Puzzle games that keep progress on iPhone and iPad

A solver starts a 6x6 board on an iPhone during a bus ride. In one case, the clock reads 2:00 and four numbers are already placed in the left columns. When the bus reaches the stop, the solver puts the phone back in a pocket and leaves the board as it is.

At home, the solver opens the same puzzle game on an iPad and expects that board to be waiting. On some days, the iPad shows the first level of the set instead, with an empty grid and the timer at 0:00. Nothing remains of the four placed numbers, and no sign shows that a level was begun.

It occurs in games that save data only on the device where the game was played. The iPad keeps no record of the iPhone, and it therefore treats the solver as a new player. On the tablet, levels already finished on the phone, such as the first 20 of 100, look locked or unplayed, and star counts reset to zero.

One shared set of levels is what most solvers who use both devices want. They want to finish a level on whichever screen is nearer, and they want to see the same stars on each.

Where progress is kept on each device

Progress in a game with iCloud sync is saved under one Apple ID rather than only on the device in use. Once both are signed in to the same Apple ID, an iPhone and an iPad can read the same saved levels, stars and unfinished boards. A solver who finishes level 21 on the phone would expect to find level 22 open on the tablet.

A game without sync keeps its progress only on the device where it was played. Without sync, a game keeps progress only on the device where it was played, and each device keeps a separate record that the others cannot see, so a new install on a second device starts at the beginning.

Both devices also need a system version game supports. A tablet on an older version may be unable to install the game, or it may install an older build, since many current games need a recent iOS on the iPhone and iPadOS on the iPad. Before counting on shared progress, solvers with an older iPad usually check its system version in Settings.

Sync also requires both devices to use the same Apple ID; a family member's ID on one device gives each person a separate set of saved levels.

Checking a listing for iCloud sync

Three things on an App Store page matter when a solver switches between devices. In the Information section, a puzzle game that supports both iPhone and iPad lists both device names. That same section states the required system version, for example iOS 17 or later on the phone and iPadOS 17 or later on the tablet. On an older iPad, the solver checks that number against the version listed in Settings under General and About.

The third item is whether the description or feature list mentions iCloud sync. Pages that say nothing about sync usually mean progress stays on one device. Some solvers then contact the developer, and some skip the game when the page is unclear.

NumFall lists iCloud sync, runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 17 or later, and is free, which can be confirmed on NumFall on the App Store.

Before tapping the download button, solvers can check the age rating and the price line near the top of the page.

Testing a switch between two devices

A simple test uses one account and takes few minutes. The solver notes three things on the iPhone: the level set, the level number and the star count. Say it is the second set on the Classic 6x6 board, level 14, with 31 stars in total. Next, the solver opens the game on an iPad signed in to the same Apple ID and checks those same three items.

The same check can be repeated on the other boards. Each of the Quick 4x4, Classic 6x6 and Master 9x9 has its own levels, so a solver who plays all three checks each board separately. Each set holds ten levels and ends with a chest, so it is easy to tell whether the iPad shows the same set and the same spot in it.

The Daily Drop is one puzzle that is the same for every player, so it is a poor check of progress. Both devices should show that day's puzzle whether or not they share saved data.

If the numbers match, the solver can finish the next level on the iPad, then look at the iPhone to see that it now shows the new level and star count.

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