In testing
Spades,
partners again.
Some partnerships last forty years. Your parents against your aunt and uncle, still arguing about one hand from last Thanksgiving. Deal them in from FaceTime or Messages, up to four of you, partners or rivals. And when it's just you, a computer partner who plays a sensible game is always ready.
This is our plan for Spades. Solitaire and Mahjong are out now, and we finish one app at a time, so the details may change before it's ready.
- Price
- Free, optional Pro
- Players
- You, or up to four together
- Teams
- Two against two
- Ads
- None, ever
- Data collected
- None
Two against two. Any distance.
Spades is a game of trust. You bid for your partner as much as for yourself, and you read them across the table. It's best with someone who knows you. So we made playing together the heart of this app.
One tap, and they're in
Start a game from FaceTime or Messages. Your friend taps once and sits down. No accounts. No codes. No setup. Hosting is free, and joining is free.
Partner with anyone
Team up with your brother against your parents, or sit two friends together. Up to four people, and any open seat goes to a fair computer player.
Every trick, together
Everyone sees each card land at the same moment, and every bid stays on the table. Your hand stays yours.
Only the people you know
No strangers. No chat rooms. No public tables. Your game travels through Apple, never through us. We never see it, and we like it that way.
Bid it. Play it. Make it.
A clear bid. A clear table. And a scoreboard that explains itself.
Illustrations of the planned design. The finished app may look different.
How Spades plays
Two teams of two. Say how many tricks you'll take. Then take them.
The bid
You and your partner each bid the number of tricks you expect to take.
The play
Follow suit if you can. Spades beat every other suit.
The score
Make your bid, and your team scores. Fall short, and you lose points. Take too many, and they come back to bite you.
Learn to play Spades Rules Playbook Best practices
Five things we'll never compromise
Every game we make has to pass the same five tests. Here's how Spades passes them.
Easy, from the first bid
Your bid and your partner's are always on the table. A free hint every deal suggests a bid, or a card, and says why in plain words.
Clean and calm
No pop-ups. No badges. No nudges to keep playing. Just the table, the game 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
Green baize 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
Every computer player, your partner included, knows only its own cards. No peeking. Play to 300 or 500, and choose how sharp the computer plays.
Spades for everyone at the table
Clear cards. Spoken bids and plays. And a pace that's yours.
VoiceOver throughout
Every card is announced by rank and suit, and every play is spoken. Spades 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.
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.
Your pace, always
No timers. No waiting for strangers. The table waits for you.
Free to play. Free to play together.
The whole game is free, and so is every game 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
- A free hint every deal, for the bid or the play
- Card sizes and every accessibility feature
- Works offline on your own, no account needed
Pay once
A single optional purchase.
- More hints in each deal
- Coach: a quiet note when there's a better play, and why
- Practice: short drills for the trickiest hands
- Themes: card faces, backs and tables
- Named saved games, as many as you like, each with a note
- 8-bit mode: your own table, drawn in retro pixels
- Saved games, synced through your iCloud
- Detailed stats and streaks
One-time purchase. Yours forever.
What's in Pro, and its price, will be decided closer to 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 game from FaceTime or Messages with SharePlay, or through Game Center, up to four of you. Partner with a friend or play against them, and any open seat goes to a fair computer player. Always free, with no accounts and no servers of ours.
Does my friend need Pro?
No. Your friend needs Spades, which is free, and one tap. Never Pro, never an account, never a sign-in.
When will Spades be released?
It's in testing now. We don't announce dates we can't keep. The day it's ready, this page gets a download link.
Will it cost anything?
Not to play. Spades will be free to download, and the whole game free to play, on your own or with friends. Pro will be an optional one-time purchase. There will never be ads or a subscription.
Does my computer partner see my cards?
No. Every computer player, your partner included, decides from only its own hand, the bids and the cards already played.
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, Spades included. No accounts. No analytics. No advertising. Nothing you do in the app ever reaches us.
Coming to iPhone and iPad.
Spades is in testing now. We don't collect email addresses, so there's no list to join. Check back here, and meet Solitaire while you wait.