Support

Backgammon Room is made by one person, who reads every message.

Write to [email protected]. For a problem in a game, say what happened and, if you can, add a screenshot. For a problem with another player online, add their username.

Common questions

Can I play without a connection?

Yes, against the bots. They usually play from our server; when it can’t be reached (on a plane, in a tunnel), they play on your iPhone instead, at the same level, and the game just goes on. Reviews and the coach need a connection: a game you play offline is reviewed once you’re back online. Daily puzzles are saved a week ahead, and your finished games stay readable offline. Online play needs a connection, of course.

Are the dice fair?

Yes, and you can check. Against a bot, your iPhone picks a secret key before the first roll and shows its fingerprint (tap ⓘ during a game); every roll comes from that key, and the key is shown when the game ends. Online, the server rolls the dice: before the first roll it seals a secret number and shows its fingerprint, both apps add a secret number of their own, and every roll is worked out from the three. When the match ends, the server reveals its number and your app checks every roll; the match-over screen says so (“Fair dice: all 86 rolls checked”). If a check ever fails, we’re told at once. More on how the dice work.

How do I play online?

You need a free account (Apple, Google or your email). Open Play › Online, pick a match length and tap Play online. To play a friend, open Play › Friend › Friends and tap Challenge beside their name; to play anyone else you know, send them a challenge link from Play someone new with a link at the bottom of that page. The first time, you choose a username and a face. A Live match is played in one go, with a clock: 12 seconds a move that don’t count, then a time bank of one minute per point of the match. A Daily match is played over days: choose Daily, a day or three for each move, and tap Start a Daily match.

How do Daily matches work?

You have a day (or three, as chosen when the match starts) for each move: rolling and moving count as one. If you allow notifications, the app tells you when it’s your turn and again 2 hours before your time runs out. If your time runs out, you lose the match (if the match hasn’t really started yet, it’s cancelled instead). Your Daily matches are in Play › Online › Your Daily matches, the ones waiting for you also on Home, and you can have up to 20 at once, counting the ones still looking for an opponent and the challenges you sent. They have their own rating, the Daily rating.

How do I add a friend?

Open Play › Friend › Friends and tap Add friend: search for their username (3 letters at least) and tap Add; they get a request to accept. Not on the app yet? Tap Share a friend link and send it: whoever opens it in the app becomes your friend (it works for 7 days, for up to 10 people). After a match, Add friend is also on the match-over screen and on your opponent’s card. Friends see when each other is online and can challenge each other. To remove a friend, tap their name, then Remove friend: they aren’t told.

How do notifications work?

Backgammon Room only sends notifications about your matches and your friends: your turn in a Daily match (and a reminder 2 hours before your time runs out), a Daily match starting or ending, a challenge or a rematch, a friend request, a request accepted. Never ads. Choose which in Settings › Notifications, where you can also stop showing friends when you’re online. To turn them all off: iOS Settings › Notifications › Backgammon.

My clock ran out because of a connection problem.

Your clock keeps running while your app is away, as your opponent’s does when theirs drops: that’s what keeps a match from stalling. The app reconnects by itself and picks the match up where it stands. If your bank runs out meanwhile, the match is lost on time. In a Daily match, a move made without a connection is sent once you’re back online; if your time runs out first, the match is lost. If you think something went wrong on our side, write to us with the time of the match.

How do I report or block a player?

Tap their name on the board, in your friends or on a friend request to open their card: Report, Block, or hide their quick phrases. Report is also on the screen at the end of the match, and on the match in Profile › Your games (press on it). We look at every report within 24 hours. A blocked player is never paired with you again, can’t find you or send you friend requests or challenges, and stops being your friend; unblock them in Settings › Account › Blocked players. See the community rules.

How do I change my username or face?

In Profile, tap Edit. Your face can change any time; your username can change once.

Where are my games stored?

Your games against the bots, and against a friend on your iPhone, are on your iPhone only: they’re included in your iPhone’s backup if backups are on, and deleting the app deletes them. Online matches are on your iPhone for their review, and also on our server, because your ratings and your opponents’ records rest on them. See Privacy.

Is there real money involved?

No, never. Games are scored in points, ratings are just ratings, and nothing in the app can be bet or won.

How do I delete my data?

In the app: Settings › Account › Delete account (a guest: Delete my data). That deletes your account from our server, with your username, ratings and online record. Your past online matches stay in your opponents’ history as “Deleted player”. Your games against the bots stay on your iPhone until you delete the app. See Privacy for the details.