Sudoku Sunrise Support
How to use the app, and what to do when something isn’t right.
Getting started
Open Sudoku Sunrise and tap Play today’s Easy on Home. Fill each row, column and box with 1 to 9. There’s no sign-in and no setup; everything else stays out of the way until you want it. Sudoku Sunrise runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 16.4 or later.
How to
Play today’s puzzles
Home shows today’s sunrise: five puzzles, Gentle, Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert, the same for everyone that day. Tap Play today’s Easy, or any of the five levels listed under the week strip. Tap a square, then a number to place it. Notes turns note mode on and off, Erase clears a square, and Undo and Redo step through your moves. Each finished level adds to the day’s sun and shows Done on Home; a puzzle you left shows Continue.
Start any puzzle
Under Start any puzzle on Home, choose Classic 9×9 or Mini 6×6 and a level, then Start. Classic goes up to Master, the toughest we make.
Hints
Tap Hint for the next logical step. The card names the technique, and Why this works explains it in plain words; Show me points to it on the board and Fill it in places the digit. If a digit on the board doesn’t fit, the hint asks you to clear it first. Hints are unlimited; a daily puzzle finished with hints isn’t ranked on the daily board.
Learn
Learn, at the foot of Home, teaches each technique on a real puzzle, from the last number left to chains and forcing: find it yourself, then tap Show me to see why it works.
Past days
Past days, at the foot of Home, keeps every earlier set in a calendar to play any time. You can also tap an earlier day on the week strip.
Play style and error checking
Settings → Play style: Pick the number first (choose a number, then tap squares to place it), Long press for notes (hold a number key to note it in the selected square), Clear notes as you go, and Highlight matching numbers, plus a Fill notes button that notes every possibility at once (runs that use it aren’t ranked). Error checking can be Off, Show conflicts (a digit that clashes with its row, column or box is underlined) or Show wrong digits. Whichever you choose, a mistake never ends a game.
Keyboard shortcuts on iPad
With a keyboard attached, while a puzzle is open: 1 to 9 (1 to 6 on Mini) place a digit, or note it in notes mode; the arrow keys move the selected square; N turns notes on or off; Delete erases; ⌘Z and ⇧⌘Z undo and redo; H opens a hint and Esc closes it. Hold ⌘ to see the list.
The ad, and Remove ads
Sudoku Sunrise is free and shows one small banner on Home and after you finish a puzzle, never while you play. The ads are rated for all ages and never personalized, and the app never asks to track you. To turn them off for good, open Settings and, on the Ads card, tap Remove ads ($7.99, once); with Family Sharing, your family gets it too. Settings then says Ads removed. Settings → Privacy choices opens Google’s consent choices again where they apply to you.
Timer and stats
The timer is off by default. Turn on Settings → Show a timer, and a puzzle timed from the first move to the last counts toward your best and average times; tap the time to pause. Your stats, on Home, shows days played, days in a row, your best run and, with the timer on, your times for Classic 9×9 and Mini 6×6.
Daily boards with friends
The daily boards use Game Center. Turn on Settings → Show a timer and Post my daily times, then finish today’s puzzle without hints or the Fill notes button; your time goes to that day’s board. Open Today’s board on Home and switch between Friends and Everyone. If Sign in to Game Center does nothing, open the iPhone’s Settings app, tap Game Center and sign in there.
Share a result
When you finish a daily puzzle, Share sends a short line with the day’s number, level and time, plus a link to the app. It never shows the puzzle.
Morning reminder
Settings → Morning reminder sends one quiet notice a day when the new set is ready. Choose the hour under Reminder time. The app asks for permission to notify only when you turn it on.
Widgets
Touch and hold the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and choose Sudoku. Today’s sunrise shows the day’s sun and your week, on the Home Screen or the Lock Screen.
Updates and fixes
While Settings → Check for updates is on (it is by default), the app asks our update server once a day at most, when it starts, whether a fix is available, and uses any fix the next time you open it. Every fix is signed by Utilava. Turn the switch off to stop the check; new versions still come from the App Store.
iCloud sync
With Settings → Sync with iCloud on (it is by default), your puzzles, days and stats follow you to your other iPhone and iPad signed in to the same Apple Account. Settings stay on each device.
Troubleshooting
My time isn’t on Today’s board
Only today’s daily puzzles go on the board, timed from the first move with Show a timer and Post my daily times both on, and finished without hints or the Fill notes button. You also need to be signed in to Game Center. Puzzles from Start any puzzle and Past days aren’t ranked.
The morning reminder doesn’t arrive
If Settings says notifications are off, open the iPhone’s Settings app → Notifications → Sudoku and allow them. Focus modes can hold notifications back too.
My progress isn’t on my other device
Both devices need to be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account, with Sync with iCloud on in the app on each. Open the app on both; changes can take a little while to arrive. Settings never sync, only puzzles, days and stats.
I bought Remove ads but still see the ad
On a new iPhone or iPad, or after reinstalling, open Settings and tap Restore purchases on the Ads card, signed in with the Apple Account that bought it. For a family member, Family Sharing has to be on for both of you; the purchase can take a moment to appear. Refunds go through Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Contact
Email support@utilava.com; we usually reply within one business day. You can also use the Contact page.
Data & privacy
What we collect.
Utilava collects nothing from Sudoku Sunrise: no accounts and no analytics of its own. The app’s only request to us is the daily check for fixes, which sends nothing about you or your puzzles. Your progress stays on your device and in your own iCloud, and your times go to Game Center only if you post them. Google’s ad SDK, which shows the banner until you remove ads, may collect what the app’s section of our privacy policy describes; once ads are removed, it doesn’t start. Remove ads is checked on your device with Apple’s StoreKit, and nothing about it reaches us.
For full details, see the Sudoku Sunrise section of our Privacy Policy.