Cube CFOPFor iPhone and iPad

Learn CFOP, one case at a time.

Every F2L, OLL and PLL algorithm of the most popular speedcubing method, on a 3D cube you can step through. Flashcards, recognition quizzes and a timed drill make them stick.

Download on the App StoreSee what is inside

One purchase. No ads, no subscription, no account. Requires iOS 17 or later.

Cube CFOP on iPhone playing the Ua permutation on a 3D cube: the cube is part-way through a turn, with the faces turned away from the viewer shown beside it. Below, the algorithm is laid out as a row of moves with the played ones tinted and the current move, R, highlighted, a progress bar at 6 of 12, and controls to step, skip and pause.

Every case of CFOP.

CFOP is four steps, and its name spells them out. The first is solved by planning. The other three are solved by cases, and the app holds every one of them.

  1. Cross

    The first four edges

    Build a cross on the bottom layer, each edge lined up with its center.

    A guide

    No algorithms to memorize here. The guide starts from the daisy, then covers planning it in inspection.

  2. F2L

    First two layers

    Fill the four slots around the cross, each with a corner and its edge inserted as a pair.

    41 cases

    Each one from any of its four angles.

  3. OLL

    Orient the last layer

    Turn every sticker of the last layer to face up.

    57 cases

    Or 10 to begin with: 2-Look OLL is built in.

  4. PLL

    Permute the last layer

    Move the last layer's pieces into place. The cube is solved.

    21 cases

    Or 6 to begin with: 2-Look PLL is built in.

One page holds everything about a case.

The algorithm you use sits at the top. Everything else you might want while learning it is on the same page.

The F2L 1 case on iPad in two columns. On the left, the case drawn on a cube with Top set to yellow and Front to blue, the algorithm U (R U' R') with a 3D button beside it, an In Learning row and Drill This Case. On the right, the setup R U R' U', the four angles Front Right, Back Right, Back Left and Front Left with the chosen algorithm ticked and a New Algorithm row, and a note reading: Insert without rotating. Look for the next pair while turning.
The F2L 1 case on iPhone, top to bottom: the lower part of the case drawn on a cube, Top set to yellow and Front to blue, the algorithm U (R U' R') with a 3D button beside it, an In Learning row and Drill This Case, the setup R U R' U', and the four angles Front Right, Back Right, Back Left and Front Left with the chosen algorithm ticked and a New Algorithm row.

  • Alternatives, and your own

    Many cases come with more than one algorithm. Pick the one that suits your hands, or write your own.

  • Four angles for F2L

    Learn a pair from the slot you meet it in: Front Right, Back Right, Back Left or Front Left.

  • Setup moves

    Apply them to a solved cube and the case is in your hands.

  • Your alias and note

    Call a case what you call it, and keep a note beside it.

  • Learning and Favorites

    Add a case to Learning to study it with flashcards, or star it to keep it close. The two lists are separate.

  • Drill This Case

    Go straight from reading an algorithm to timing it.

Watch any algorithm on a 3D cube.

Every algorithm plays on a cube you can turn to any side. The faces turned away from you are drawn beside it, so nothing is hidden while it moves.

The moves are laid out underneath. Tap one and the cube plays up to it, or step through them one at a time.

The PLL Ua case on iPad with the 3D viewer open over it: the cube part-way through a turn, the algorithm y' R2 U' R' U' R U R U R U' R as a row of moves at step 6 of 12, and playback controls underneath.
On iPad the cube opens over the case it belongs to.

Browse, search, edit.

Find a case by its shape or by its name, and change its algorithm when you have a better one.

  • The PLL list on iPhone as a grid. Each case is a top-down diagram of the last layer with arrows between the pieces that trade places: PLL 2-Look Step 1 with Diagonal and Headlights, then Permutations of Edges or Corners Only with Ua, Ub, Z, H, Aa and Ab.

    Grouped the way you recognize them

    OLL by shape, PLL by what moves, F2L by where the pair sits. Show a step as a grid of diagrams or as a list.

  • Search on iPhone for “oll b”: six OLL results, B1 - 7 to B6 - 40, each with its diagram, its group, Lightning Bolts, and its algorithm.

    Found by name, alias, group or note

    Search looks through all three steps at once, including the words you wrote yourself.

  • The algorithm editor on iPhone, titled Edit Algorithm: U (R U' R') F typed in the Algorithm field, and under it a line in red, “U (R U' R') F” doesn't solve this case. A Preview row repeats the moves. At the bottom of the screen sits a row of move keys, R, U, F, L, D and B, then a prime, a 2 and a delete key.

    Checked before it is saved

    The editor puts move keys above the keyboard, and checks that what you entered solves the case.

Flashcards that come back when they are due.

Add the cases you are working on to Learning. Spaced repetition brings each card back when it is due, and you say how it went.

Four grades, and you see what each one does.

Again≤1m
You missed it. The card is back within a minute.
Hard≤5m
You got there slowly. Back within five minutes.
Good1d
You knew it. See it again tomorrow.
Easy4d
No hesitation. Four days until the next look.

These are the intervals for a new card, as the buttons show them. They grow each time you get a card right.

A flashcard on iPhone with its answer shown: an OLL diagram, the case name OLL – T2 - 45 and its algorithm, F (R U R' U') F'. Four grade buttons sit underneath: Again in red with ≤1m, Hard in amber with ≤5m, Good in green with 1d, and Easy in blue with 4d. 13 cards are left.

Study what is due, or anything else.

Review opens on today's due cards. When you want more, practice your hard cards, preview new ones or take a random set. Extra practice never changes the schedule.

You choose how many new cards to take each day, from 1 to 20.

Review on iPad in two columns. Study on the left: Today's Due with 13 cards, then extra practice with 7 Hard Cards, 5 New Cards and a Random set of up to 20. Cards on the right: filters for All 26, New 5, Learning 3 and In Review 18 above a grid of F2L and OLL cases, each labelled New or with the day it is due.

See the work add up.

The Report draws a heat map of your study days and counts your streak. It shows every case in Learning by state, how many are due on each of the next 7 days, and your record in each kind of practice.

The Report on iPad. Activity: 28 answers today, 167 in the last 7 days and a 23-day streak, above a heat map of study days from February to October. Review: 26 cases in Learning, 5 New, 3 Learning and 18 In Review, with a chart of how many are due on each of the next 7 days. Practice: sittings and best average for the F2L Corner Quiz and the OLL and PLL Recognition Quizzes, and 8 cases and 200 attempts in the Execution Drill.
The Report on iPhone: 29 answers today, 168 in the last 7 days and a 23-day streak, above a heat map of study days from June to October. Below it, 26 cases in Learning split into 5 New, 3 Learning and 18 In Review.

Practice until it is automatic.

Knowing an algorithm is half of it. The other half is seeing the case at a glance and turning without thinking, and each has its own practice.

  • The PLL Recognition Quiz on iPhone after a correct answer: a PLL diagram with arrows, the word Correct, the case name H with its algorithm, (M2' U' M2') U2 (M2' U' M2'), and four options, Ub, Aa, E and H, with H marked in green above a Next Case button.

    OLL and PLL Recognition Quizzes

    Name the case from its pattern, shown from a random side and against the clock. Each quiz keeps your best average.

  • The F2L Corner Quiz on iPhone after a correct answer: a gray cube with one corner showing a white and an orange sticker, the word Correct, the line The hidden sticker is Blue above white, orange and blue swatches, and four options, Yellow, Blue, Red and Green, with Blue marked in green above a Next Corner button.

    F2L Corner Quiz

    A corner shows two of its stickers. Name the third, the one facing away from you.

Execution Drill

Time one case, again and again, and beat your best. Every case keeps its best time, its average and its number of attempts.

With a hardware keyboard the space bar is the timer pad: press it to stop the clock, let go to start it.

The Execution Drill for the T-Perm on iPad in two columns. On the left, the case diagram, its setup F R U' R' U R U R2 F' R U R U' R' and the algorithm (R U R' U') (R' F) (R2 U') (R' U' R U) R' F'. On the right, the eighteen times of this sitting with the latest, 1.29, marked Fastest, and a timer pad reading 1.29 with Best 1.12, Average 1.60 and 70 Attempts above a Start button.
The Execution Drill for the T-Perm on iPhone: the case diagram, its setup F R U' R' U R U R2 F' R U R U' R', the algorithm (R U R' U') (R' F) (R2 U') (R' U' R U) R' F', and a timer pad reading 1.57 with Best 1.12, Average 1.35 and 43 Attempts above a Start button.

The method, explained in order.

Five guides take you through CFOP step by step, an example solve puts them together, and two references sit beside them for the moment you need to look something up.

The method

  1. OverviewHow the four steps fit together.
  2. CrossThe daisy for a first cross, then planning it in inspection.
  3. F2LLocate, pair, insert, and how to look ahead.
  4. OLLRecognition by shape, and the 2-Look path.
  5. PLLThe 21 cases in groups, and predicting the last turn.
  6. Example SolveOne whole solve on the 3D cube, step by step.

Reference

  • NotationEvery move the algorithms name, each on its own cube.
  • Finger PatternsThe triggers and grips behind fast turning.
The F2L guide on iPhone: a Goal section about filling four slots, each with a corner and its matching edge, two cubes labelled Cross done and F2L done, and a Core Concept section with three phases: Locate, Pair and Insert.

Then watch one whole solve.

Example Solve plays a solve from scramble to solved cube on the 3D viewer: the cross, four pairs, OLL and PLL. A line above the moves names the step you are watching, and from F2L on the case as well, so you can look it up afterwards.

Every time you open it, it deals a new scramble. Step through it one move at a time, or let it play.

Example Solve on iPad: a cube part-way through a solve in the 3D viewer. A line above the row of moves names the step, F2L – 17 · Front Right · Pair 1 of 4. The moves played so far are tinted, the current one, R', is highlighted, and the counter reads 9 of 66.

Made for the way you cube.

The app adapts to your cube, your hands and your screen.

  • Your colors, your grip

    Set your cube's color scheme and which colors you hold on top and in front. Every diagram follows.

  • Light, Dark or System

    Pick an appearance, or let the app follow your device.

  • Your way of writing moves

    Choose what separates the moves, and every algorithm in the app is written that way.

  • A screen that stays awake

    Keep the display on while you practice, with both hands on the cube.

  • Hardware keyboard

    Grade a card with 1 to 4, answer a quiz with A to D, and work the drill's clock with the space bar.

The Learning tab on iPhone in Dark appearance: Today's Review with 13 due, split into 5 New, 3 Learning and 5 In Review, and Practice with the F2L Corner Quiz, the OLL and PLL Recognition Quizzes and the Execution Drill.

Two columns when there is room.

On iPad, and on the inner screen of iPhone Duo, lists and details sit side by side: the case next to its algorithms, the timer next to your times.

Home on iPad in two columns: Algorithms on the left with F2L, OLL and PLL, and on the right Today's Review with 13 due and Recent Practice with the T-Perm, Ua and Sune and the best time for each.
The OLL Sune case on the inner screen of iPhone Duo, in two columns. On the left, the case diagram, its probability of 1/54, Top set to yellow and Front to blue, the algorithm (R' U2 R U R' U R) with a 3D button beside it, an In Learning row and Drill This Case. On the right, the setup R' U' R U' R' U2 R, two algorithms with the first one ticked, a New Algorithm row and Add Note. The tab bar runs down the right edge of the screen.
A case page on the inner screen of iPhone Duo.

Questions before you buy.

Short answers about the method, the app and what you pay.

What is CFOP?

CFOP stands for Cross, F2L, OLL and PLL, the four steps of the most widely used speedcubing method for the 3x3 cube. It is also known as the Fridrich method. You build a cross, fill the first two layers in pairs, orient the last layer, then permute it.

I can solve the cube with the beginner method. Is this the next step?

Yes. Start with the Overview and Cross guides, learn F2L from its cases, and finish the cube with 2-Look OLL and 2-Look PLL, which take about 16 algorithms in place of the 78 of full OLL and PLL. Move on to the full sets when those feel comfortable.

Does it solve a scrambled cube for me?

No. Cube CFOP is a trainer, not a solver: it does not scan your cube or work out a solution for it. It teaches the cases of the CFOP method and helps you memorize, recognize and execute them. The Example Solve guide plays a whole solve, but of a scramble it deals itself.

Does it show the algorithms in motion?

Yes. Every algorithm plays on a 3D cube. You can step through it one move at a time, or tap any move to play up to it.

How many algorithms are included?

41 F2L, 57 OLL and 21 PLL cases, which is all of full CFOP, plus the 2-Look OLL and 2-Look PLL sets. Many cases include alternative algorithms, and every F2L case can be seen from four angles.

Can I use my own algorithms?

Yes. Add an algorithm to any case and choose it as the one you use. The editor has move keys above the keyboard and checks that what you enter solves the case. You can also give a case your own alias and a note.

How do the flashcards decide what to show?

Cases you add to Learning become cards. After each answer you grade it Again, Hard, Good or Easy, and the card comes back sooner or later to match: a new card returns within a minute after Again, and after a day once you grade it Good. You choose how many new cards to take each day, from 1 to 20.

Does practice change my review schedule?

No. The quizzes, the Execution Drill and the extra practice sets in Review are separate from scheduled reviews. Practice as much as you like; your due dates stay where they were.

What is new in version 7.0?

7.0 is rebuilt from the ground up. It adds the Learning tab with four-grade flashcards, the Report, the OLL and PLL Recognition Quizzes, the F2L Corner Quiz, the Execution Drill, 3D playback for every algorithm, four angles for F2L, guides to each step of CFOP, an Example Solve, Finger Patterns, your own colors and hold, Light and Dark appearance, two-column layouts on iPad and iPhone Duo, and hardware keyboard shortcuts.

I already own Cube CFOP. What happens when I update?

The update is free, and your favorites, edited algorithms and flashcard progress carry over. Your algorithm lists stay as they were; to take the new recommended algorithms, use Settings > Restore Default Algorithms.

Does it sync between my iPhone and iPad?

No. Your algorithms, notes and progress are stored on the device you use, and are part of that device's own backup. There is no account and no cloud sync.

Does it work with any 3x3 cube?

Yes. CFOP is a method for the standard 3x3 cube, whichever brand you turn, a Rubik's Cube or a modern speedcube. Set your cube's color scheme in Settings and the diagrams match it.

Is there a subscription, or ads?

No. Cube CFOP is a single purchase with no ads, no subscription, no in-app purchases and no account. It collects no usage analytics and sends crash reports only.

One purchase. Nothing else to buy.

Cube CFOP is paid for once on the App Store. Every case, every quiz, the drill and the guides are included, and version 7.0 is a free update for everyone who already owns the app.

Download on the App Store

For iPhone and iPad. Requires iOS 17 or later.

  • No ads
  • No subscription and no in-app purchases
  • No account: your algorithms and progress stay on your device
  • No usage analytics. The app sends crash reports only