A quick guide to GuessMate

The basic game

1. Choose a character pack and board size, then pick your secret character. In a two-player game, keep your choice hidden from the other player.
2. Take turns asking questions that can be answered yes or no.
3. Use each answer to rule out characters. Flip down the cards that no longer fit, or use Auto-flip where it is available.
4. When you think you know the answer, choose I know who it is and tap your guess. A correct guess wins; a wrong guess loses.

Ask a useful question

1. Tap Ask a question. Start with the Man or Woman questions, or choose a feature such as hair, hat, eyes, ears, face, neck or top.
2. Choose one of the questions shown for that feature. Everything else includes colours, age and things a character is holding.
3. After the answer, flip down every character the answer rules out. If you are unsure about a control, tap the yellow ? for help.

With Hints on in Settings, character questions show how many cards they would rule out, and a Best questions option can help you choose. Hints are off by default.

Auto-flip can clear the cards ruled out by an answer for you. You can undo the flips and still decide when your turn ends. On a photo board, there are no built-in traits to check, so players flip their own cards.

Hold the small magnifying glass beside your own card and drag it over another card to zoom in. Let go to return it.

Choose how to play

Play the bot

1. From the menu, tap Play, then Play the bot.
2. Choose a board, size and bot difficulty. Set your flip and hint preferences, then tap Choose your mate.
3. Pick your secret character and play the question-and-guessing game. New players can take the offered practice game, which shows quick tips as they go.

Pass & Play

1. Tap Play, then Pass & Play. Choose a built-in character pack or one of your own photo boards, plus a board size.
2. Two players share one phone. Each picks a secret character in private, passing the phone between turns so the other player cannot see.
3. Ask questions out loud, answer yes or no, mark the cards that are ruled out, then pass the phone back.

Play online

1. Tap Play, then Play online.
2. Quick match looks for someone else searching. The player who started searching first becomes the host and chooses the board.
3. Host a game creates a public game for someone to join. Join a game lists public games waiting for a player.
4. Invite a friend lets you invite someone on your mates list. If they are online they get a pop-up; you may also be able to send them a game link.
5. Choose a secret character and take turns asking questions. Keep the game open while you play; closing it ends the game.

Your own photo boards are for playing with a mate, not a stranger. Public games and Quick match use the built-in character packs.

Make a board from your photos

1. From the main menu, tap Create your custom board. On the Your Mates screen, tap Add mates, then choose one or more photos.
2. Select one or more photos. Tap a face to place the crop, use − and + to adjust it, then tap Add this one. Repeat for each person. A group photo can provide several faces.
3. When you have added at least 12 people, tap Done. Back on Your Mates, tap Boards, then New board. Give it a name and choose the people to include.
4. Choose 12 people for a quick board or 24 for a full board, then tap Save board. You can edit a board later and swap people in or out.

One photo board slot is free. GuessMate Pro adds more saved board slots. Your photos stay on your device for local play. If you choose to play a photo board online, the pictures are sent to the mate in that game so they can see the board; they are not stored on the server. See the Privacy Policy.

On a photo board, ask your own yes-or-no questions—for example, “Have they ever been arrested?” The other player can see their card and answers you. The app cannot automatically check answers from a photo.

The Daily Challenge and Prize Wheel

1. Open The Daily Challenge. Everyone gets the same board for that day; there is no opponent, and your time starts when the board appears.
2. Find the hidden face. Your score is your time plus 15 seconds for each card left standing, so narrowing down the board matters.
3. You get one go. If you close the app during the challenge, the clock stops and you can come back to continue.
4. Complete the Daily to earn a Prize Wheel spin. You can spin it then or come back to the wheel later.

Practice and help

Open Settings → How to play for the short in-game instructions, or start a practice game against the bot. The yellow question-mark buttons explain specific settings. First-time tips can be dismissed, and you can bring them back with Reset instructional popups in Settings.