Grafite Sudoku devlog: my progress, out loud

A player on Reddit told me something that stung a little: "I did not realize I was progressing." Fair. The app was great at pointing out mistakes and terrible at saying "nice one". Like a strict teacher who never smiles. So the last two updates are all about fixing that.

• Academy lessons that actually talk back

Every correct step now says "✓ Right!" and the cell lights up green. Before, there was only a vibration, and half of you have vibration turned off. Silent praise is not praise. A small progress bar shows how far you are into the lesson. At the end, a big "Next lesson" button. No more going back to the list to remember where you were. Wins that feel like wins

• New personal best? The win screen celebrates it and tells you how many seconds you shaved off. Share it, brag a little, you earned it. When it's not a record, you may still get a line like "First win at Hard", "3 games in a row without mistakes" or "Just 0:11 off your best". Only true things. No fake "Amazing!!!" every single game. Used the "Which technique?" help? The win still counts, but the time doesn't go on the record. Learning is free. Cheating your best time isn't. A real pause

• Open a menu and the timer stops. The grid hides too, so no thinking on paused time. I see you. Built for one thumb

• The grid sits right above the number pad, so your finger travels less on every move. The pause menu is shorter, and "Back to home" sits at the bottom, right under your thumb. The Android back gesture now opens the pause menu instead of throwing you out of your game. Hints show up above the grid instead of covering the number pad.

Still no ads, no accounts, no data collected. Just you, a pencil and 81 squares.