The fake-phone detective game for iPhone Search the phone. Catch the lie.
A client sends you a copy of someone's phone. Dig through their texts, photos, payments and DMs, spot what doesn't add up, and send the proof. Everyone lies in Detectea. Even the ones asking for help.
How the fake-phone detective game works
Detectea is a mobile detective game played entirely inside a fictional smartphone. No magnifying glass, no hidden objects, no cork board. Just you, a copied phone and a client who needs the truth.
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Take the case
A stranger texts you for help. Their boyfriend, fiancée or roommate is hiding something, and they've sent you a copy of the phone.
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Search the whole phone
Unlock it, then dig through messages, photos, notes, payments, maps, calls, emails and DMs. The truth is never in just one app.
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Send the proof
Found it? Send the exact screenshot to your client, then answer short deduction questions in your own words to connect names, dates and places.
Every app is a clue.
Each copied phone is a full, lived-in iPhone: realistic apps, years of small habits and one secret its owner hoped nobody would piece together.
Messages
Suspicious nicknames, “wyd” at 1 a.m. and the alibi someone agreed to far too fast.
Photos
Captions lie. Timestamps and locations usually don't.
Payments
The $48.20 at 11:46 PM that doesn't match the story he told.
Maps
Recent places, saved pins and the drive they swear they never made.
Notes
Lists, drafts and the thing they wrote at 3 a.m. and never sent.
Calls & voice notes
Missed calls, saved-as-“Work” numbers and voice notes you'll replay twice.
Emails
Booking confirmations, receipts and reservations for two.
Social DMs
Story replies, close-friends lists and the account they forgot to log out of.
New phones. New secrets.
Every episode is a self-contained mystery with its own client, copied phone and final truth. No spoilers here, just the setup.
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Episode 01Start free
Same Spot Thursday
Cindy's boyfriend Noah disappears every Thursday night. He swears it's work. She doesn't believe him anymore.
Client: CindyNoah's phone -
Episode 02Premium
Read the Room, Babe
For two months, Jake has spent every weekend “at his parents' in San Diego.” Maya mirrored his phone. She just needs one sane person to look.
Client: MayaJake's phone -
Episode 03Premium
Double Booked
For two years Jordan's fiancée Lauren has worked night shifts as a nurse. Then he finds her old phone in the closet, still logged in.
Client: JordanLauren's phone -
Episode 04Premium
The Vanishing Groom
It's Priya's wedding day. Her fiancé Ethan left the hotel at 6 a.m. and never came back. All she has left is his phone.
Client: PriyaEthan's phone -
Next phone: Thursday
New cases land on Thursdays. Turn on notifications in the app and be the first one on the scene.
See it on iPhone.
Play the fake-phone mystery 
Take the case 
Search the whole phone 
Clues are everywhere 
Send the proof 
New phones. New secrets.
Loved Duskwood, Simulacra or Peek a Phone?
Detectea scratches the same itch: reading someone's phone to find out what they're hiding. But it's built for a different kind of story. Less haunted forest, more situationships, alibis and screenshots that change everything.
You don't pick dialogue options. You work like an investigator: search the phone, find the proof, send it to your client, then explain what it means in a few words.
If you like interactive stories, true-crime rabbit holes or detective games on iPhone that respect your brain, start with Episode 1.
| Feature | Detectea | Chat-story mysteries | Found-phone horror | Hidden-object games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search a whole phone | ✓ Every app | Mostly one chat | ✓ | ✗ |
| Send proof to a client | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Answer in your own words | ✓ Short deductions | Multiple choice | Rarely | ✗ |
| Vibe | Relationship drama, lies, digital secrets | Crime, missing persons | Horror, unease | Murder mansions |
| New stories | New phone on Thursdays | Chapters | Usually one story | Levels |
100% fiction. Zero spying.
Every phone in Detectea is invented for the game: every name, message and photo. Detectea can't access, read or track a real phone, and it never will. If you came here looking for a way to check someone's real messages, this isn't it. If you came for a great mystery, welcome.
Questions, answered.
What is Detectea?
Detectea is a detective game for iPhone and iPad in which you investigate a fictional copied phone. Each episode gives you a client, a phone full of realistic apps and a lie to uncover. You search messages, photos, notes, payments, maps, calls, emails and DMs, send proof to your client and answer short deduction questions.
Is Detectea free?
Yes. Detectea is free to download and you can start Episode 1 for free. An optional Detectea Premium subscription unlocks the rest of each case, every episode and unlimited hints. It's managed through your Apple ID and you can cancel anytime.
What is a fake-phone (or found-phone) game?
It's a mystery game where the whole interface is someone else's smartphone. Instead of walking around a map, you read their messages, scroll their photos and follow their payments to piece together what happened. Games like A Normal Lost Phone, Simulacra and Duskwood made the format popular; Detectea brings it to modern relationship drama.
Can I play Detectea online or on Android?
Detectea is available on iPhone and iPad (iOS 17 or later) from the App Store. There's no Android or browser version yet, but you can watch 30 seconds of real gameplay right on this page.
How often do new cases come out?
New phones land on Thursdays. Each case is a self-contained story with its own client, copied phone and final truth.
Does Detectea access real phones or messages?
No. Everything inside the game is fictional and written for gameplay. Detectea does not access, display or investigate any real person's phone, messages or accounts.
What are the best games like Duskwood?
If you enjoyed Duskwood's chat-driven mystery, try other phone detective games: An Elmwood Trail (a missing-girl mystery told through messages), Simulacra (found-phone horror), Peek a Phone (missions inside fictional phones) and Detectea, which focuses on relationship drama and lets you send real proof to your client.
Which languages and ages is Detectea for?
Detectea is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Polish. It's rated 12+ on the App Store; the stories deal with relationships, lies and mystery.
Your first client
is typing…
Download Detectea free on the App Store and open Noah's phone tonight.
Scan to get itOpens the App Store on your iPhone
