Being published
Blackjack,
with the people you love.
Remember the kitchen table? A deck of cards, a pile of pennies, and everyone you love leaning in to see what the dealer turns over. We brought that table back. Deal your family in from FaceTime or Messages, up to five of you, each playing your own hand against one dealer. Across the room, or across the country. And when everyone's gone to bed, the dealer is still here for you.
This is our plan for Blackjack, the first app we built. It's being published now, so some details may change before it's on the App Store.
- Price
- Free, optional Pro
- Players
- You, or up to five together
- Bets
- Points, never money
- Ads
- None, ever
- Data collected
- None
One dealer. Everyone you love.
Blackjack was always better with company. The groan when the dealer wins again. The cheer when your sister finally beats him. So we made playing together the heart of this app, not an extra screen buried in a menu.
One tap, and they're in
Start a table from FaceTime or Messages. Your friend taps once and sits down. No accounts. No codes. No setup. Hosting is free, and joining is free.
Up to five at one table
Everyone plays their own hand against the same dealer, on their own iPhone or iPad, and sees every card land at the same moment. Up to five on SharePlay, or four through Game Center. An empty seat? A fair computer player takes it.
Rematch, and tonight's standings
When the hands are done, the table shows who's ahead tonight, and one tap deals everyone back in. Win, or lead the night, and you can share it as a card drawn on your phone and sent only where you choose.
Your tables, kept for you
The people you play with are saved on your phone, so next time you can deal them in again. Each friend gets a color beside their name. No strangers, no chat rooms, and your game travels through Apple, never through us.
Beautiful, and calm by design
Deep teal felt. Cards that look like cards. Your total right where your eye already is. Everything you need, and not one thing more.
Illustrations. The finished app may look a little different.
How Blackjack plays
You against the dealer. Get closer to twenty-one without going over, and the hand is yours. Play with friends and everyone takes on the same dealer, so the whole table is on the same side.
The deal
Everyone gets two cards. So does the dealer, with one kept face down.
Your move
Take another card, or stay where you are. Get close to twenty-one without going over.
The result
Beat the dealer, and the whole table cheers. Go over, and everyone groans with you.
Learn to play Blackjack Rules Playbook Best practices
Five things we'll never compromise
Every game we make has to pass the same five tests. Here's how Blackjack passes them.
Easy, from the first hand
Your total is on the table, and it's always right. The next step is always obvious. And a free hint every round tells you what to do, and why, in plain words. Leave mid-hand, and Play on the title screen tells you where you were. Never played before? You'll be playing in a minute.
Clean and calm
No slot-machine sounds. No flashing lights. No pop-ups, no badges, no nudges to keep playing. Just the table, the cards and the people you're playing with. Take all the time you like.
Private. Completely.
No accounts. No ads. No tracking. On your own, it works offline and nothing leaves your device. With friends, your game travels through Apple, never through us.
Beautiful
Deep teal felt, lit like a real table. Cards that move like cards. Every detail made by hand, because the people you play with deserve it.
Fun, and fair
The cards are shuffled fair and square, and nothing you do changes what comes next. Every bet is in points, never money, so the fun is the whole point. And the best part isn't winning. It's who you're playing with.
Everyone gets a seat at the table
Big cards for Grandpa. Spoken totals for a friend who can't see the table. And a pace that's entirely yours.
VoiceOver throughout
Every card is announced by rank and suit, and every play is spoken. Blackjack works beautifully without looking.
Voice and Switch Control
Standard accessibility actions, including a list of the cards you can play.
Card sizes that fit
Regular, large and extra-large cards, with full Dynamic Type everywhere else. At the largest text sizes the table rearranges itself, so your cards and totals still fit.
Four-color deck
A high-contrast deck where every suit has its own color and its own shape. Never color alone.
Reduce Motion
With Reduce Motion on, cards fade gently into place instead of flying.
Totals always shown
Your hand's total is always on screen, and spoken. No mental arithmetic, ever.
Free to play. Free to play together.
The whole game is free, and so is every table with friends, hosting and joining. Pro is one optional purchase for players who want more. Nothing to renew. Nothing to remove.
Free
Forever. Not a trial.
- The complete game, on your own or with friends
- Play with friends: host or join, always free
- Points that are never sold, and refill free
- One free “Show a move” every round
- Rematch, tonight's standings and your saved tables
- A color for each friend, and a card to share a win
- Card sizes and every accessibility feature
- Works offline on your own, no account needed
Pay once
A single optional purchase.
- More hints: “Show a move” as often as you like
- Coach: a quiet note on every play, and a recap of each round
- Practice: short drills for the trickiest hands
- Themes and card backs beyond the free set
- Named saved games, as many as you like, each with a note
- 8-bit mode: your own table, drawn in retro pixels
- Your best plays, week by week, in Statistics
One-time purchase. Yours forever.
Pro's price will be on the App Store at release. The full game will always be free.
Good to know
Can I play with friends?
Yes. That's what it's for. Start a table from FaceTime or Messages with SharePlay, up to five of you, or through Game Center, up to four. Everyone plays their own hand against the same dealer, and any open seat goes to a fair computer player. Everyone starts with the same points, and a night with friends never touches your own. When the hands are done, the table shows tonight's standings and the host can deal a rematch. Always free, with no accounts and no servers of ours.
Does it remember who I play with?
Yes, on your own phone. After a game together, the group is saved as one of your tables, and you can deal them in again with a tap, rename it or delete it. It is never sent anywhere.
What happens when I share a win?
Blackjack draws a card on your phone and opens the usual share sheet. It goes only where you send it. We never see it, and nothing is sent unless you tap Share.
Does my friend need Pro?
No. Your friend needs Blackjack, which is free, and one tap. Never Pro, never an account, never a sign-in.
When will Blackjack be released?
It's being published now. We don't announce dates we can't keep. The day it's on the App Store, this page gets the link.
Will it cost anything?
Not to play. Blackjack is free to download and free to play, including the full game with bets in points. Pro will be an optional one-time purchase. There will never be ads, chips for sale or a subscription.
Can I bet real money?
No. You play for points, which are never sold and can't be cashed out. And if you run out, they refill, free.
Is it fair?
Yes. The cards are shuffled at random, and nothing you do changes what comes next. The computer players see only what a real player at the table would.
Do I need an internet connection or an account?
Never an account. Playing on your own works fully offline, and your games and stats stay on your device. Playing with friends far away needs a connection, and that's all it needs.
Will it come to Android?
Yes, that's the plan. The whole collection comes to Android after the iPhone and iPad apps.
Data Not Collected
That's the App Store privacy label on every app we make, Blackjack included. No accounts. No analytics. No advertising. Nothing you do in the app ever reaches us.
Coming soon to iPhone and iPad.
Blackjack is being published now. The day it's on the App Store, this page gets a download link, and your family gets a table.