Utilities · Track 01 of 02
Magic 8 Ball
Ask a yes-or-no question, give it a shake, and watch the answer float up. For fun, and for settling who makes the tea.
How to ask the Magic 8 Ball
- Think of a question that can be answered yes or no, and type it in if you like.
- Select Shake, or press Space. On a phone, you can turn on shaking and shake the phone instead.
- Watch the answer float up in the window. Ask again as often as you like.
Your question stays with you
The Magic 8 Ball runs entirely in this page. Your question isn’t saved or sent anywhere; the ball never even reads it, which may be the secret of its wisdom. Here's how you can check.
Questions
- Is it really random?
- Yes. Each shake picks one of the twenty answers using your browser’s cryptographic random numbers, the same kind used to make passwords, and every answer is exactly as likely as any other. It doesn’t look at your question, the time or your last answer.
- What can it say?
- The twenty answers of the classic toy: ten say yes, five say no, and five are non-committal, like “Reply hazy, try again”. So the odds lean optimistic: half of all shakes say yes.
- Should I take its advice?
- For what to have for lunch, go for it. For anything that matters, ask someone who knows you. It’s a toy, and a cheerful one.
- Why doesn’t shaking my phone do anything?
- Turn on “Shake the phone to ask” first. iPhones and iPads then ask whether this page may use motion; choose Allow. Some browsers and computers have no motion sensor, so the button and the Space bar are always there too.
- Is my question saved or sent anywhere?
- No. It stays in the text box on your device and disappears when you leave the page. The site counts that the ball was shaken, never what you asked.