Bill’s Sudoku

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Item: Bill’s Sudoku full game
Price: $1.99

Great job Bill!

Medium · 0 mistakes · 0 hints

Puzzles solved: 1

Your records

0 puzzles solved

Easy0solved

Solve an Easy puzzle to record your time, mistakes and hints.

Medium0solved

Solve a Medium puzzle to record your time, mistakes and hints.

Hard0solved

Solve a Hard puzzle to record your time, mistakes and hints.

Expert0solved

Solve an Expert puzzle to record your time, mistakes and hints.

Leaderboard

Your ten fastest Easy solves

No Easy times yet.

World rankings are in the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android apps.

A time counts when the puzzle is solved with no hints and 3 mistakes or fewer.

How to Play

The three rules

The board is a 9 × 9 grid divided into nine 3 × 3 boxes. Some squares already contain numbers. These are called givens and appear in black.

Fill every empty square with a number from 1 to 9, following three rules:

Each row must contain every number from 1 to 9 exactly once.
Each column must contain every number from 1 to 9 exactly once.
Each 3 × 3 box must contain every number from 1 to 9 exactly once.

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Example: This row contains 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9. The only missing number is 7, so the empty square must contain 7.

Good to know

Every puzzle in Bill’s Sudoku has exactly one solution, and every solution can be reached through logical reasoning. You never need to guess.
Numbers you place appear in blue. When Mark wrong numbers is enabled, an incorrectly placed number appears in red.
Each number appears nine times in a completed puzzle. The small counter beneath each number piece shows how many times that number remains to be placed.
Easy and Medium puzzles provide more starting numbers, while Hard and Expert puzzles provide fewer. The clock records your completion time at every difficulty level.

New to Sudoku? Start here

This short tutorial introduces the essential techniques. Try each step on an Easy puzzle—the same principles will help you progress all the way to Expert.

Start with the most complete area.
Begin with the fullest row, column, or 3 × 3 box. The fewer empty squares it contains, the fewer possibilities you need to consider.

For example, if a row already contains eight numbers, the missing ninth number can be identified immediately.
Scan for a number.
Choose a number—such as 5—and tap its piece to highlight every 5 on the board.

Each row, column, and box can contain the number 5 only once. Find a box without a 5, then eliminate any squares in rows or columns that already contain one. Often, only one possible square will remain.

××× 58× ××2

Example: Where can the 5 go in this box? Rows and columns that already contain a 5 are crossed out. Because only one valid square remains, the 5 must go there.
Find the only number that fits.
Select an empty square and examine its row, column, and box. Which numbers are already present?

If eight of the nine numbers have been eliminated, the remaining number is the answer. Tap the square, then tap the corresponding number piece.
Use notes when the answer is not obvious.
Turn on Notes, then tap the number pieces to add small candidate numbers to a square.

As you eliminate possibilities, a square with only one candidate remaining is solved. When Clear notes when a number is placed is enabled, obsolete notes are removed automatically as you play.
Look for a number with only one possible position.
A square may have several candidates, but one of those numbers might not fit anywhere else in the same row, column, or box. When that happens, the number belongs in that square.

Notes make these unique positions much easier to identify.
Use Hint, Undo, and Erase when needed.
- Hint reveals one correct number.
- Undo reverses your previous move.
- Erase clears the selected square.
Hints and mistakes are recorded in your Records. A completed puzzle will not qualify for the Leaderboard if you use a hint or make more than three mistakes, so take a moment to reason through the puzzle first.
Never guess.
Every puzzle in Bill’s Sudoku can be solved through logic.

If you feel tempted to guess, return to scanning the rows, columns, and boxes. There is always a move you can make with certainty.
Advance when Easy feels easy.
Move to Medium when Easy puzzles become comfortable. Medium puzzles begin with fewer given numbers, making the solutions more challenging to uncover.

Hard and Expert difficulties are included with the full game. Each difficulty has its own Leaderboard, allowing you to improve your fastest time at every level.

The screen

DifficultyEasy · Medium · Hard · Expert

Choose a difficulty level to begin a new puzzle. If a game is already in progress, you will be asked to confirm before starting another.

Game controlsNew Game · Save Game · End Game

Start a new puzzle at the current difficulty level, save your progress, or end the current game and reveal the solution.

Number piecesPieces 1–9

Select a square, then tap a number piece to place it. Tap the same piece again to remove the number. The small number beneath each piece shows how many times it remains to be placed.

Puzzle toolsUndo · Erase · Notes · Hint

Undo your previous move, clear the selected square, turn pencil notes on or off, or reveal one correct number.

Music

The pill above the board displays the song currently playing. Tap it to turn the café jazz on or off, or use the adjacent button to skip to the next song. All music is original and performed by the app itself, so no internet connection is required.

Clock

Your elapsed time appears beside the mistake counter at every difficulty level. The clock pauses when you leave the app, and your time is saved with the puzzle.

Leaderboard

The leaderboard is available from the name menu. Each difficulty level displays your ten fastest solutions completed without hints and with no more than three mistakes. In the apps, sign in to Game Center on iPhone, iPad, or Mac—or Google Play Games on Android—to compare your times with players around the world.

Settings

The following options appear beneath the number pieces:

Mark incorrect numbers in red.
Clear pencil notes automatically.
Display kanji numerals—一, 二, 三—instead of 1, 2, 3.

Name menu

Use the round button at the top of the screen to access the leaderboard, your records, this guide, your player name, and a link to the app.

Keyboard controls (Mac, iPad, and Android)

1–9 Place a number.
Shift + 1–9 Add or remove a pencil note.
Arrow keys Move between squares.
N Turn Notes mode on or off.
Z Undo the previous move.
H Reveal a hint.
M Turn the music on or off.
S Skip to the next song.
Backspace Erase the selected square.

Free trial and full game

In your browser, Easy and Medium puzzles are free to play, with no time limit and no account required. Your saved games and records remain in this browser.

Hard and Expert puzzles are included with the Bill’s Sudoku app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The app is free for 30 days, followed by a single one-time purchase. Android support is coming soon.

Get it on the App Store

Still need help?

Email [email protected] and include the device you are using, or visit the support page.

Your privacy

Bill’s Sudoku is designed with privacy in mind. We do not collect personal data, use analytics, display advertising, require an account, or operate a server.

Data stored on your device: Your name, used for in-game congratulations, along with your saved game, settings, and records, is stored locally within the app. This information is removed when you delete the app.
Data sent from your device: No personal data is sent to us. The app connects to the App Store or Google Play only when you start a free trial, purchase the full game, or restore a previous purchase.
World leaderboards (optional): If you are signed in to Game Center on an Apple device or Google Play Games on an Android device, your completion time and difficulty level may be submitted to that service when you solve a puzzle without hints and with no more than three mistakes. Your Game Center or Google Play Games nickname will appear alongside your time for other players to see. If you are not signed in, no leaderboard information is submitted.
Third-party services: Apple and Google process purchases and manage leaderboard information under their respective privacy policies. You can sign out of Game Center or Google Play Games, or adjust your profile visibility, through your device settings at any time.
Permissions: Bill’s Sudoku requires no permissions on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. On Android, the app requires internet access only for purchases through Google Play and leaderboard features provided by Google Play Games.
Children: Bill’s Sudoku is suitable for players of all ages, and we do not collect personal information from anyone. Apple and Google apply their own privacy and account requirements to children who use Game Center or Google Play Games.

Your rights

Because we do not collect or retain personal data about you, we have no personal information to access, correct, or delete on your behalf. All locally stored information remains under your control and can be removed by deleting the app.

Leaderboard information is managed by Apple or Google. You can review, manage, or delete it through your Game Center or Google Play Games account.

To ask a privacy-related question or exercise a right available under the laws of your country, email [email protected].

Read the full privacy policy

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Bill’s Sudoku

Hard is part of the full game

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