Why I Downloaded Tap Color Pro: Color By Number
I’ve been using another color-by-number app for over a year—call it Old App X. It was fine until an update last month made it nearly unusable: constant freezes, ads that took over the screen for 30 seconds, and colors that didn’t match the numbers anymore. Tuesday night I hit my limit when it crashed mid-“Mountain Sunset” and lost my progress. So I started hunting for a replacement. Tap Color Pro had a high rating and the previews looked clean. Three days in, I can say it’s definitely more stable than what I ditched. No crashes so far, which is a win. But I’m not wowed. It does what it says—tap to fill numbered spaces with color—but the polish stops short of amazing.
Standout Features
The hint system is actually useful. In other apps, hints either give you the exact next number (killing the puzzle) or they’re useless. Here, tapping a hint highlights all empty cells for a color you’re missing. I used it twice on a tricky mandala with 40+ colors and it saved me from hunting through the palette. Another feature I like: the color palette is huge, maybe 500+ shades, and you can zoom in tight on tiny cells without the app lagging. That’s rare. I tested it on a detailed peacock picture—cells smaller than my fingernail—and it held up. The daily new pages are nice too, though I’ve only seen three so far: a fox, a lotus, and some abstract thing. Not life-changing, but it keeps me coming back.
Daily Use Experience
I’ve been coloring about an hour each night on my couch after dinner. The app feels responsive most of the time. Tap a number, pick a color, fill—it’s smooth. But I noticed a weird glitch Friday: when I switched from a large brush to a small one, the color preview stayed oversized for a few seconds before snapping to the right size. Not a dealbreaker, but annoying. The ads are present in the free version—maybe one every 15 minutes? They’re skippable after five seconds, which is fair. I’m not a fan of the “watch an ad for extra hints” pop-up that appears mid-coloring. I accidentally tapped it once and got a 30-second video for car insurance. The sound design is fine, but I turn it off. Most importantly, the colors match the numbers correctly, which is the bare minimum. My only real gripe: the color palette tooltip sometimes blocks the cell I need to tap, so I have to zoom out and back in.
Cost Breakdown
I’m using the free version. You get a decent library—maybe 50 pages or so—before hitting a paywall. The full unlock is $6.99 per month or $39.99 yearly. That’s steep compared to my old app’s $2.99 one-time purchase. There’s also a “VIP” tier at $9.99/month that removes ads and gives early access to new pages. I won’t pay that. For casual users, the free version is enough. But if you want all 500+ pages and no interruptions, it adds up quick. I’d consider $4.99/month max. Right now I’m just slowly working through the free stuff. If they offered a lifetime for $15, I’d probably bite.
Support Experience
I contacted support because of that brush glitch I mentioned. Submitted a ticket through the in-app form on a Saturday morning. Got an automated reply saying they’d respond within 48 hours. The actual response came Tuesday afternoon—so about 72 hours. Not terrible, but slower than I’d like. The answer was helpful: a rep named “Carlos” acknowledged the bug, said they’re working on a fix in the next update, and suggested clearing the cache as a temporary workaround. It worked for a couple days before the glitch returned. I appreciate that they didn’t blame my phone or network. No follow-up yet, but at least it wasn’t a canned response.
Privacy Verdict
The app asks for access to your photo library to save completed images—I blocked it and it still saves locally fine. Their privacy policy mentions they collect usage data and device identifiers for ad targeting. Standard stuff. No apparent Facebook login requirement, which is nice. I didn’t see any sketchy permissions like location or contacts. The ads are relevant, which suggests they’re using your general demographics, not your photo metadata. For a free app, I’d call it average—not creepy, not pristine. I’d still recommend using a VPN if you’re paranoid, but it’s no worse than any other freemium coloring app.
How does the hint system in Tap Color Pro work?
Instead of revealing the exact next number, tapping a hint highlights all empty cells for a color you're missing. This helps you find the right shade without spoiling the puzzle, which is especially useful for complex images with 40+ colors.
Can you zoom in on small cells without lag in Tap Color Pro?
Yes, the app handles tight zooming very well, even on tiny cells smaller than a fingernail. The reviewer tested it on a detailed peacock picture and reported no lag, which is a rare performance advantage over other color-by-number apps.
What should I do if the color palette tooltip blocks the cell I need to tap?
This is a known glitch where the tooltip can obscure your target cell. A quick workaround is to zoom out slightly and then zoom back in, which usually clears the obstruction without losing your place.
How can I fix the brush size preview glitch in Tap Color Pro?
Some users notice that switching from a large brush to a small one causes the color preview to stay oversized for a few seconds. This is a minor visual bug that resolves on its own, so you can just wait a moment or tap elsewhere to reset the preview.
How does Tap Color Pro compare to other color-by-number apps like Old App X?
Tap Color Pro is much more stable than the reviewer's previous app, with no crashes or color-number mismatches. However, it costs $6.99 per month versus a one-time $2.99 purchase, and the free version shows ads every 15 minutes, so it's better for stability but pricier for full access.
