A daily puzzle is easier to choose when you can describe what you want to do. Perhaps you like fitting a shape into a small space. Perhaps you would rather trace a route, balance two symbols or rule out positions until one remains. Those are different reasons to open a game, even when every puzzle begins with a grid.
LinkedLab brings four logic-puzzle families together, but the names and features depend on your device. This guide compares the actual decisions those families ask you to make, then suggests a way to try them without turning a short break into a completion checklist.
Valorem Apps publishes LinkedLab and this article. For the broader app-selection checklist, see the daily logic puzzle guide.
Start with your phone's edition
The iPhone listing checked at version 3.2 names Clusters, Synapse, Polarity and Isolates. It describes three daily stages in each game, saved daily progress on the device, visual rules, hints and endless practice. It requires iOS 18.6 or later.
The Android listing names Crowns, Sun & Moon, One-Line Path and Patches. It describes Easy, Medium and Hard daily boards for each logic game, plus the separate Santa's Gift Stack physics game. The checked listing reports version 2.0.0 and Android 7.0 or later.
These families have related ideas, but matching descriptions do not establish identical puzzles, progress or controls. The native Mac listing was separately checked at version 3.1, requiring macOS 15.6 or later. Use the listing for the device where you plan to play.
Choose rectangles if you like fitting pieces to clues
On iPhone, Clusters asks you to divide a grid into rectangles matching number and shape clues. On Android, Patches asks you to form rectangular patches whose sizes match their clues. The central question is spatial: which rectangle can fit here while leaving the rest of the board workable?
For a simple illustration of an area clue, a six-cell rectangle could be one cell by six or two cells by three, in either orientation. A board boundary or another required patch may eliminate some possibilities. This is an example of the reasoning involved in Patches, not a walkthrough of a particular daily board.
Try this family when you enjoy comparing a few concrete shapes. Before committing to a rectangle, ask which other clue still needs space nearby. A locally convenient fit may leave an awkward remainder, so look one patch beyond the area you are considering.
Choose paths if you like planning a route
Synapse on iPhone connects numbered checkpoints in order with a continuous path through every cell. Android's One-Line Path explicitly requires an unbroken line that visits the numbers in order and fills each cell exactly once, while respecting walls.
The tempting move is often to head straight for the next number. A more useful question is what the route leaves behind. In an illustrative path puzzle, entering a narrow area from the wrong side could leave no valid way to return to an unvisited section. Seeing the next checkpoint is only part of planning the journey.
Choose a path puzzle when you want to consider the board as a whole. Look for passages and constrained areas before drawing a long route. Follow the rules shown in your edition; the Android description's wall and exact-once details should not be assumed to describe every Apple board.
Choose symbols if you like deductions that travel along a line
Polarity on iPhone asks you to balance suns and moons while respecting clues between cells. Android's Sun & Moon listing gives additional explicit rules: balanced lines, no three identical symbols consecutively, and links marking whether two cells match or differ.
Here is an illustration using those Android rules. If two consecutive positions contain suns, the next position cannot also be a sun. A same-symbol link or different-symbol link can then carry that decision to another cell. One small deduction may give you a useful starting point elsewhere.
Try this family if you prefer working outward from a clear fact. Check the immediate consequence first, then revisit the line's balance. If you feel stuck, separate the two jobs: inspect the local links, then count what the row or column still needs.
Choose placement if you enjoy eliminating possibilities
Isolates on iPhone places a queen in each colored region, with one per row and column and no touching queens. Crowns on Android places one crown per row, column and color region, with no touching crowns, including diagonally.
Imagine a region where every position except one has been ruled out by the other constraints. That remaining position becomes a candidate worth checking against the whole board. After a placement, reconsider the affected row, column, region and neighboring positions rather than immediately jumping to a distant corner.
This family suits a methodical sweep. You can look for the region with the fewest plausible positions, explain why each alternative fails, and move on when the evidence supports a placement. The satisfying moment comes from narrowing a choice until it becomes clear.
A suggested three-break trial
Use your first few sessions to discover a preference. These are suggested routines, not app modes or promised completion times.
- First break: choose the family whose description sounds most appealing. Read its rules and begin an easier daily stage. Stop when your break ends, even if the board is unfinished.
- Second break: try a different kind of decision. Pair a rectangle puzzle with a symbol puzzle, or compare path planning with placement.
- Third break: return to the family you wanted to keep playing. Ask whether you prefer another familiar board or learning a new rule set today.
A useful personal test is whether you can explain one move you made. You might say, “That rectangle leaves room for the next clue,” or “This symbol is forced by its neighbors.” If a hint helps, pause to understand the reason before continuing. Finishing every available daily board need not be the goal.
Check the practical details separately
The checked US Apple listing shows LinkedLab as free, and its developer-provided privacy label says Data Not Collected. Google Play explicitly labels the Android edition as containing ads and in-app purchases, with separate collection and sharing disclosures. Review the iPhone edition or Android edition before downloading.
Apple describes offline built-in puzzles and says Game Center requires internet access and sign-in. Google Play also describes offline play. Online services and purchase terms should always be checked on the relevant store page.
Common questions
Which family should I start with?
Choose the decision that appeals to you: fitting rectangles, planning a route, balancing symbols or eliminating positions. Try an easier stage before deciding whether you enjoy that family.
Are the iPhone and Android names interchangeable?
They describe related puzzle styles. Use your edition's names and rules rather than assuming a guide, board or feature transfers exactly.
Is Santa's Gift Stack another logic grid?
No. The Android listing describes a physics game in which you drop presents to build a tower. Choose it when you want a different activity from grid deduction.
Do I need to finish all four families every day?
You can make one family your own routine. Apple's Perfect Day celebration is described for completing all four games; it does not need to define your personal stopping point.
Find your first puzzle family
Explore LinkedLab for iPhone and iPad or LinkedLab for Android, then follow that edition's official store link for current availability and terms.