Frequently asked questions about Filature

A playable investigation series, in six episodes of about 25 minutes. Lou has disappeared and her sister Camille messages you: you read her files, search a fake internet, pin the clues and answer questions to move forward.

No. Everything is made up: characters, towns, companies, newspapers, websites, networks and phone numbers. Sites end in .fict and photo coordinates land in the open sea. The characters' portraits were created for the game and don't depict anyone real.

Never. The in-app browser and its search engine, Limier, only search the world of the case, which is built into the app. There are no outgoing links. Filature teaches you to cross-check traces in a work of fiction; it isn't for, and must not be used for, searching for real people.

Yes. All six episodes of season 1 are free, with no ads and no account.

iPhone and iPad, from iOS 17.

Season 1 has six episodes of about 20 to 25 minutes, with five questions each. Episodes 1 and 2 play from installation. Episodes 3 to 6 are already in the app, sealed; they open one a week, on Tuesday, Paris time. An episode can only be played once the previous one is finished.

No. The app doesn't trust the iPhone's clock: an episode's key comes from a server that refuses it before release day. Once obtained, the key is kept on the device and the episode plays offline.

Ask for a hint: every question has three, in steps, “Where to look”, “Deduction”, then “Answer”. Nobody counts mistakes and nothing is taken from you. At the end of an episode, the report shows one box per question, and the “No hints” stamp if you didn't open any.

The series' mini-game. Each closed episode gives you a round: its traces shuffled, to tie to the thread in the order they were left. “Check” keeps the right places and sends the others back. Two stamps to earn: “Flawless” and “From memory”. After two closed episodes, the season's great thread opens, with eight traces.

A daily round of six traces, drawn from the Paris day. It only draws from episodes you've closed, so it reveals nothing of what comes next. It plays offline too; the streak only counts days checked against a signed time. You can share your grid of squares, which never shows a trace.

Yes. Pins, red threads and your notes belong to the season: they follow you from one episode to the next, and exhibits from episodes you've played stay available.

Not yet. The app's interface is in English and French. The episodes themselves, with their exhibits and questions, are in French only for now.

No. It's an investigation with no violent scenes, written with care for the worry of loved ones. If someone close to you really goes missing, go to the police.

No. Game Center is only used for achievements, if you're signed in. The sign-in sheet is never shown unprompted, and the game works perfectly well without it.

Your answers, notebook, notes and streak, on your device only. No account, no ads, no analytics. The app asks a server for the time and, on release day, an episode's key, with no identifier at all.