Charades app: frequently asked questions

A charades app that turns your phone into the classic forehead guessing game, in the style of charades and Heads Up. Your friends act, describe, hum or draw, and you guess the word on your forehead before time runs out.

Yes. It is a free download for iPhone and Android, and eight topics are ready to play with no purchase, one topic per game. Every week, one premium topic is also free for everyone. Premium unlocks every topic, longer rounds up to 120 seconds, extra time settings (+5 seconds on correct, -5 on pass on or off), mixing several topics in one game, up to 4 teams or players and more rounds, your own words and categories, and no ads. You can get it monthly, yearly or as a one-time lifetime purchase.

It works with just 2 players, but it really shines in a bigger group split into teams. With more than ten people, make two teams and alternate rounds so nobody sits idle.

If you guessed the word, tilt the phone down. To pass, tilt it up. No need to touch the screen, the app reads the motion.

More than 25, including English, German, French, Spanish and Polish. The app loads the word set that matches your device language.

A round is 45 seconds, and each pass takes 5 seconds off. Premium lets you set rounds up to 120 seconds and change the time settings: +5 seconds for each correct answer, and the pass penalty on or off.

No, the game works offline, so you can play it on a bus, at camp or on a road trip. You only need a connection to download the app and to make purchases.

Yes, it is rated 4+ and has no awkward content. For the youngest players we recommend Guessy Kids: pictures instead of words, no reading required. More info: guessykids.com

Guessy is its own phone version of the forehead guessing game. Like charades, your friends help by acting and describing; like Heads Up, you hold the phone to your forehead. The app deals the words and keeps score. We compare the options in games like Heads Up.

Yes, with premium. You can create your own words and categories in the app: your friends' names, inside jokes, office lingo. It is the most popular feature at team building events and birthdays.

The free version has ads: a banner during the game and an ad at the end of a round. Premium removes them.

You will find Restore on the Settings screen. Make sure you are signed in with the same Apple or Google account you used for the original purchase. If nothing changes right away, restart the app.

Yes, if you want it to, and it is free. The video feature uses the front camera to record the guesser while they play, adds a watermark and saves the clip to your Photos. It stays on your device; we do not upload anything, and you can switch it off in Settings.

Since 2016. It has been a go-to game for house parties, family nights and school trips ever since.