Skip to main content

Procrastinators prepare: Microsoft’s Solitaire is on iOS and Android devices

microsoft solitaire ios android microsoftsolitaire01
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Of all the time-wasting tools we have used to chip away a few of the day’s hours, Solitaire is the granddaddy. Now that old friend is bursting forth into the 21st century, as Microsoft made it available on both iOS and Android for the first time.

Although there are certainly many fans of Solitaire who have been playing it since its first digital inception, it is old enough now that there are drinkers in the world who have not. In fact, this year marks the 26th year since it was available on a Windows platform. Now it’s going mobile and that opens it up for a much wider audience.

Reimagined as an app, Microsoft’s Solitaire comes with a number of different modes. If you never understood how to play Spider Solitaire, now is your chance. It comes along with the classic Klondike mode, Freecell, Tripeaks and Pyramid too, all with their own unique rulesets.

To keep you coming back — other than to avoid whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing — Microsoft has also implemented daily challenges, so you can play specific puzzles which challenge you to figure out how to complete the puzzle of the layered cards. New ones will be released every day, with varied difficulty levels.

If you manage to complete some hard ones too, you can even brag about it to your friends, since there is  Xbox Live Support too. That way you can earn achievements and prove that you really did win without cycling through the deck more than once.

This being a free mobile game, there are some advertisements that you are forced to deal with, but if you like playing enough, you can put down $2 and Microsoft will strip them out and give you double coin rewards by becoming a premium member.

Of course, there are other mobile Solitaire games available and have been for some time — it is a timeless classic after all.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
One of our favorite Android phones just got its own iMessage app
Nothing Chats app on a. phone.

Nothing is trying to bridge the great blue/green bubble divide for Android users of iMessage. This is not a personal crusade to shatter walls and open windows, as much as Nothing CEO Carl Pei would want you to believe that. Instead, Nothing is piggybacking on tech created by New York-based startup Sunbird. 
Technically, the Sunbird app can be installed on any Android phone and it features a blue bubble for all iMessage text exchanges involving an Android phone. No more green bubble shame that could get you kicked out of groups for disrupting the harmony or even slim your dating chances. That’s how bad it is! 
Nothing is adopting the Sunbird tech and bundling it as its very own app under the name Nothing Chats. But here’s the fun part. The app only works on the Nothing Phone 2 and not the Nothing Phone 1. And this life-altering boon will only be bestowed upon users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., or the EU bloc.

The app is currently in the beta phase, which means some iMessage features will be broken or absent. Once the app is downloaded on your Nothing Phone 2, you can create a new account or sign up with your Apple ID to get going with blue bubble texts. 
Just in case you’re concerned, all messages will be end-to-end encrypted, and the app doesn’t collect any personal information, such as the users’ geographic location or the texts exchanged. Right now, Sunbird and Nothing have not detailed the iMessage features and those that are broken. 
We made iMessage for Android...
The Washington Post tried an early version of the Nothing Chats app and notes that the blue bubble system works just fine. Texts between an Android device and an iPhone are neatly arranged in a thread, and multimedia exchange is also allowed at full quality. 
However, message editing is apparently not available, and a double-tap gesture for responding with a quick emoji doesn’t work either. We don’t know when these features will be added. Nothing's Sunbird-based app will expand to other territories soon. 
Sunbird, however, offers a handful of other tricks aside from serving the iMessage blue bubble on Android. It also brings all your other messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, in one place. This isn’t an original formula, as Beeper offers the same convenience.

Read more
The iPhone’s futuristic satellite tech isn’t coming to Android any time soon
The Google Pixel 8's screen.

It could take a while before Android phones allow satellite connectivity to assist users in emergency scenarios, thanks in no part to Qualcomm canceling its ambitious Snapdragon Satellite plans. Apple introduced satellite SOS support last year with the iPhone 14 series, with the intention of helping people when they are out of cellular or broadband coverage range.

The feature allows you to text emergency responders, share locations, and request roadside assistance. But not long after, hope emerged for Android phones. Earlier this year, Qualcomm announced Snapdragon Satellite, with the goal of aping Apple’s initiative for Android phones.

Read more
Can an Android phone replace my iPhone? I found out
Galaxy S23 FE next to a iPhone 15 Pro Max.

As an avid Apple fan, I was surprised when I received the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE for review and found myself loving it. Could Samsung continue to impress me? That's what I wanted to find out when I received the Galaxy S23 FE. This "fan edition" smartphone, which we just ran through its paces in our Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review, offers many of the same features as the other Galaxy S23 models, but at a slightly lower price.

My handset of choice has always been the latest iPhone Pro. This usually means purchasing the Pro Max model, which I did again this year with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. I didn't expect the Galaxy S23 FE to match up to my new iPhone, as the Apple device is double the price and offers much better specs.

Read more