Hi everyone — Mourad here. OutBrick 5.3 is now available on the App Store, and I wanted to share what is new, what I am still investigating, and what comes next. Thank you for every thoughtful report and suggestion: they help shape the game.
Available now in 5.3
- 240 rebuilt puzzles across 20 more villages, bringing the updated village design through level 372. All 2,000 existing level addresses remain playable; later boards continue to use the existing catalogue while their upgrades are prepared.
- Your progress stays with you: existing stars, level progress and purchases are preserved. The core levels remain playable offline.
- Clearer VoiceOver gate guidance, including directions that account for shaped bricks and the width of their exit. Hidden bricks keep their colour private in spoken gate hints.
- Better reading order on modal cards: title, Close, then the scrollable content. Purchase controls describe the product, price and relevant contents or duration, with decorative artwork kept out of the reading sequence.
- More useful Shop states: unavailable products are announced as disabled, and Loading or Soon remains readable. An active Move Booster Pass is described as unlimited moves, without the old low-move warnings.
- Calmer effects with Reduce Motion, Settings feedback that respects your Haptics choice, and simpler Friends settings. The nine friends retain their familiar look, animations and text bubbles.
This release also includes a fix for unnecessary background Shop rebuilding that could contribute to slowdowns.
Investigating: VoiceOver delays and unexpected app exits
I am investigating reports that VoiceOver starts normally, then becomes very slow after a few seconds, sometimes followed by the app closing. I know how disruptive that is when speech is how you navigate, and improving it is a priority.
The Shop fix is already included in 5.3. Further work is being tested to reduce optional background preparation while VoiceOver is active, keep hint work bounded, and stop outdated hints or tutorial focus changes from interrupting the current screen. Those additional changes are still in testing. An unexpected exit can have more than one cause, so I am keeping that investigation open rather than marking every report resolved.
Planned next
- Continue upgrading the remaining villages, with checks for solvability, difficulty, variety and accessible play before each batch is released.
- Include further VoiceOver responsiveness and focus fixes once testing is complete.
- Keep improving performance and clarity using your real playing experiences, while preserving existing progress and purchases.
These are active priorities, not a promised release date. I will share confirmed release details when the next update is available.
Help shape the next update
Please update to the latest App Store version, then tell me how 5.3 feels. Which upgraded village do you enjoy most? Where does a board feel unclear or unexpectedly difficult? What would make VoiceOver play smoother for you?
If a problem continues, please include your device, operating-system version, OutBrick version, the screen or level, what you did just before it happened, and whether VoiceOver was enabled. A short sequence of steps is especially helpful. You do not need to delete or reinstall the app.
You can reply here, start a thread in Bug reports or Accessibility, or contact support privately. Please keep email addresses, receipts and other personal details out of public posts.
Thank you for helping me make OutBrick more welcoming and enjoyable. I am looking forward to hearing how your next village goes.
— Mourad
Status updated 15 October 2026.