Open Verdict: Bureau Updates

An easier first case

Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Improved: the training case, The Last Screening, is easier to read. Times are written as numbers, and the hard words are gone. It is newly recorded in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Thank you to everyone who sends us feedback from the game. This change came from a player’s note, and we read every one.

A new look for the Store

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: the Store has a fresh look, with each pack shown on its own case file.
New: when a pack comes in two editions, text and voices are shown one above the other, each saying how suspects answer and what it costs, so you always know which one you are buying.

Official plaques

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: every plaque frame has new art. Brass, oak, silver, marble, iron and the podium are now proper presentation plates with engraved borders. The frame you picked stays yours.

37 medals to earn

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: 21 more medals, 37 in all. Most come in bronze, silver and gold, so there is always a next one to chase. Everything you have already solved counts.
New: event medals. Harvest Visitor and Harvest Home can only be earned while the Harvest event is on.
New: Make it yours has tabs, keeps your plaque in view, and shows how close you are to each medal.

Medals for your plaque

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: every commendation is now a bronze medal. The ones you choose to show sit on your plaque for other detectives to see.
New: tap any medal, on your plaque or anyone else’s, to see what it takes to earn it. A few stay secret until you earn them.

Know before you replay

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: a case you have finished now says whether replaying it brings a new killer or the same one, in Files and when you start the replay. It never says who.

Easier to find, easier to let go

Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: abandon a case from the exit button on any case screen, or from its row in Files. The warning says plainly that questions you've used in the case don't come back.
New: when you start a case that needs questions, it shows how many most detectives use on it.
New: Files can filter by length and by Major Case, and remembers your choices.
Fixed: the tabs and filters in Files no longer contradict each other, and eras are listed in order.

Your case comes back as you left it

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fixed: if your phone closed the game in the background, Resume could open the case without your conversations. Your case now comes back exactly as you left it.
New: at the end of Help, our other games: Laneworks and SC Ship Database.

Letters and Days on duty

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: the day after you close a case, a letter arrives about it. Catch the killer and they write to you from their cell. Charge the wrong person and the real killer writes to you instead.
New: Days on duty. Do something real on a case each day (start one, ask questions, reach a verdict) and the count grows. From 3 days it shows on your desk. One missed day a week is forgiven.
New: plaque titles for 7, 14 and 30 days on duty in a row.
New: if your days on duty would end tonight, you get one reminder in the evening. Only from 3 days, and never more than one notification from us a day.

Harvest 2026

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: three Major Cases for the harvest season: a cranberry bog in Wisconsin, a rice farm in 1920s Australia, and a mushroom farm in a salt mine that floods at six.
New: Major Cases have more people to question, witnesses as well as suspects, and your accusation counts only what your notes back up.
New: Captain Reeves introduces each event when you open the app. Skip him, or turn it off for the event.
New: harvest music on the desk while the event runs.
Fixed: cases with five suspects fit every face on the file.

The gold plaque

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: there is one gold plaque in the game. The No. 1 on the Top 100 holds it until someone beats their score.
New: hold it for a day and you keep a gold border on your plaque for good.
New: if someone takes it from you, you’ll hear about it, and how many points win it back.
Fixed: the numbers on a plaque could run into the commendations below them on some phones.
New: last week’s top three show their names under their portraits.

Your plaque, and the Hall of Records

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: every detective has a plaque. Choose its frame, your title and up to three commendations, all earned by how you play.
New: you choose what your plaque shows other players: portrait, rank, points, accuracy and more, one switch each.
New: Ranks is now the Hall of Records: the Top 100, a board for each rank, and this week’s race.
New: tap any plaque on the boards to see it whole.
New: your plaque sits at the top of Career. Tap it to make it yours.
New: each rank says what it takes to reach it, and how far you are.

A simpler case file, and training case fixes

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: the case file opens on the story of the case in a few lines. The facts, the briefing, the police report and the coroner’s notes are one tap away, under Case details and More in the file.
New: suspects show their full names on the case file.
New: the crime scene says it plainly: tap each clue to examine it, and question the suspects whenever you like.
New: End tutorial, on Captain Reeves’ card, closes the training case. You can replay it any time from Files.
Fixed: coming back to the training case could open the accusation on the wrong step, with nothing you could tap.
Fixed: Captain Reeves kept talking after you left the training case.
Fixed: text overlapped the name on the Consult card at the crime scene.

The voices now speak Portuguese

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: in Portuguese, every case is voiced in Portuguese: briefings, evidence, the coroner, the verdicts, Captain Reeves’ training case and the Bureau’s introductions.
Spoken answers from suspects are in Portuguese too, for players who have voiced cases.
Every language the game is in now has voices.

Every case is yours to play

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Changed: there are no free or paid cases. Your questions open every case. Cases marked No questions required can also be played with prepared lines, at no cost.
New: in a live interrogation, the top of the screen shows how many questions you have, and every suggested question shows it uses 1. Typed or tapped, each live answer uses one question.
New: when you open a case marked No questions required, you choose: play live with your questions, or play scripted with prepared lines.
New: after a verdict, a next case to try.

Suspects keep their stories straight

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

When you ask your own questions in a free case, every suspect now knows the same basic facts about the night: who was there, when, and in what order. Their answers line up with the case file.
More small fixes across the free cases, found by a new check that questions every suspect in every version before it reaches you.

Seance at Ashcroft: live questions fixed

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Live questions in Seance at Ashcroft didn’t work properly: the suspects hadn’t been told their own story. They have now, and live questions in that case work as they should.
If you asked live questions in that case, every question you spent there has been returned to your balance.
Another round of small fixes across the free cases.

Every free case, played through

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

We played every free case through, with every possible killer, and fixed the small things that didn’t add up: times, dates, and who was where.
Clue cards and expert notes now state only what the evidence shows.
The Last Watch at Cape Hadley has a reworked backstory.

A different killer next time

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Six free cases can now be played again with a different killer: The Last Watch at Cape Hadley, Tide at Dunmore, The Erasmus Palette, Lockdown on Floor 38, After Hours at Meridian and Blizzard at the Heron’s Nest.
Solve one, open it again, and someone else may have done it, with their own motive, their own lies and their own trail of evidence.
We fixed clues that pointed the wrong way, including the ledger in The Last Watch at Cape Hadley and the timeline in Lockdown on Floor 38.
On the desk: a new Halloween ribbon, with a pumpkin and a black cat.

A clearer accusation

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: the accusation is now three short steps. Name the killer, attach your proof, then file the charges.
Your captain tells you what counts as proof: a lie, a slip, or a clue that puts them at the scene. An alibi proves nothing.
After the verdict, if a note that proved the case was in your notebook and you left it out, you’ll see it, so you know next time.
Guided mode: notes saved from a slip keep their SLIP stamp when you attach your proof.

The voices now speak Spanish

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: in Spanish, every case is voiced in Spanish: briefings, evidence, the coroner, the verdicts, Captain Reeves’ training case and the Bureau’s introductions.
Spoken answers from suspects are in Spanish too, for players who have voiced cases.
Portuguese voices are coming next month.

Your badge, and a way to bring friends

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: Career now opens with your service record: your badge, your rank, your nickname, how long you have served and how close you are to the next rank.
New: every rank has its own badge, from a rookie’s tin star to a Chief Inspector’s gold. Tap your badge to see them all and what each one takes.
New: Tell a friend. Share Open Verdict from the menu, your Profile or Career.
Fixed: tapping your portrait on the desk opens the menu again, so What’s New, the Bureau, training, help and problem reports are back within reach.

Make your detective yours

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: 60 new portraits. Every heritage group now has young, middle-aged and older detectives, in three looks each.
New: the portrait picker fits on one screen. Pick a group, then choose from its nine faces.
New: interrogation style. Choose how you work a room in Profile: By the Book, Hard-boiled, Charmer or Quiet Observer. Suspects react to your manner, but it never changes what they know.
New: earn a nickname. Once you have solved three cases, the squad names you for how you play. It shows in Career.

Now in Spanish and Portuguese

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: Open Verdict is now in Spanish and Portuguese (Brazil): every screen, every case, and the suspects' answers when you question them.
The game follows your phone's language. To choose one yourself, open Settings → Language.
Recorded voices are in English only for now. More languages are coming.

Account security and recovery

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: forgot your password? Tap "Forgot password?" on the sign-in screen and we email you a code to set a new one.
New: Profile → Ways to sign in. Add Apple, Google or email to your account, so you always have a second way back in.
New: we email you when your password or your ways to sign in change, so you know if anyone else tried.
Changed: when you sign up with email, we send a code to confirm the address.
Changed: our privacy policy now covers these account emails, sent through our email provider Resend, and the records we keep of failed sign-in attempts for 30 days. Read it at openverdict.app/privacy.

Every piece of evidence, redrawn

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Changed: every evidence picture in every case has been redrawn in one style. Each now shows the item where it was found, and the detail that matters: the stain, the empty slot, the print.
Changed: a few names in the case files have changed, so no character shares a name with a real person or brand. The recorded narration has been updated to match.

Clearer evidence pictures

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Changed: nearly a hundred evidence pictures across the case files have been redrawn so they show what the evidence actually is.
Fixed: some evidence showed the wrong object, such as a hammer in place of an ice pick, or a gun beside a document that has nothing to do with one.
Fixed: a few evidence pictures were completely black. They now show the item.
Fixed: garbled lettering on letters, ledgers and statements is gone.

Close a case from any screen

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: the ✕ at the top right of every case screen, the interview included, takes you back to your desk. It asks first. Closing does not abandon the case: everything you have found, asked and noted is kept, and Resume picks it up.
Changed: the cards that open now show a larger arrow, so it is clear they can be tapped.
New: the training case sits at the top of the Files. Start it, resume it or replay it any time.
Fixed: in the training case, the opening and Captain Reeves no longer talk over each other. He starts when the opening ends.

A new look inside every case

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: each case opens with a short film while the Captain reads the briefing: the scene, the victim, two pieces of evidence and the suspects. Pause, replay or skip it. It plays once per case; replay it any time from the case file.
Changed: the case file starts with a summary: the scene, the victim, when, how and where. The briefing, police report, victim, coroner’s notes and suspects each fold to one line. Tap to open them.
Changed: the crime scene is an evidence board. Open an item and its narration plays. Opening another stops the first.
Changed: the scene shows how much evidence you have not opened yet. Only evidence you have opened can be shown to a suspect.
New: the suspect you are questioning sits under a spotlight at the top of the interview.
New: File, Scene, Suspects and Accuse along the top of a case show where you are.
New: a short pause before your verdict is revealed.

Every screen, easier to read

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Changed: the home screen fits on one page: your next step, two shortcuts, and tabs along the bottom for your Desk, the Files, your Career and the Store. Profile, What’s New, The Bureau, Help and Report are under your portrait.
Changed: the case files are a compact list, with tabs for Open, Unplayed, Free and All.
Changed: the Store shows every pack on one page. Tap a pack to see what is in it.
Changed: Career has tabs for your Record, Medals, Rogues and Cabinet. Rankings is the button at the top of Career, and shows your own rank first.
Changed: Help and the Detective’s Handbook are now one page, starting with a case in four steps.
Changed: Settings, Profile and The Bureau each fit on one page. Change your portrait from Profile.

A new killer on every replay, difficulty, and Settings

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: play a solved case again and the killer may be someone else. 46 of the 48 Bureau Archive cases now have more than one killer, each with their own motive, clues and lies. You meet every killer in turn before any repeats.
New: the Case Cabinet in your Career shows how many of a case’s killers you’ve caught.
New: choose your difficulty. Guided marks the page when a suspect slips (half points in the rankings). Standard plays a sound when a suspect slips (full points). Hard-boiled gives no help at all (one and a half times the points).
New: a Settings screen for difficulty, sound, reminders and tips, on the home screen and in your Profile.
New: Captain Reeves reads the solution to every new killer aloud, and in the tutorial Nadia and Colin speak their answers.
Changed: the home screen has a second row of buttons: What’s New, Settings, Report and Help.
Changed: some Coroner reports narrowed the field to a single suspect before you had asked anything. They now narrow it without giving the killer away.
Fixed: Back did nothing on some screens when there was nowhere to go back to.

The tutorial no longer gets in the way of other cases

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fixed: if you left the tutorial partway and then opened another case, buttons such as Examine the Scene and Interrogate could do nothing until you restarted the app.
Fixed: in the same situation, a free case could show no prepared questions.
Your tutorial progress is kept. Open the tutorial again any time to pick up where you left off.

Half the price, far more questions

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: every pack now costs about half as much and holds far more questions. Quiet Desk: 400 questions plus no ads. Starter Pack: 800. Detective’s Edition: 2,200. Bureau Premium: 2,000 every month.
Note: the new prices reach the App Store and Google Play over about a day. If checkout still shows an old price, wait a few hours and look again.
New: every detective gets 50 free questions, up from 20. If you already had your 20, the other 30 have been added.
New: if you bought a pack before today, it has been upgraded to its new size, free.
Changed: suspects now answer a little faster.
Removed: Bureau Insider (playing on your own AI key) is no longer sold.

Packs now come in questions

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

New: the Store now sells questions. Each live answer from a suspect, Captain Reeves, Forensics or the Coroner uses one question, whether you type it, pick it from Suggestions, or present evidence. Opening a case is free.
New: what each pack holds. Quiet Desk: no ads plus 80 questions. Starter Pack: 125. Detective’s Edition: 455. Bureau Premium: 440 questions every month. Prices have not changed, and every paid purchase still turns off ads.
New: questions from packs never expire. Bureau Premium’s monthly questions refresh each time it renews.
New: every detective gets 20 free questions, to ask anything on any case, including the Bureau Archive.
New: if you run out of questions partway through a case, you get 10 extra questions to finish it.
Changed: if you bought a pack before today, its questions have been added to your account. If you had an unused reward for solving your first case, it is now 15 questions.
Changed: solving your first case now earns 15 questions instead of a Bureau File.
Changed: free cases are now marked Free to Play. You can always play them with prepared questions at no cost. They no longer include a free live run; asking anything uses your questions. A live run you had already started stays free until you finish it.
Changed: the Store shows each pack’s case file, and your question count is shown in the top bar.
Changed: our Privacy Policy now covers all our games in one place. Read it at digitalhorizonsoftware.com/privacy.

Suspects stick to their stories

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fixed: suspects sometimes got the facts of their own story wrong, like the time they went to bed, their age, or a name. They now keep to what they know.
Fixed: a line could be saved as a clue when the suspect had only hinted at it or repeated an earlier answer. A clue now only counts when the suspect actually says it.

Easier to play, on every screen

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Changed: there is no longer a limit on how many cases you can have open at once. Before, two open cases blocked you from starting a third until you abandoned one.
Fixed: the Begin Interrogations button on the crime scene was at the very bottom, below every piece of evidence. It now stays pinned to the bottom of the screen so you can always see the way forward.
Fixed: popups — replaying a case, presenting evidence, cross-referencing, suggestions, filters, rankings and confirmations — only scrolled if your finger started on a button. They now scroll from anywhere, and show "More" at the bottom when there is more to read.
New: when you play with prepared questions, Captain Reeves now speaks up if a line you save to your notebook is worth holding on to.
New: an announcements button on your desk — the sealed envelope at the top of the screen — for news from the Bureau. Important news also appears once when you open the game.
Fixed: screen readers like TalkBack and VoiceOver can now read every button, tab and case card, buttons are easier to hit, and buttons now show when they are pressed.
Fixed: long suspect names are no longer cut off.
Fixed: the phone back button on the opening screens went nowhere. It now goes back a page.
Fixed: case files now show their real case number.
Changed: in the training case, the button Captain Reeves wants you to press is now clearly marked.

The training case is yours to choose

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Changed: the guided training case no longer opens by itself when you first start playing. It sits at the top of your desk under Training, and you can run it whenever you like — including again later, which replays the whole guided walkthrough. Most players were being walked into it before they had picked anything, and it was getting in the way of the case they actually came for.
Fixed: leaving the training case with your phone back button now saves your place properly instead of going unrecorded.

How your notes are judged, and a few smaller things

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fixed: on Bureau File cases, a note you saved only counted if the suspect happened to answer in English. Ask your questions in another language and the suspect replies in that language — and then almost none of your saved notes counted toward the verdict, with nothing on screen to say so. About half the ways to back up an accusation were unreachable. They now count whatever language you play in.
Changed: on free cases, the Captain, Forensics and the Coroner no longer take follow-up questions — those come with the Bureau Files. The case file, the crime scene and both suspects are unchanged, and the walkthrough still lets you ask a question in your own words.
Changed: the rankings screen now shows your position whether or not you are in the top twenty. The board itself still lists the top twenty.
Changed: two detectives can no longer take the same name. Names already in use are untouched.
Fixed: the Captain, Forensics and Coroner headings ran off the side of the screen on some cases.
Changed: Captain Reeves field notes are shorter. Tap one to read the rest.
Fixed: saving your profile could fail with a message that looked like a connection problem when the real reason was something you could fix, like a name already being taken.
Fixed: if a screen breaks, you now get a card and a way back to your desk instead of a blank screen.

How rank is counted

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Changed: your rank now counts how many different mysteries you have solved, not how many times you have played. Replaying a case you already solved no longer adds to it, so if your solved count has dropped, that is why. Replaying a case that gives you a different killer does still count, because that is a different mystery.
Changed: the tutorial no longer counts toward your rank, your solved count or your accuracy. It walks you to every answer, so it was never a fair measure of your own detective work.
Fixed: on cases where the killer changes between plays, coming back on another device or after reinstalling could grade you against the wrong suspect. You could name the right person and be told you were wrong.
Fixed: in one case, saving the coroner findings capped your grade at Lucky Guess however well you had reasoned.

Suspects answer properly again

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT

Fixed: suspects sometimes gave a blank response — "The suspect pauses, looks past you, and says nothing." A check meant to stop them breaking character was also rejecting ordinary answers, so a perfectly good reply was thrown away and you got silence instead. This affected paid cases and had been happening for a while.
New: the tutorial now lets you type one question of your own to a suspect, in your own words, instead of only picking from prepared lines. That is what an open interrogation is, and it is what a Bureau File unlocks for every paid case.
New: the tutorial opens by itself the first time you play. You can leave it whenever you like, and it will not take up one of your three open case slots.
Fixed: the tutorial could leave a case slot occupied that you could never see or clear, so the game refused to start a new case while only showing you two.
Fixed: Captain Reeves field notes no longer appear during the tutorial, where he is already talking you through every screen. They still show up in normal cases.
Fixed: the tutorial walkthrough could appear on top of a different case you were playing.