Context
When I first saw the inZOI demo a year ago, I was genuinely impressed by how much of the game’s interface was mirrored inside the in-game smartphone. It felt potentially modern, immersive, and deeply personal—complete with map widgets, wishlists (notes), a planner etc. Unfortunately, in the current build, some interactions appear outside this hub, which undermines its potential as a central life-simulation tool.
Why It Matters
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The smartphone already functions as a partial companion—let’s complete the loop.
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Tile-based UI is ideal for gamepad navigation, especially with PS5 release approaching.
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Integrating music, photos and videos, social networking, wishlists, planning into the phone turns it into a true simulation hub.
Reference: Watch Dogs 2
Watch Dogs 2 shows how a smartphone can act as a unified gameplay hub. Here are key features worth adapting:
| Feature |
Watch Dogs 2 Implementation |
Potential in inZOI |
 ScoutX (ZOIgram) |
Take photos of city spots; upload to social app; receive NPC comments and rewards |
Use existing city spots; tag photos; unlock new poses, emotes, and social bonuses |
 Camera |
Take photos and selfies; sync with ScoutX |
Photo capture; used for documenting gameplay moments, memory tracking and gallery |
 Director’s Cut |
Record gameplay video; apply visual filters during capture |
Record gameplay video; apply visual filters |
 Media Player |
Choose genre; build playlists; stream music |
Choose genre; build playlists; stream music, personalize mood; sync with emotional state |
 Maps |
View mini-map; fast travel; see POIs and objectives |
View mini-map; fast travel; see Zoi’s location, POIs and objectives; currently accessed outside phone UI |
 Calendar |
- |
Planner system, see agenda, upcoming event; currently accessed outside phone UI |
 App Store / Boutique |
-, Each shop has unique UI and inventory |
Browse store apps via App Store; each shop has unique UI and inventory |
 Collections |
Track collectibles (e.g. masks, graffiti, relics) via DedSec App or ScoutX |
Track collectibles (e.g. family items, relics) via dedicated phone app |
Reference: Cities Skylines 1/2
In Cities: Skylines, Chirper is a clear allusion to Twitter — a miniature social feed where citizens post short, often quirky messages reacting to city events. What about ZoiTalks?
| Feature |
Cities Skylines 1/2 |
Potential in inZOI |
 Chipper / ZoiTalks |
Citizens post short messages about city conditions (traffic, crime, pollution, events) (Mostly ambient; not always tied to actual simulation logic.) |
NPCs post emotional reactions, rumors, life events, and Karma-based feedback. (Can be tied to Karma shifts, emotional states, and district-level dynamics, enabling multiple narrative scenarios.) |
Why Revive This Concept?
InZOI already has the foundations for these functions—or is just one step away from implementing them—and the aesthetic ambition to support it. The smartphone is halfway there; let’s finish the job with a refreshed, vibrant UI and deeper integration.
12 Likes
I really like this proposal, I hope it will appear and its own local social networks
4 Likes
MY understanding is that the phone UI is a work in progress. It has already improved since I’ve been playing. I think it’s one of things that we’re going to have to wait for.
2 Likes
The whole game is still WIP, of course, but this kind of phone UI brought me a lot of excitement and a real sense of immersion back in the day. I also noted an interesting implementation in the early InZOI demo, and finally decided to share it)
2 Likes
Yeah, I agree, it has so much potential
3 Likes
This would be incredible! Would love a system like this.
3 Likes
Make phones an actual item you have to carry, please! I want to have choice of brand, choice of case, maybe even alternative devices like a kaybug-style game console (See the Lenovo Legion Go S, the OneXPlayer “OneXFly” F1 series, and the infamous “Gizmondo” of the mid-00s for examples that are ergonomic yet “generic” enough to be used - the typical “horizontal beanbag-shaped silhouette” of the three devices means no one could sue for copying the general shape) or augmented reality goggles!
4 Likes
I genuinely cannot believe this hasn’t received more attention. This would be amazing, especially social media, where you could become an influencer, buy better recording equipment etc
3 Likes
I just think people haven’t fully realized yet that InZOI’s concept (unintentionally) is a potential contender for the big league. And that requires a deeper understanding of what made those games legendary. Sure, we can understand the supporters of Sims-style genre identity, but personally I believe it was the tens of thousands of people who came in and said “this is Sims + GTA” that actually drove the game’s sales. As a pure Sims-like game, it might hold around 5-10K players, but the tens of thousands were interested not exactly in that)
3 Likes
Exactly!! I think that the game is heading in a good direction, but it needs to branch out to being more than a cozy life sim — we need crime, more emotional dilemmas, more chaos. I really hope developers can see this as a start.
And to add onto it, I think they need to rework the text & smart zoi a bit, the texts you receive from others don’t feel very human, and the smart zoi thoughts feel more like poems than a thought or emotion 
2 Likes
Text message are in progress. Before you couldn’t even reply to texts, so what we have is an improvement. They’re still weird and it does look like AI is used a lot, but it will come together.
4 Likes
I think these are the sort of suggestions that the developers need to hear. It lets them know what players would like to see in the game. The parts that they enjoy and what they feel is missing.
What people want may already be in development, or it could be something that is outside the scope of the game. It could be that they implement some of the ideas in DLC. Either way, I think the feedback is great.
3 Likes
Look, there’s another goal here — to bring the developers back to their original pipeline. Kjun often said “unlike The Sims…”, and I kept wondering what exactly was supposed to be new in the genre. But when I see the same gardening system, it really REALLY frustrates me. Is there seriously no way to take a look at Farming Simulator? So I’ll support any message that references something outside of Sims — just so we don’t accidentally end up with several practically identical franchises.
2 Likes
I think that’s the point. Like making a good meal. You take a bit of this, a bit of that, mix it, cook it and make something good.
People want aspects of other games incorporated into this one to improve gameplay and immersion.
2 Likes
In this case, we’re simply dealing with different gameplay styles — The Sims is more cozy-gaming, while here it’s a pretty solid open world. Back in Sims 3, there was Store premium farm content, and that was actually a great starting point to start evolving.
2 Likes
I don’t think it’s necessarily about styles. It’s about adding things to the game that are missing or feel 2 two-dimensional. Like the driving. Vehicle control is awkward and needs refining, but no one is asking this to replicate a racing game
2 Likes
It’s disappointing that the most well rounded out suggestions receive the least attention!! I recently saw one talking about many more realistic and game enhancing features, including things adding more movement like vaulting walls, not having to wait for an interaction to go on stairs, jumping, etc. as well as grocery shopping, finding ingredients for specific meals. and more. This suggestion and that suggestion are some of the things this game truly needs!
2 Likes
Yes, many deep and well-thought-out ideas — some dating back to early Discord brainstorms — appear only once and therefore quickly get overshadowed by flashy and numerous ones. That’s just human nature. And as a developer, I can say this doesn’t always lead to improvement, since fragmented wishlists often result in equally disconnected and dull fragments of mechanics.
Like farming and mining — they were implemented in a mediocre way, just as requested. But if you take something from Farming Simulator or RDR2, it instantly feels new within this genre and more fun: Farming and Mining Improvements for Next-Gen Simulation Integrity
2 Likes
I love this idea a lot. The phone could be a fun thing for socials, popularity, your zoi’s emotions and more. We could also get a look into other Zois lives too, which would be very nice. Really hope they can implement this!
2 Likes
I quickly added ZoiTalks = Chirper/Twitter — we’ll keep refining the concept 
2 Likes
