NumFall accessibility features and what each one does

A player with a large text setting opens a 4×4 board and sees the tray of numbers before the grid. The tray sits above the board and lists the numbers that can still be placed, so a solver's first check is which numbers remain in it.

NumFall is a falling block number puzzle. A player chooses a number from the tray, then taps a column, and the number lands in the lowest empty cell of that column. Every row, column and box has to end up holding each number exactly once, so when a number is dropped matters as much as which number it is.

A 4×4 board has four numbers, four columns and a short tray, so the Quick 4×4 levels are a practical place to check how a setting changes the screen. A solver who uses a screen reader, a larger text size or less animation still needs the same two things: the numbers still available and the column where a number will land.

NumFall supports Dynamic Type, VoiceOver and Reduce Motion. The app runs on iPhone and iPad, with iOS or iPadOS 17 or later.

Moving through the grid with VoiceOver

With VoiceOver, a solver moves through the screen one item at a time, swiping right for the next element and left for the previous one. The order that works best on a falling number board is the tray first, then the columns, then the filled cells. Each item should have a spoken label that names it, such as a tray number, a column, or a cell with its row, column and value.

A solver needs to hear which numbers are already in a unit before choosing a drop, since every row, column and box holds each number once. A cell label that states the cell's position and number lets a solver count what a row or column holds without seeing the grid. An empty cell label that gives its position and says the cell is empty helps in the same way.

The Quick 4×4 set, which has 30 levels, works well for testing spoken order. With four columns and four rows, a solver needs few swipes, so it is quick to check whether the tray, the columns and the cells are announced in an order that matches the board. Only what the labels actually say can be relied on.

Text size on the tray and the grid

Dynamic Type lets a player set a larger text size in iOS Settings, and apps that support it redraw their text to match. A solver with a large text setting needs four things to stay readable: the tray numbers, the timer, the star count and the spark total.

A solver spends sparks on hints, undos, an extra heart or a skip, so the spark total is a number to read closely. Players earn sparks by playing, and sparks are never bought, so a solver checks the total before spending one.

On the Classic 6×6 board, which has 100 levels, larger text is most likely to crowd the screen. Each cell gets less width with six columns, so small numbers inside a cell can touch the cell edges or the numbers next to them. A solver checks that every digit in the grid still reads clearly, that the tray numbers are separate from one another, and that the timer and star count stay on screen without covering the columns.

In Settings on an iPhone, a solver can raise the text size one step at a time and reopen a level after each change. A solver looks for the first size at which a tray number or a column label is hard to tell apart from the one next to it.

Reduce Motion when numbers fall

A player who gets uncomfortable with moving objects on a screen may find a falling number hard to watch. In a falling block game, each number drops to the lowest empty cell in its column, and the order of those drops is the puzzle. A solver who misses one drop may lose track of which cells are filled.

Reduce Motion is an iOS system setting that asks apps to limit movement on screen. In iOS it is found under Accessibility, in the Motion settings. The app supports Reduce Motion, so a player can turn it on in Settings and open a board with less animation.

A solver can track the drop order without watching the fall. After each move, the solver reads the board again: which cell the number reached, which cells in that column are still empty, and which numbers remain in the tray. A solver using VoiceOver or a larger text size can do the same check.

The one-minute tutorial explains the rules before a timed level starts, so a solver can see a drop with the setting on before the clock matters. A good first test is to play one Quick 4×4 level with Reduce Motion on and read the board after every drop.

NumFall is made by the publisher of this site. Any health or brain-training points here are general information, not medical advice.