How to play JewelColor

The rules in five steps

1. 1

   Read the board

   Each cell is tinted with the color, and outlined for the shape, of the gem that belongs there. At the start of a level the gems are shuffled across the picture.

2. 2

   Tap a gem in the wrong place

   Tapping a misplaced gem selects it together with any touching gems of the same color, so small clusters travel as a group.

3. 3

   Send it home or to the shelf

   If matching cells are free, the gems fly straight there. If not, they wait on the shelf below the board until space opens up.

4. 4

   Empty the shelf

   Tap a gem on the shelf to drop it into a matching free cell. Keeping the shelf nearly empty is the secret to low move counts.

5. 5

   Finish the picture

   When the last jewel clicks in, the picture shines, you get a star-burst, and it is saved to your album.

The shelf

The row of slots under the board is your shelf. It is a parking spot, not a penalty: park a gem there whenever its home is still occupied, then bring it back with a single tap once the cell is free. If the shelf fills up, you simply need to place one of its gems before lifting another.

Shuffle

Each level comes with a free shuffle. It re-deals every gem on the board into a fresh arrangement, which is handy when a picture has become a tangle and you would rather start from a new layout than untangle it.

Moves and records

There is no timer and you cannot lose. Instead, a move counter shows how many moves you have made, and your best result for each picture is saved as a record. Replaying finished pictures to beat your record is optional, and weirdly satisfying.

Tips for fewer moves

• Start with gems whose home is already free. They go straight home without touching the shelf.
• Move clusters, not singles. Tapping one gem of a connected same-color group moves the whole group.
• Follow the chain. Every time a gem leaves a cell, look at which gem belongs in the gap you just made.
• Use shapes on busy boards. Later 16×16 pictures have up to seven colors. The gem shapes make similar shades easy to tell apart.

Free levels and the full game

The first 20 levels are free. A single one-time purchase unlocks all 100, and you can restore it on any device signed in to the same Apple Account. See pricing.