Across
A new cryptic crossword every day, solved together by your family on one shared grid, with a chat about the clues. For families spread across towns, countries and time zones.
Getting started
One person sets up the family: open Across, tap Invite the family, and send an invitation to each person through Messages or Mail. Each invitation works only for the person it's sent to, using the email address or phone number of their Apple Account. They tap it, and they're in.
Everyone needs an iPhone or iPad signed in to iCloud. Today's puzzle works without one, but the shared grid and chat need it.
Solving together
Everyone fills in the same grid, each in their own colour. Tap Chat to talk about a clue, Help for a hint (the definition, then the kind of clue, then letters), and Check to see whether the current answer is right. Once an answer is known to be right, Explain shows how the clue works. A new puzzle arrives for everyone at midnight UK time.
If something isn't working
An invitation doesn't open Across: check that the invitation was sent to the email address or phone number of the recipient's Apple Account, and that they are signed in to iCloud (Settings, then their name).
Changes from the family don't arrive: open the Family screen and look at Sync. It shows when your phone last heard from iCloud and anything waiting to send. Send this to us there shares the details, which is the quickest way for us to help.
No notifications: check Settings, Notifications, Across on your phone, and the notification switches in Across's own Settings. Chat notifications arrive quietly between 10pm and 8am.
Contact
Write to info@datamediate.com. To report a message, press and hold it in the chat and choose Report.