Pop it

How it works

Each dome is a button. Press it and it sinks into the board with a low, rubbery pop. A pressed dome stays down; there is no way to "unpop" it except by flipping the board, exactly like the silicone toy. Flip whenever you like, even halfway through, and every dome pops back up on the other side. That side sounds slightly higher, because the domes are now being pushed the other way.

• Touch or mouse: press a dome. Use several fingers at once if you like.
• Keyboard: Tab to a dome, Space or Enter to press it.
• Vibration: on Android phones with Chrome, every pop gives a tiny buzz.

Why a pop it sounds the way it does

A silicone dome is soft, so it doesn't crack like bubble wrap. When it flips through, it makes a short, round tone that drops in pitch as the dome settles, plus a little rush of air. That falling pitch is what makes it sound like a pop it rather than a click, and it's what this page generates for every press, with a slightly different size and pitch each time so a row of pops never sounds copied.

Ways to play

• Go row by row, colour by colour.
• Pop the outside ring first and work inwards.
• Pop it with a friend: take turns, one dome or one row each. Whoever is left with the last dome loses (or wins, your rules).
• Count your flips. The counter remembers them in your browser.

Pop it or bubble wrap?

They scratch slightly different itches. Bubble wrap is about destruction: each bubble pops once and is gone, and the sound is a sharp crack. A pop it is about repetition: nothing is ever used up, every press is soft and round, and the "reset" is a single satisfying flip. Bubble wrap rewards speed and sweeping; a pop it rewards going slowly, one dome at a time. If you find yourself racing through bubble wrap, a pop it is the calmer of the two. If a pop it feels too gentle, the bubble wrap sheet is right there.

Small details on this board

• Each of the six rows has its own colour, like the classic rainbow toy.
• The board turns over with a short 3D flip; if your device asks for reduced motion, it just switches sides.
• Every dome is a real button, at least a fingertip wide, so it's comfortable on a small phone.

A slow-down exercise

Try popping the whole board as slowly as you can: one dome, a full breath, the next dome. Listen to each pop until it fades completely before pressing again. It takes a couple of minutes for one side, and it turns a quick fidget into something calmer. Then flip and do the other side twice as fast, just to feel the difference.

Limits

It's a single board with one layout. Sound starts after your first tap, and iPhones mute web audio on silent unless the "Play with the silent switch on" box is ticked. There is no vibration on iPhone, because Safari doesn't offer it to websites.