Backwords — Support
Getting started
- Try Just Play first. Tap Just Play on the home screen, hold the pad, say something, and let go. Tap the reversed play button to hear yourself backwards. This is the whole trick — everything else is keeping score.
- Start a game. Tap New Game, add two to eight players, pick how many rounds, and tap Start. Turn order follows the list.
- Author a phrase. The first player holds the pad and says a two or three word phrase. Tap the prompt card for a phrase from a pack if you’re stuck. Re-record as many times as you like, then tap Reverse & Hand Off.
- Hand the phone over. The guesser taps I’m Ready. The clock starts at 1000 and the reversed clip plays. Replay it, loop the hard part, then hold the pad and mimic it.
- Flip and guess. Tap Flip to hear the mimic turned back around. When it sounds close, tap Guess, say the phrase out loud, and turn the phone toward the author.
- Judge it. The author taps Correct or Wrong. Correct locks in the score. Wrong costs points and sends the guesser back to try again. Then everyone hears the original, forward.
- Swap and repeat. Roles rotate through the roster until every round is played. The scoreboard shows totals and who won.
Playing a game
How many people can play?
Two to eight, all on one iPhone. Each round, every player authors one phrase and guesses one phrase. The author hands the phone to the next player in the list.
What counts as a good phrase?
Two or three words with clear consonants and syllable breaks — “hot dog,” “flat tire,” “paper airplane.” Long vowel runs and lots of s-sounds turn to mush when reversed. The phrase packs are curated with this in mind.
The guesser said it but the author tapped Wrong. Now what?
The author is the judge, and that’s part of the fun. A wrong guess deducts the penalty and the clock resumes, so the guesser can listen again and try once more. If they want to stop, the author can tap Give Up to end the turn at zero.
What happens when the clock hits zero?
The turn ends automatically with a score of zero, the original phrase plays forward so everyone hears it, and the game moves on.
Can I pause by leaving the app?
No. The clock is measured from real time, so backgrounding the app or locking the phone doesn’t stop it. That’s deliberate.
The screen keeps dimming during a game.
Turn on Keep screen awake during a game in Settings. It’s on by default.
Scoring
How is the score calculated?
Every guess starts at 1000 points. Points drain steadily from the moment the guesser taps I’m Ready until they tap Guess, and each wrong guess subtracts a penalty. The score can’t go below zero. Totals add up per player across the whole game.
Can I change how fast the clock runs?
Yes. Points lost per second and the wrong-guess penalty are both in Settings under Scoring. Changes apply to the next game you start, not one already in progress.
The phone buzzes as the score drops. Can I turn that off?
Settings has a Feel section with the haptic intensity — Off, Subtle, or Full — plus a Sounds toggle.
Just Play
What is Just Play?
A single screen with the record pad and nothing to win. Hold to record, release to stop, then play the clip forward or backwards. Tap the heart to keep a clip in Favorites or Share to send it as a graphic. Just Play is free and unlimited for everyone.
My recording got cut off or came out too short.
Recording runs only while your finger is on the pad, and there’s a cap of a few seconds — the ring around the pad shows how much is left. Sliding your finger off the pad before releasing cancels the take. Silence at the start and end is trimmed automatically, so start talking as soon as you press.
Phrase packs
What’s included for free?
The General pack, with 200 phrases, is built in. Tap the prompt card on the record screen to see one; tap again for another. The prompt is never stored or shown to the guesser.
What other packs are there?
Movies & TV, Music, Sports, Superheroes, Decades, National Parks, Theme Parks, Automobiles, Instruments, and Around the World — about 200 phrases each. Buy them individually or get every pack, now and in the future, in one bundle from the Store.
Purchases
What does the free version include?
Just Play with no limits, one complete multiplayer game with as many rounds as you like, and the five most recent entries in History. Favorites are unlimited.
What does the Full Version unlock?
Unlimited multiplayer games and your entire History. It’s a single one-time purchase — no subscription, no ads. Phrase packs are sold separately.
I bought it on another phone. How do I get it here?
Open Settings and tap Restore Purchases while signed into the same Apple Account. Your Full Version and any packs come across.
Can I get a refund?
Purchases are handled by Apple. Request a refund at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Recordings, sharing & privacy
Where do my recordings go?
Nowhere. They’re saved on your phone so History and Favorites can play them back, and they are never uploaded. Deleting a game or clip deletes its audio. Settings shows how much space clips are using and lets you clear old ones.
What does Share actually send?
An image: the reversed waveform, the player’s name and score if it came from a game, and the Backwords mark. No audio is included, and nothing is sent until you pick an app in the share sheet.
Does Backwords need an internet connection?
Only to buy or restore purchases. Everything else works offline.
Troubleshooting
The pad won’t record.
Check that Backwords has microphone access in the Settings app under Privacy & Security → Microphone. If you declined the first time, turn it on there and return to the app.
I can’t hear playback.
Turn up the volume and check that you aren’t connected to Bluetooth headphones or a speaker in another room. Playback follows whatever audio output your phone is using.
Reversed clips sound like nothing.
Try a phrase with harder consonants, speak a little slower, and hold the phone closer. Quiet, mumbled phrases reverse into a wash. That’s the game working as intended, but a clearer take gives the guesser a fighting chance.
Still stuck?
Email support@ocodedesign.com. Tell us what happened and what iPhone you’re on, and we’ll get back to you.
See also: Privacy Policy · Terms of Use