iOS Today 790: Party Games

Release Date: February 19, 2026
Hosts: Micah Sargent, Dan Morin

Episode Overview

This lively episode of iOS Today celebrates party games you can play on your iPhone or iPad—whether in-person with friends and family or to spice up a gathering. Micah Sargent and special co-host Dan Morin break down their favorite tech-aided party games, highlighting apps to get everyone engaged, laughing, and maybe a little competitive. They also discuss the shifting landscape of podcast video streaming on Apple devices and field listener questions about Siri's capabilities. The vibe is fun, candid, and full of practical tips.

Main Discussion: The Best iOS Party Games

The Case for Tech at Parties

[02:47] Dan Morin: Opens up about using technology (iPads, iPhones) for party games especially during yearly friend gatherings:

"Most notably, my wife has a lot of her friends from college. ... One of the key events that we do there is playing games. ... A lot tend to be more physical board games, but we have definitely played some tech party games of various ilks and I think it's fun."
Highlights:

• Convenience of having everyone use their own devices
• Easier, faster on-ramp than complex board games
• Great for mixed-age groups and people with limited time

[04:10] Micah Sargent: Cautions about the mood-killing potential if the wrong game is chosen but concedes tech games can be fun and inclusive when done right.

Featured Games

1. Heads Up!

Type: Charades-style guessing game
How it works: Hold the phone to your forehead, a word is shown to others, they give you clues, and you try to guess. Flip device for correct/skip; timer included.
[06:51] - Replayability and Audience Fit

Micah: "It lacks some replayability... different groups of people will have been familiar with the game and will then remember some of the card selections that they've used before."

Dan: "One of the nice things about it is that it's like really easy and fast to do and again, it's pretty easy to explain. ... The rules are very simple." [07:12]

2. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Type: Asymmetrical cooperative bomb-defusing game
[09:55] - Description and Why It's Great

Dan: "You as the person defusing the bomb, have the bomb in front of you, but your friends who cannot see the bomb have a manual about how to defuse the bomb. ... It's a good communication game, right? ... Also hilarious. ... I was shocked and a little disappointed to see that there is not a ... Vision Pro version. ... That feels like an obvious one." [12:15]

3. Space Team

Type: Cooperative “shouting” sci-fi game
[13:23] - Fast, Silly, and Cooperative

Micah: "You play with other people and you are able to kind of join locally, wifi-wise and you work through to try and move along in your ship... they call it the cooperative shouting game."

Dan: "I have very fond memories of playing this with my cousin's daughters ... What I love about this is ... party games ... turn [everyone being on their phones] into a strength." [14:07]

4. Wavelength

Type: Mind-meld guessing (“mind-reading”) game
Gameplay: You get a prompt (e.g., "Darth Vader"), place a pointer on a spectrum (e.g., “wizard” to “not a wizard”), and others guess where you landed.
[17:09] - Board-to-App Success

Micah: "It was originally a wonderful board game. ... You and other people are kind of trying to get on the same page."

Dan: "It is so tricky to figure out exactly where on that dial somebody is ... people were really upset with me that I argued that recycling was not as virtuous as they thought it was." [19:20]

5. Go, Go, Go: The Party Game

Type: Mini-game app blending digital and physical challenges
[19:54] - Blend of Phone and Physical Play

Micah: "It mixes physical things with things that you can do on your phone... it makes use of the sensors and the stuff that's built in."

• Strike poses, hold steady, quick-draw, touch accuracy, and more mini-challenges

Game Selection Insights

• Audience Fit is Key: Age, interests, and familiarity affect which games work
• Tech Game Perks: Speedy setup, easy explanation, and accessibility
• Replayability: Some digital party games lose spark once players know the content—variety and in-app purchases can help

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Traditional Charades vs. Modern Games:

  Micah: "I don't like classic charades because of all the rules ... no one ever has the same set of rules and so then you spend so much time just trying to agree with the rule that for me is like, ugh." [08:52]

• On Party Game Social Dynamics:

  Dan: "It's more socially acceptable to ... hold the phone up to my head than it is, I'm going to act out a charade in a public place." [08:48]

• On Phones at Parties:

  Dan: "Party games ... manage to turn that into a strength, right? ... you're still having an experience, right, with other humans." [14:18]

• On Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes:

  Dan: "It's a good communication game, right? ... It is simultaneously one of those things that gets you really annoyed ... but at the same time is also hilarious." [11:33]

[23:43] News Segment: Apple Podcasts Video Streaming Update

• Dan:

  "What’s different about this is ... [it] unlocks the ability to stream video, as opposed to just being a downloadable file."
  "Seamless toggling between video and audio that keeps your place." [24:27]

• Competing with YouTube: Apple leveraging HLS streaming for adaptive video quality, dynamic video ads.

• Micah: “Apple is, is I feel like I'm always seeing Apple tout its HTTP live streaming thing and every year I'm kind of like, should I care more about this?” [25:08]

[27:01] Listener Feedback: Siri Request History

• Listener Question: Can you review your Siri request history like you do in chatbots?
• Answer:
  • Not currently possible; Siri is designed to be ephemeral.
  • Privacy might be a factor, but more likely a design limitation.
  • [29:11] Dan: "Siri’s memory, for all, not great... they imagined it be much more ephemeral ... ask for a thing and it does it and then you don't need to worry about that again."
  • Micah suggests: Use Chatbot apps for this use-case; with newer phones, set Action Button to an AI app for question history.

[31:54] App Cap Segment: Hosts' Favorite Picks

Micah’s App Cap:

Product: Spigen Classic LS MagFit iPhone 17 Pro Case

• Classic Mac design, “hello” etching, MagSafe compatible, lanyard-friendly.

"It’s a fun case. Certainly a little sort of statement piece. ... I have become a lanyard person." [32:56]

Dan’s App Cap:

App: Ferrite Recording Studio

• Pro-level audio editor for iOS/iPadOS (great for podcasts, supports Apple Pencil & multichannel recording).

"It can pretty much do everything that Logic does, ... truly amazing app... with this and a, you know, an iPhone or an iPad, you've got yourself a full like recording and editing studio for podcasts." [36:00]

Key Timestamps

• [01:50] Introduction to the Party Games theme
• [06:51] Heads Up! review
• [09:55] Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes explained
• [13:23] Space Team and the “cooperative shouting” genre
• [17:09] Wavelength adaptation and group-think
• [19:54] Go, Go, Go: The Party Game demo
• [23:43] News: Apple Podcasts brings true video streaming
• [27:01] Listener Q&A: Siri request history
• [31:54] App Cap recommendations

Final Thoughts

• Party Games Enhance Connection: Tech-fueled party games can transform device “isolation” into face-to-face fun.
• Know Your Audience: Game success depends on group dynamics, replayability, and accessibility.
• Tech Keeps Evolving: Apple’s moves with podcast video streaming shows ongoing tension with YouTube, but catch-up is still needed.
• Stay Curious: Listeners are encouraged to send their own favorite party apps to the show (iostoday@twit.tv).

Hosts Online:

• Dan Morin: dmorin.com, @dmorin (Mastodon, Bluesky)
• Micah Sargent: @MicahSargent, chihuahuacoffee.com

Catch you next week for more iOS tips, tricks, and app picks on iOS Today!