Get it now on the App Store: iOS

A delightfully simple iOS + watchOS app for answering questions, 8 Ball Answer is perfect for providing entertainment and making randomized decisions. Just tap the screen and receive an answer!

Features:

• With a single tap, users may receive immediate responses to any question
• Randomized answer presets allow users to make decisions similar to flipping a coin, but with more complex answers
• Minimalistic and readable design allows users to easily see answers with an uncluttered, simple display
• Available on iOS and watchOS so users can ask questions on the go

Installation ⚙️

To install and enjoy 8 Ball Answer, follow these simple steps:

1. Download from the App Store: 8 Ball Answer is available for download on the App Store for iOS & watchOS at this link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/8-ball-answer/id995732766

2. Launch the app: Once installed, launch the app by tapping on its icon.

3. Ask a question: Tap on the screen to ask a question.

4. Receive an answer: After tapping, an answer to your question will appear on the screen.

Gameplay visuals 📸

Waiting screen before a question is asked: Potential answer to a question:

Releasing a new version

The release process uses fastlane.

One-time setup:

1. Install Ruby via rbenv (macOS system Ruby is too old for fastlane):

   brew install rbenv ruby-build
   rbenv init # follow the printed shell setup instructions, then restart your shell
   rbenv install   # installs the version from .ruby-version
   bundle install
   

2. Create fastlane/api_key.json with your App Store Connect API key details:

   {
     "key_id": "ABCD123456",
     "issuer_id": "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000",
     "key_filepath": "/absolute/path/to/AuthKey_ABCD123456.p8"
   }
   

The pipeline has five stages.

flowchart LR
  bump_version --> b["beta (TestFlight)"] --> screenshots --> upload_screenshots  --> r["release (App Store)"]

Execute the end-to-end flow with the combined command:

bundle exec fastlane ios full_release notes:"Maintenance update"
bundle exec fastlane mac full_release notes:"Maintenance update"

Or run individual stages:

1. Bump the marketing version (MARKETING_VERSION) and build number:

   bundle exec fastlane bump_version           # patch (default): 1.5 -> 1.5.1
   bundle exec fastlane bump_version bump:minor
   bundle exec fastlane bump_version bump:major
   

2. Build, sign, and ship to TestFlight for both iOS and macOS. Each beta lane bumps the build number, archives, exports, and uploads via xcrun altool:

   bundle exec fastlane ios beta
   bundle exec fastlane mac beta
   

   ios beta produces build/8 Ball.ipa, mac beta produces build/8 Ball.pkg. Both upload to the same App Store Connect record so the iOS build appears under the iOS TestFlight tab and the macOS build under the macOS TestFlight tab.

   :information_source: The iOS and macOS beta lanes upload via xcrun altool directly because fastlane's upload_to_testflight action currently fails for this app with a stale previousBundleVersion mismatch from Apple's ContentDelivery service. The legacy upload_to_testflight route is kept as ios beta_pilot so it can be re-enabled once Apple resolves the upstream issue.

3. Capture screenshots when needed. The iOS lane supports quick testing of one locale or one device:

   bundle exec fastlane ios screenshots
   bundle exec fastlane ios screenshots locales:en-US devices:"iPhone 17 Pro Max"
   

   This writes screenshots to fastlane/screenshots/.

4. Upload screenshots separately from submission:

   bundle exec fastlane ios upload_screenshots
   bundle exec fastlane mac upload_screenshots
   

5. Submit to the App Store. The release lanes are submit-only and do not capture or upload screenshots:

   bundle exec fastlane ios release notes:"Maintenance update"
   bundle exec fastlane mac release notes:"Maintenance update"
   

:information_source: If App Store Connect rejects a beta upload because the build number is behind the remote value, set the project build number once to remote highest + 1, commit that change, and then resume normal local increments.

:information_source: Our before_all hook in fastlane/Fastfile strips /opt/homebrew and /usr/local from PATH before xcodebuild -exportArchive runs. This is a workaround for a bug in Xcode 26's IPA packaging step ("Copy failed") because /usr/bin/rsync and Homebrew's rsync disagree on the -E flag.