How to Use PhotoPuzzle: Photos, Piece Puzzles and Cube Mode

Before you start: devices and two ways to play

PhotoPuzzle is a 39Kids app for playing with pictures on your phone or tablet. At the time of checking, the iPhone and iPad version is free; Android is coming soon. There are no ads or in-app purchases. Use the official App Store listing to download it and check current device requirements.

A parent or guardian should handle installation and join the first session. You do not need a picture of your child’s face: a toy photo or a built-in sample works too.

Cube mode is not a milestone your child has to reach. Choose whichever kind of movement they enjoy. We start here with the flat puzzle so you can learn one set of controls at a time.

Make your first four-piece photo puzzle

• 1. Choose Puzzle on the opening screen
  Select your language on first launch. At “How do you want to play?”, choose Puzzle to put flat pieces together. You can begin with a sample picture if you would rather try the controls before choosing a personal photo.
• 2. Tap Pick photo and select one picture
  Tap Pick photo at the bottom, then Choose photo in the Choose image panel. Select the picture you want in the device’s photo picker. Alternatively, choose a ready-made picture from Sample.
• 3. Open Pieces and choose four pieces
  Tap Pieces to open Customize. Choose four pieces, and start with the square-edged Default shape. Tap Close to return to your puzzle.
• 4. Drag each piece into the frame
  Touch a piece and keep your finger on it as you move it toward its place. The piece snaps in when it is close to the correct position. Tap Hint whenever you want to see the finished picture faintly in the frame.

Once the photo is complete, add a little conversation: “What is this toy called?” or “We went there together!” Play another round if you both want to, or close the screen. Enjoying one familiar picture is enough for a first session.

If dragging is tricky, place three pieces yourself and let your child finish the last one. Leaving Hint on is fine too. It is a tool for playing, not a test to pass without help.

What do Hint, Reset and Pieces do?

Some buttons change the picture, while others change how you play with the current image. Here are the four controls in Puzzle mode.

Three settings inside Customize

• Pieces: 4, 9, 16, 25 or 36
• Layout: Tall, Square or Wide
• Shape: square-edged Default pieces or interlocking Jigsaw pieces

Use Hint to check how the picture fits. Try Tall for a portrait photo and Wide for a wider image. The frame can crop the edges of a picture, so choose one with a little space around faces and other important details.

Changing a setting rebuilds the arrangement. Change the piece count, layout or shape after finishing, or after agreeing to start again. Reset also clears the partly completed arrangement, but it does not delete the original photo from your device.

Choose a clear photo, then change one thing at a time

A four-piece picture of plain blue sky offers fewer clues than a close-up of a familiar toy. Start with something your child recognizes and a picture whose parts look different from one another.

• One large, recognizable subject
• A simple background with a different color from the subject
• Important details away from the outer edges
• No unwanted names, addresses, school details or other children in view

When your child wants more, keep the same photo and try moving from four to nine pieces. Changing the image, piece count and shape all at once makes it harder to tell what caused frustration. More pieces are not automatically better; you can always return to four.

If you are worried that your child cannot complete a puzzle yet, see our guide to helping a three-year-old get started with puzzles. Let experience, interest and how the day is going guide your choice, rather than treating age as a required piece count.

For questions about photo access and storage, read our parent’s photo-app privacy guide. PhotoPuzzle’s on-device processing and services such as iCloud Photos syncing are separate.

Cube mode: follow the arrow and try one swipe

Cube mode uses a different movement from dragging flat pieces into a frame. Choose Cube on the opening screen, then follow the on-screen guidance to swipe a piece up, down, left or right.

• 1. Try the opening tutorial
  Swipe in the direction of the arrow. The first tutorial starts one turn away from completion. Sit together and watch which part moves.
• 2. Choose a picture with Photo
  Use a sample or a personal photo. The bottom buttons are unavailable during the first tutorial, so finish the instruction or tap Close before choosing.
• 3. Start with one star in Level
  Easy mixes the solved cube with one turn, Medium with two and Challenge with three. These are the initial mixing turns, not a limit on the moves you may make.
• 4. Use Help if you get stuck
  Help undoes one turn from the current round’s history, including the mixing turns. Use it alongside the arrows to notice how a face moves.

Tap Mix to play again with the current image. Selecting a different level or image also mixes the cube again. Enjoy learning one movement first; return to Puzzle mode whenever you prefer.

Cube faces are square, so a centered subject is easiest to keep in view. If a wide group photo loses important details, try a closer picture of one person or a toy.

Photo loading and other quick checks

The photo does not load, or the previous picture stays on screen

The previous image may remain if you cancel selection or a photo cannot load. While online, check whether the picture opens in the device’s Photos app, then select it again in PhotoPuzzle. Try another photo and a sample too; this helps distinguish a particular image problem from a wider issue.

Apple explains that iCloud Photos can keep full-resolution originals in the cloud when storage optimization is enabled. The original may need to download over Wi-Fi or cellular. Seeing a thumbnail does not necessarily mean the full image is available offline.

You want to play without an internet connection

Prepare the app and your photo before leaving home. Turn off Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, then test selecting the image and playing. Also check the built-in samples so you have a picture to use if your personal photo is unavailable. There is no need to switch off photo syncing or delete originals.

This checks whether you can play offline; it is not proof that an app never communicates. For PhotoPuzzle’s handling of images, also read its privacy policy.

The Cube buttons are not responding

Controls are temporarily unavailable while a photo loads, a face turns or a completion animation plays. Wait for the action to finish. If the first tutorial is visible, complete it or close it. Help is unavailable after completion; use Mix to start another round.

You need quiet play, or a problem keeps happening

PhotoPuzzle has sound effects. Lower the device’s media volume and try the controls before using it somewhere quiet. Follow the rules of the place you are visiting too.

If a problem keeps happening, note your device, OS version, app version and the last button you pressed, then contact 39Kids. A written description is enough to start; you do not need to send a photo of your child. Avoid deleting originals or reinstalling the app as your first troubleshooting step.

Frequently asked questions about using PhotoPuzzle

Start with one favorite photo and four pieces

Choose a photo, select four pieces and use Hint while you learn to drag. Later, keep the same picture and change the piece count or shape, or try Cube mode for a different kind of movement.

“Let’s finish this one picture” gives your session a clear stopping point. Start together and enjoy seeing a familiar image come back together.