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Foxes & Owls is a real-world, GPS capture-the-flag game for iPhone. Two teams — the Foxes and the Owls — each hide a flag inside their base, then try to sneak into the other base, grab the flag and carry it home. Your real position is your spot on the in-game map.

An iPhone on iOS 16 or later, location turned on for Foxes & Owls, an internet connection, some open outdoor space and a few friends. iPhone 11 and newer also use Ultra-Wideband for extra-precise close-range tags.

It's best with 3 vs 3 or more, where defending and teamwork really matter — but it's playable 1 vs 1. A game holds up to 20 players.

No. Pick a display name the first time you open Foxes & Owls and you're in — no sign-up, email or password. Games are joined with a link, a QR code or a short code.

Classic (first to 3) on a Park field is the default and a great first game. Quick is first to 2 with fast respawns, Chaos is first to 5 with lots of goodies, and Timed is most flags in 15 minutes.

Field size sets the base rings: Backyard 10 m, Park 15 m, Campus 25 m. Bigger rings = more room to hide the flag (and bigger splashes). The host can fine-tune everything under Custom rules.

Any of these work:

1. Tap the invite link your friend shared — it opens Foxes & Owls straight into their game.
2. Scan their QR code: open Foxes & Owls, tap Join Game › Scan QR and point your camera at the code on the host's screen.
3. Type the code: tap Join Game and enter it (or paste the whole invite message — Foxes & Owls finds the code).

Codes look like USE 7Q4 K2P. The first three letters are the server region; codes never contain 0, 1, O or I.

That page shows up when Foxes & Owls isn't installed yet. Install it, then tap the link again — or tap Open in Foxes & Owls on that page, or type the code shown there into Join Game.

If Foxes & Owls is installed and links still open in Safari, long-press the link and choose Open in “Foxes & Owls”. iOS remembers that choice.

Foxes & Owls auto-balances: each new player joins the smaller team. Anyone can switch team from the lobby until the 3-2-1 countdown starts (as long as the other team has room). You can also change your starting kit there.

Yes. Open Foxes & Owls and tap Join Game — your recent games are listed with a Rejoin button, and you come back on the same team with the same goodies. Your spot is held for a couple of minutes; after that a new player may take it. If the connection just blips, Foxes & Owls reconnects by itself.

Only to scan a game's QR code, and only when you tap Scan QR. The camera image is processed on your iPhone and is never saved or uploaded. If you'd rather not allow it, you can always join by link or by typing the code.

Defend from home: when you're standing in your base and an intruder is within tag range (5 m by default), press TAG. A flag carrier can be tagged anywhere. A Foam Finger lets you make one tag outside your base, and Bubble Wrap blocks one tag.

On iPhone 11 and newer, tags are measured with Ultra-Wideband for sub-meter accuracy; other phones fall back to GPS. The server double-checks every tag.

Flag Heartbeat: anyone carrying a flag sends out a pulse on everybody's map every few seconds, so chases are always visible — no hiding with a flag.

Flashlight beam: the cone in front of your marker is what you can see. Point your phone in a direction (hold it flat and sweep) and enemies inside the beam pop onto your map.

When you're tagged or splatted you become a ghost: the map goes grey and an arrow points you home. Walk back into your base and, once the short respawn timer is done, you pop back in automatically. Ghosts can't use or pick up goodies.

If you're not inside your base when the match starts, you begin as a ghost too — just walk home.

Keep Foxes & Owls open on screen while you play. The app keeps your screen awake during a match, but if you lock the phone or switch apps, iOS pauses your location — you'll freeze on the map (and can't be found by your team) until you come back. When you reopen Foxes & Owls it reconnects automatically.

Tip: turn screen brightness down and carry the phone in your hand or an open pocket rather than pressing the lock button.

Check the volume buttons first. If your iPhone is on Silent Mode, open the app's Settings › Sound and switch off Respect Silent Mode to hear game sounds anyway. Music and sound-effect volume (and haptics) are set there too.

There are 13, in four crates: Boost (Juice Box, Bubble Wrap, High Five), Splash (Water Balloon, Foam Dart, Cloudburst, Stink Bomb, Goo Bomb), Sneaky (Leaf Cloak, Binoculars, Cardboard Twin) and Tricks (Foam Finger, Banana Peel). Long-press any goodie in the app for details, or see the full list.

Your GPS position is your game piece, so Foxes & Owls can't work without it — choose While Using the App. Your position is shared only with the players in your current match, only while it's running, and it isn't stored after the match. No ads, no tracking. Full details in the Privacy Policy.

If you said no by accident: iPhone Settings › Apps › Foxes & Owls › Location › While Using the App.

In chat, tap the ••• on any message (or press and hold it) and choose Block or Report. Blocking hides that player's messages right away. Reporting sends the message to us for review and blocks them for you. Manage your blocked list in Settings › Safety. See our Community Guidelines — zero tolerance for abuse.

Look up from the screen when you run, pick a park or field away from roads, respect private property, and agree on boundaries with your group before the countdown.

Make sure you have mobile data or Wi-Fi. Foxes & Owls picks the nearest server automatically; the first game in a while can take a few extra seconds to wake the server up. Double-check the code — and if it says the game has ended, ask the host for a fresh invite (games are cleaned up after everyone leaves).

GPS needs a clear view of the sky. Indoors, under heavy trees or between tall buildings, positions can drift several meters. Play in an open park or field, and give your phone a few seconds outside to settle before the countdown.

GPS plus a live map uses power. Start charged, lower screen brightness, and bring a battery pack for long sessions.

Yes please! Email us with your iPhone model, iOS version and what happened. A screenshot or screen recording helps a ton.