How to play Spy on one phone: questions and voting

Set up and deal the roles in private

Sit in a circle and number yourselves starting from 1; no names needed. Open Spy, choose the number of players and a discussion length of 3, 5 or 8 minutes (5 is the default). Tap Deal roles and hand the phone to Player 1 while everyone else looks away. Each player reads their screen, taps Hide and pass and passes the phone on. Everyone who isn’t the spy sees the location; the spy only learns that they’re the spy. Once the last player has seen their role, put the phone in the middle and start the discussion.

Ask questions only the locals can answer well

Take turns picking someone and asking them one question about the place, out loud. Say the location is a laundromat. It isn’t in the game, so it makes a safe practice example. Good questions include “How long would you usually stay here?”, “Would you come here alone or with friends?”, “What do you need to bring?” and “Is it busier in the morning or the evening?” An answer like “about an hour, with a book” makes sense to the others without giving the place away, while “long enough to wash my socks” hands it straight to the spy. Never name the location.

Open the game and read its rules — start with the free deck on one shared screen.

Playing as the spy: listen first, answer broadly

You don’t know the location, so your best tool is paying attention. Let a few answers go by before you settle on a guess, and give replies that would fit lots of places: “Depends on the day,” “Not too long if I can help it,” “I usually bring something to read.” When it’s your turn to ask, choose a question that narrows things down without making you sound lost. Long pauses and answers so vague they sound evasive draw suspicion; a confident, ordinary detail is more convincing than silence.

Vote in secret and read the result

When the timer hits zero, or earlier if everyone is ready and you tap Start voting, the phone goes around again. Each player privately picks one other player as their suspect and confirms; you can’t vote for yourself, and the spy votes too. The group wins only if the real spy gets more votes than anyone else. If another player gets the most votes, or two or more players tie for the most, the spy wins. With six players, three votes for Player 4 and two for Player 2 catch Player 4 if they’re the spy; a 2–2–2 split means the spy gets away. The results screen shows the spy, the location and how many votes each player received. If your group likes letting the spy reveal themselves and guess the place, agree on that house rule beforehand: the app doesn’t score the guess.

Pause, cover the screen or start a new deal

During the discussion, tap Pause whenever you need a break, then Resume. If someone switches to another app or tab, the timer stops and the screen stays covered until you tap Uncover screen. Cover screen hides it on purpose, and End without a result takes you back to the start. Roles and votes exist only in the open tab, so reloading the page ends the game. After the results, New game takes you back to setup, and the next deal picks a new random spy and location. Dealing roles requires an internet connection, and Spy isn’t part of the offline collection.

Choose locations and see what’s free

The Familiar places pack has 12 everyday locations and is free to play, with no account or credit card needed. Two Plus packs add 12 locations each, for 24 more, and Plus is checked every time roles are dealt. One host’s Plus on the shared phone covers the whole group and also unlocks premium packs in the other games and the ready-made evenings. Spy has no 18+ pack, no drinking tasks and no personal questions. If your group enjoys it, try a team game of Alias next on the same phone.