How to play TapBubblePop
TapBubblePop is a triple match puzzle. A pile of picture bubbles sits above a tray. Tap a bubble on top of the pile and it drops into the tray. Three of the same picture in the tray pop and leave. Clear every bubble from the pile and the tray to win the round. If the tray fills up, the round is lost and you can replay it for free.
The basic rules
- Bubbles are stacked in layers. Tap any bubble you can see, including the part of a bubble that peeks out from behind another.
- A tapped bubble goes into the first free slot of the tray: left to right along the top row, then the next row.
- Rounds 1 and 2: any three of the same picture anywhere in the tray pop.
- From round 3 the tray has three rows and matches must line up: three alike side by side in a row, or three alike in the same column. Every line of three or more pops at once.
- Once the pile is empty, any three alike in the tray pop wherever they sit, so the last bubbles never cost you a round you have beaten.
What changes in each round
Each round adds picture types and makes the pile deeper, so rounds get harder as you go. From round 4 some bubbles are tucked right behind the one in front and only show their picture once it is gone. Every round from 11 on plays like round 10.
| Round | Tray slots | Picture types | How bubbles match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 8 | Any 3 alike |
| 2 | 18 | 20 | Any 3 alike |
| 3 | 27 | 6 | Line up 3 |
| 4 | 27 | 9 | Line up 3, some tucked |
| 5 | 27 | 11 | Line up 3, some tucked |
| 6 | 27 | 13 | Line up 3, some tucked |
| 7 | 27 | 15 | Line up 3, some tucked |
| 8 | 27 | 18 | Line up 3, some tucked |
| 9 | 27 | 20 | Line up 3, some tucked |
| 10 | 27 | 20 | Line up 3, some tucked |
Diamonds
Every pile hides three diamond bubbles. Get all three into the tray, anywhere, and they pop for one diamond. You also earn a diamond for each round you clear. Spend a diamond to send a tray bubble back on top of the pile, or (from round 2) to move a tray bubble to any other slot, swapping with whatever is there. Moving one bubble is often enough to finish a line in the later rounds.
Stars
A cleared round earns stars by how full the tray ever got. Keep it at most a third full for 3 stars, at most two thirds full for 2 stars, otherwise you get 1 star.
The daily puzzle
There is one daily puzzle a day, and every player gets the same board that day. It has a one-row tray and any three alike pop. Win it on consecutive days to build a streak. In the browser game you can share your result (stars and streak, nothing personal) with a link that opens the same puzzle for a friend.
Tips for the harder rounds
- Before you tap, look for a picture you can already see two or three of. Tapping those first keeps the tray empty.
- From round 3, think about which slot the bubble will land in. Three of a kind tapped one after another sit side by side in the same row.
- For a line down, the three need the same position in each row. When the top row is full, the next taps fill the row below from its first slot, right under the start of the top row.
- From round 4, clear the bubbles in front of a deep stack early: the tucked ones behind only show their picture once the front one is gone.
- Save diamonds for rounds 7 and up, where one moved bubble can rescue a full tray.
Where to play
TapBubblePop is free. Play it in your browser with no download, no sign-in and no ads. The phone apps are coming to the App Store and Google Play. Questions are answered on the support page.