Slide, an app by the brand Insi, can be considered a game, puzzle, or even something clever to show off to your friend. Even if you have never heard of the app, anyone on the street should know what the puzzle is. The puzzle on “medium difficulty” consists of a 4x4 grid with one square missing. If you manage to put all numbers into numerical order you win.

I first discovered the app when I was in Israel on a BBYO trip. I needed something to do when everyone was on their own and ended up downloading the app for a long bus ride. When I first opened the program, it was evident that the app is super easy to navigate, so you don’t waste any time. From there, the app is very self explanatory: just select your difficulty, and the rest is there. 

What I most like about Slide is that it teaches you to be as efficient as possible without telling you how. As someone who has been solving Rubik’s Cubes competitively for over 6 years, I really appreciate the fact that the app has a move counter built into it so you can try and shave moves off your next puzzle. Finding solutions can be difficult and takes practice, but the payoff feels amazing. I have found myself on the app for almost an hour at a time trying to break personal bests and when you’re finished, you really feel like you’ve accomplished something. 

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