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TodayAndNow User Guide

Everything you need to know to get the most out of your app.

IN THIS GUIDE

  1. Gestures โ€” how to navigate
  2. The Control Panel โ€” all buttons explained
  3. Photos & Slideshow
  4. Text Colors
  5. Font Size & Style
  6. Background
  7. The Date Puzzle Game
  8. Tips & Tricks
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Gestures โ€” how to navigate

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Single tap

Show or hide the control panel at the bottom of the screen.

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Swipe left

Go to the next photo in your slideshow.

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Swipe right

Go to the previous photo in your slideshow.

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Swipe panel down

Dismiss the control panel quickly.

โ†”๏ธ

Swipe panel sideways

Fling the control panel left or right to dismiss it.

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Auto-hide

The control panel hides automatically after 45 seconds of inactivity.

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The Control Panel โ€” all buttons explained

Tap anywhere on the screen to reveal the control panel at the bottom. It has six rows of controls.

๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ

Photos row

Controls your photo slideshow background.

  • ๐Ÿ“ท Photo button (blue) โ€” Opens your photo library. Select up to 50 photos to use as your slideshow background.
  • โ–ถ Play button (green) โ€” Starts the automatic slideshow. Tap again to pause it.
  • ๐Ÿ—‘ Trash button (red) โ€” Clears all selected photos and stops the slideshow.
  • Number in brackets โ€” Shows how many photos are currently loaded (e.g. "(5)").
  • Slide slider โ€” Controls how many seconds each photo is displayed before advancing. Range: 1 to 20 seconds.
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Game row

Date Puzzle button (purple) โ€” Launches the Date Puzzle game. See the Date Puzzle section below for full instructions.

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Colors row

Controls the color of the date text on screen. Three modes:

  • ๐Ÿ–Œ Paintbrush (blue) Random color โ€” The date text changes to a new random color every second. Lively and fun.
  • ๐Ÿ“Œ Pin (orange) Locked color โ€” Picks one random color and keeps it fixed. Tap again to pick a new one.
  • โšช Circle (gray) System color โ€” Uses plain white or black depending on your iPhone's appearance setting.
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Font Size row

Controls how the date text size behaves:

  • Aa Random size Animated size โ€” The date text gently pulses and varies in size every second for a dynamic feel.
  • ใ€ฐ Fixed size Steady size โ€” The date text stays at a consistent, comfortable size. Great for readability.
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Font Style row

A dropdown menu with 22 font choices including:

  • System Default โ€” Apple's clean San Francisco font
  • Helvetica, Helvetica Neue โ€” Classic modern sans-serif
  • Times New Roman, Georgia, Palatino, Baskerville, Didot โ€” Elegant serif fonts
  • Courier, Courier New, American Typewriter โ€” Monospace / typewriter style
  • Avenir, Avenir Next, Optima, Gill Sans, Trebuchet, Verdana โ€” Humanist sans-serif
  • Chalkboard SE, Marker Felt, Noteworthy, Papyrus, Copperplate โ€” Decorative & fun
Tip: Each font has a scaling factor built in so the date always fits beautifully on screen regardless of which font you choose.
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Background row

Controls the app background color when no photos are loaded. Three modes:

  • โ–  Solid Solid color โ€” Tap to pick any color using the color wheel. Use the Alpha slider to control transparency (0.1 = almost clear, 1.0 = fully opaque).
  • โ–ง Gradient Gradient โ€” Pick two colors (C1 and C2) and a direction (TL, BL, TR, BR). Use the Alpha slider for transparency.
  • โš™ System System background โ€” Uses your iPhone's default white (light mode) or black (dark mode) background. Use the Alpha slider for transparency.
Tip: The background shows through your photos too โ€” set a low alpha on a colored background while your slideshow is running for a beautiful tinted effect.
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The Date Puzzle Game

Think you always know today's date? Put yourself to the test! The Date Puzzle challenges you to identify today's exact date from scrambled lists.

  1. 1

    Open the puzzle

    Tap the screen to show the control panel, then tap the purple Date Puzzle button.

  2. 2

    Four scrambled columns appear

    You'll see four scrollable columns: Day, Month, Date, and Year โ€” all in random order.

  3. 3

    Tap your answers

    Scroll each column and tap the correct Day, Month, Date, and Year. Your selections turn blue.

  4. 4

    Race the timer

    A timer counts up from the moment you open the puzzle. Try to finish as fast as possible!

  5. 5

    Check your answer

    Tap the green Check Answer button. You'll instantly see if you're correct โ€” and your final time.

โš™๏ธ

Puzzle options

  • Shuffle Delay slider โ€” Controls how often the columns re-scramble (1 to 10 seconds). Shorter = harder!
  • Sort Order button โ€” Switch between scrambled order and alphabetical/numerical order to make it easier.
  • Reset button (purple) โ€” Clears your selections and restarts the timer.
  • Close button (red) โ€” Returns to the clock screen.
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Tips & Tricks

๐ŸŒ… Best experience: Load a set of your favorite landscape or flower photos, set the slide delay to 5 seconds, and let TodayAndNow run as a beautiful living clock on your desk or nightstand.

๐ŸŽจ Match your mood: Use the gradient background with warm colors in the morning and cool blues in the evening โ€” your settings are saved automatically.

๐Ÿ“Œ Lock a color you love: If you see a beautiful random color on the date text, tap the orange Pin button immediately to lock it in.

๐Ÿงฉ Challenge yourself daily: Open the Date Puzzle every morning before you check your phone โ€” it's a fun way to stay grounded in the present moment.

โœ๏ธ Font pairing: Try Didot or Baskerville with a soft gradient background for an elegant, editorial look.

๐Ÿ‘† Quick dismiss: Just swipe the control panel sideways or downward to get it out of the way without tapping elsewhere.