now gets a visual boost and is easier each time you “die”
■ Fixed a related red meta challenge sometimes not noticing you’d completed it (sorry!)
■ Smoother wormhole transitions
■ Replaced the old loading spinner with something nicer
■ Fixed a handful of crashes
■ Various store and purchase polish
3.0.3 12 Apr
■ Stuck on the tutorial? You can now skip it and come back later
3.0.2 12 Mar
■ Important fix for a crash affecting completionists! (Players who’ve finished every challenge)
3.0.1 8 Mar
3.0!
Blackbox turned ten this week! An incredible milestone I never imagined when I first hit submit a decade ago. The game has become so much nicer since 2.0 and, even though this update only includes some of that work, it still feels like the right moment for a big version number. Plenty more to come throughout the year ;)
The New
■ Liquid Glass in delightful places
■ Smoother, curvier light transitions
■ The wormhole for leaving challenges is much smoother and now politely closes itself if you leave it open too long
■ Tutorial is a bit more forgiving now (for some)
■ Social buttons now beg to be tapped even more
The Fixes
■ Fixed the hint store button sometimes disappearing when hint credits are awarded
■ Fixed hint purchase buttons not showing up after you run out of hint credits
■ Fixed a purple challenge not hearing you the first time you opened it
■ Fixed an orange challenge skipping frequencies in its volume steps
■ Fixed camera preview freezing in a couple of scan challenges
■ Fixed a pink challenge stubbornly snapping its lights to the wrong spots on first open
■ Improved accuracy handling for a blue challenge that cares about where you are
■ Fixed push button animation flickering when leaving challenges
■ Better VoiceOver support across several challenges
■ Squashed a handful of crashes
■ Lots of behind-the-scenes polish and performance work
3.0 2 Mar
■ Added Traditional Chinese localization!
■ Fixed a purple challenge that wasn’t behaving properly
■ Improved an orange challenge that was causing some altitude sickness
■ Fixed some animation issues with the push notification button
■ Squashed a few crashes
2.5.4 12 Feb
■ Now asking key questions at even better moments
2.5.3 8 Feb
New challenges are on the way, but for now…
■ Fixed several audio-related crashes
■ Added a new 3D glass tilt effect on Barriers
■ A certain dark-red meta challenge no longer crashes at the end of the month
■ A dizzying red challenge behaves better if you exit part-way through solving
■ A certain sticky challenge now has clearer visual and audio feedback
■ A 6 Light lavender challenge now uses far less battery
■ Fixed some AirPods audio routing issues
■ Fixed an infinite hint-credit glitch between shared devices
■ Fixed an issue that could cause players to lose progress after reinstalling
2.5.2 5 Feb
Hello! Arabic has arrived! (with full right-to-left support)
■ Lights now flash with a subtle HDR-style effect when they switch on
■ App launches are now noticeably faster
■ Fixed an orange challenge that sometimes stubbornly refused to accept the final signal
■ Fixed a rare edge case with the two-part red challenge near the top
■ Fixed QR challenges staying paused after closing the hints screen
■ Fixed the credits heart icon not filling in after you’ve read all the credits :)
■ Squashed a handful of crashes
■ Arabic and right-to-left improvements: hints now display correctly, buttons no longer get cut off, and credits scroll in the proper direction
2.5.1 29 Jan
■ Fixed several audio-related crashes (Core Audio, you keep me humble)
■ Cut CPU use with VoiceOver from “space heater” to “sensible”
■ Stopped screen rotation acting up on iOS 26
■ Tutorial is now a bit more forgiving on iPad
■ Smoother barrier animations
■ Credits names now scroll more consistently across devices
■ iPad improvements: better text scaling, nicer store layout, fixed layout on iPad mini, fixed clipped launch image on those new massive iPads
■ Updated loads of localisations so they’re more complete!
2.5 21 Jan
■ Fixed a crash affecting players using the grid
■ Smoothed out wormhole transitions back to the grid (buttery once more)
■ Reduced small delays while moving around the game
■ Tried to squash yet another audio-related crash (where does it end?)
2.4.3 16/12/2025
■ Slick, playful new grid ripple animations (tap, hold, and drag!)
■ Faster app startup
■ Fixed occasional stutter when opening puzzles and tapping the grid
■ Fixed a bug where sound effects sometimes only played once
■ Fixed several crashes
2.4.2 09/12/2025
■ Resolved an unruly challenge near the notifications icon (properly this time!)
■ Fixed an issue where the screenshot UI wouldn't close on some devices with iOS 26
■ Enhanced the way I request support with a nod to Alex and Yo-Wei from Hyperfixed and Proxy for the push to complete this redesign
2.4.1 23/11/2025
■ Sorted the tricky challenge near the notifications icon (for good this time!)
■ Squashed a bug where the screenshot UI wouldn't close on some devices using iOS 26
■ Enhanced the way I request support for my work (cheers to Alex and Yo-Wei from Hyperfixed and Proxy for the motivation to complete this redesign)
2.4 21/11/2025
Minor Tweaks! (or as I say, “keeping my gem shiny”)
■ Resolved a glitch with Blackbox sharing not registering.
■ Smoothed visuals when entering the store.
■ Possibly fixed a tricky audio crash (let's hope!)
■ Corrected audio delay in the 3-pink-light challenge (a favourite soundscape of mine!)
■ Fixed broken accessibility labels.
■ Enhanced ease of the blue magnifying glass meta challenge.
2.3.2 08/10/2025
■ Fixed sleek glass icons on iPad
■ Corrected bug with partially visible closed merch store on iPad (RIP)
■ Improved dynamic island animations on newer devices
■ Fixed crash when sharing to Instagram Stories from non-OLED devices
■ Added cowboy shaking warning to more challenges
2.3.1 20/09/2025
Hello splendid new look
■ Numerous glass panels and buttons
■ Reworked and shiny icons for your home screen
2.3 16/09/2025
■ Sorted a challenge issue near the notifications icon
■ Aligned some buttons correctly
That's it for now :)
2.2.25 25/08/2025
■ Fixed an issue that sometimes made buying the game more difficult (not a puzzle)
2.2.24 26/06/2025
■ Resolved a Swift bug that sometimes made buying the game difficult (not a puzzle)
2.2.23 24/06/2025
This update sorts some issues from a recent overhaul (cheers to Bennett for spotting them!)
■ VoiceOver now properly navigates hints
■ Notification settings save correctly when changed via VoiceOver
■ New rotor added for browsing lights by challenge numbers
■ Streamlined VoiceOver descriptions for lights and groups on the grid
2.2.22 30/05/2025
■ Quick fix for the top two green challenges! They should now be more reliable and easier to complete!
2.2.21 25/05/2025
■ Revamped the two green challenges in the top-right (challenge type 30). It's now a bit different and should be clearer with recent iOS changes.
■ Fixed a bug with the orange meta challenge in the bottom-left (challenge type 49). If you struggled before, please try again!
■ Redesigned the alert cards in the game (thanks for the help Pim!). Around two-thirds of Blackbox's code is now Swift! Cheers to me!
■ Fixed an issue with VoiceOver rotors on the home grid.
■ Resolved a bug with app icon translations.
2.2.20 21/05/2025
Fixes! Big or small, all crafted with care to ease your experience
■ Resolved a tricky blue meta challenge caused by iOS 18 update
■ Improved the look of the four orange challenge on recent devices
■ Redesigned panel interfaces for fluid animations and interactions
■ Fixed accessibility features like rotors on home grid
■ Numerous visual enhancements and fixes
2.2.19 11/04/2025
Fixed some issues with sharing the game
more Version 3.0.5 22 Apr
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Usage Data Diagnostics Other Data Supported Features
VoiceOver
Larger Text
Dark Interface
Sufficient Contrast
Reduced Motion