Cold Case File · 001

The police gave up.
You get her phone.

Unread is a true-crime phone detective game. Open a murder victim's phone, read every message, photo, and file she left behind — then close the case with a single six-axis accusation. Who. What. When. Where. How. Why.

Coming soonApp Store Coming soonGoogle Play
A fictional case · real detective work · iOS & Android
Messages EVIDENCE MODE
M Marcus 💙11:38 PMyou didn't see anything at the dock tonight, right
? Unknown11:31 PMwe need to talk. tonight. you know why.
R Renee (Second Wind)9:22 PMi'll come by the marina. wait for me?
T Trey — DockOct 5she run ok? carbs still good?
❤️ Mom ❤️Oct 3call me when you're home safe, ok?
2 threads flagged as evidence · long-press to tag

The method

Everything she knew is on this phone.

01

Open her phone

Messages, Photos, Notes, Calls, Voicemail, Browser — the whole device, exactly as she left it.

02

Read between the lines

Long-press anything that matters to tag it as evidence. Real conversations, quiet contradictions, planted red herrings.

03

Clear the gates

The detective asks what you've found — ten questions per case, three tries each. Stuck? The answer is somewhere in the phone.

04

Make the accusation

One shot. Six axes. Then the file closes — airtight, circumstantial, or cold.


Make your accusation

Six axes. One shot.
No do-overs.

Naming a suspect isn't enough. To close the case you have to reconstruct the whole night — and every axis has to hold. Get them all and your case is airtight. Miss too many and it goes back in the box.

Who
the killer
What
what happened
When
the timeline
Where
the location
How
the method
Why
the motive
Case 001 Closed
Verdict · 6 / 6
AIRTIGHT
Your case would hold up in court.
CULPRITrenee
WHATconfrontation
TIMELINE11:45 PM
LOCATIONmarina lot
METHODthe walk home
MOTIVEthe ledger
EVIDENCE 7/9HERRINGS 3/32:47:13
unread

Now open

Case 001

1
Case 001 · The Marina File
Second Wind
est. 25–35 min · ~80 artifacts · 10 gates

She texted “almost home” at 11:42 PM. She never arrived.

Dana Whitlock ran a small boat charter called Second Wind. Her last message was marked Not Delivered. The police closed it as an accident. Her phone says otherwise — you just have to know who to believe.

Marcus 💙 Renee Trey — Dock Unknown + more

Why it gets under your skin

A real phone. A real investigation.

The whole device

Not a menu of “clues.” An actual phone — texts, photos, notes, call logs, voicemail, browser history — and the truth is buried in the noise.

Tag your evidence

Long-press anything suspicious to flag it. Evidence Mode filters the phone down to what you think matters — and what you missed comes back to haunt your verdict.

Red herrings that survive

The most damning text isn't always the guilty one. Suspects lie, alibis crack, and a good lawyer walks the wrong accusation.

The six-axis verdict

Reconstruct the whole night, not just the name. Airtight, circumstantial, or cold — every case ends in a stamp.

Share the file

Your results screen is built to be shown off — export it as a clean image and see if your friends can beat your verdict.

New cases, no updates

Fresh cold cases arrive over the air. Finish one file and the next victim's phone is already waiting.


Fiction, handled with care

Every case, character, victim, and number in Unread is invented — no real crimes, no real people. Violence is implied, never shown; there's no gore. Rated Teen (13+), with an in-app reminder that it's all a story.


Getting in

Free to open the first file.

Play Case 001 free, with ads. Unread Pro removes ads and unlocks every case — pick the plan that fits.

Pro · Weekly
$4.99 / wk

Ad-free, unlimited, all cases. 3-day free trial.

Pro · Monthly
$9.99 / mo

Ad-free and unlimited across every case.

Best value
Pro · Yearly
$39.99 / yr

Everything, all year — the lowest monthly cost.

Lifetime
$69.99 once

Pay once. Every case, forever — no subscription.

Weekly, monthly, and yearly plans are auto-renewing subscriptions billed through the App Store and Google Play; Lifetime is a one-time purchase. Final pricing and trial terms are shown in-app and may vary by region.


The file on the file

Good to know

Is this based on a real case?

No. Every case, victim, suspect, and detail is fictional. Unread is a made-up mystery, not true crime about real people.

Do I need to be a detective to solve it?

Not at all. Everything you need is inside the phone — you just have to read carefully and connect the dots. The detective's questions keep you on track.

Is it scary or graphic?

It's tense and suspenseful, but not gory. Violence is implied through the story, never depicted. It's rated Teen (13+).

Does it cost money?

You can start playing for free. Unread Pro removes ads and unlocks every case; it's optional and there's a free trial.

What platforms?

Unread is coming to iPhone and Android. Join us soon on the App Store and Google Play.


Coming soon

Her phone is unlocked. Are you in?

Unread: Phone Detective is on its way to iOS and Android. One phone, one killer, one accusation.

Coming soonApp Store Coming soonGoogle Play