Connection Canvas · iPhone & iPad · Last updated: July 25, 2026
Thanks for using Connection Canvas — an unofficial assistive scratch-pad
for organizing your own 4×4 Connections-style guesses. It is
not affiliated with The New York Times and does not provide answers or spoilers.
Please include your device model, iOS version, and a short description of the issue.
Quick help
Open a day — Tap the date title at the top to open Load & History. Use Previous / Today / Next, or tap a calendar day. Use ‹ › next to the month/year to change months; tap the month/year for a quick jump.
Saved days (calendar) — A purple ring means you have saved work. Tap to load and resume marks. Long-press a purple day to delete that day’s save (confirm in the dialog). If you delete the day you’re currently on, the board on screen is cleared too (marks, notes, layout).
Swipe days — On the main board, swipe left/right to move to the next or previous puzzle day.
Status toast — Brief messages appear at the top (what happened, then a short fun line). Swipe the toast up to dismiss it early.
Mark cards — Tap a color chip, then tap cards. Multi-color marks show as stripes. Double-tap a card to clear its marks (with confirmation if marks remain).
Swap colors — Long-press a color chip, then tap another color; or use Swap under the palette to exchange two colors across the board (and matching hypotheses).
Alt text — On image-based puzzle days (and the Emoji Mix sample), an Alt text control may appear. It is off by default because labels can spoil visual clues.
Rearrange — Long-press a card, keep holding, then drag (Home Screen style). In rearrange mode, use the row ↑/↓ arrows to move an entire row. Tap Done or outside the grid when finished.
Sort / shuffle / reset layout — Toolbar: sort by color priority, shuffle seats, or reset seats to the original load order (marks stay).
Memory — Snapshot slots 1 and 2 save/load a full grid + notes state.
History / auto-save — With Auto-save History on (Settings, default), progress saves as you mark, reorder, or take notes. The toolbar Save button still works; if everything is already saved, you’ll get a short “already saved” message.
Samples — Classic Words, Emoji Mix, Symbols & Text. Choosing a sample always loads the original board. If you saved practice work, a “Saved” badge may appear; resume or delete that work under Other sessions (swipe left to delete).
Manual entry — Paste 16 words (commas, newlines, or tabs). Opens prefilled with the current board when available.
Photo OCR — Choose a photo of a 4×4 grid; review results before applying. Crop to the cards when possible.
Share — Share a square image of your marked grid, or save a screenshot to Photos (permission when prompted).
Hypotheses — List button on iPhone; sidebar on iPad. Add, edit, or delete (swipe / Edit / Delete). Optionally link a hypothesis to a mark color.
Notepad — One free-form notepad for the board you’re on (saved with that day/session’s History). Open from Settings (or Notes on iPad). Clear from Settings when needed.
Tip Jar — Heart button or Settings → Tip Jar. Optional small/medium/large tips via Apple; nothing unlocks.
Android History sync
Settings → Sync History with Google. When on, History can sync across Android
devices signed into the same Google account via a private Drive app-data folder.
Turn it off to keep History only on that device. This does not sync with iPhone.
iCloud History
Settings → Sync History with iCloud. When on, History can sync across devices signed into the same Apple ID
via your private CloudKit database. Turn it off to keep History only on that device.
Fully quit and reopen the app after changing this setting.
Board load failed
Network or service changes can block optional board fetch. Use Manual entry, a sample, or Photo OCR
(crop to the 4×4 if possible).
Tips / In-App Purchases
Tips are optional thank-yous processed by Apple. They do not unlock features, remove limits, or change the app.
If products don’t appear, check your network and App Store account; on TestFlight, use a Sandbox Apple ID when testing purchases.
Connection Canvas is an independent project. “Connections” and related marks belong to their respective owners.
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