BINGO AIR

Support

Bingo Air is made by one person. Email gets a reply.

If something is broken, confusing, or missing, write to me directly. There is no ticket system and no bot — just an inbox I read.

Get in touch

kevinmathew.apps@gmail.com

I usually reply within a few days. For a bug, it helps enormously to know both phones involved: the model and OS version of each, which one was hosting, and what you did just before the problem appeared. Bluetooth problems are almost always about a specific pair of devices.

The app has no crash reporting and sends nothing anywhere, so your description is the only evidence there is.

How to play

Bingo Air plays the 1–25 version of bingo — the one known in India as housie or tambola — rather than the American 75-ball game.

1. Each player gets a five by five card holding the numbers 1 to 25, in a different order on each phone. There is no free square.
2. Players take turns. On your turn, tap any number that has not been called yet. It is struck on both cards.
3. A completed row, column, or diagonal is a line. Every line you finish lights up one letter of B·I·N·G·O.
4. The first player to finish five lines and tap the BINGO! button wins. Tap it as soon as it appears — the other player is racing you for it.

Common questions

Do I need two phones?

Yes. Bingo Air is a game for two people in the same room, each with a phone. There is no computer opponent and no online matchmaking, so one phone on its own cannot start a game.

Does it need Wi-Fi or mobile data?

No. The two phones talk directly over Bluetooth. The game works in aeroplane mode as long as Bluetooth is on, and it works with no signal at all — on a train, on a flight, or anywhere with no reception.

How do we start a game?

One player taps HOST GAME. The other taps JOIN GAME and picks the host's name from the list. The host accepts, both players tap READY, and the game begins. Either phone can host; it makes no difference to play.

The joining phone cannot see the host.

Work down this list, as it is nearly always one of these:

• Bluetooth is on for both phones.
• The host has actually tapped HOST GAME and is on the waiting screen. A phone sitting in the lobby is not discoverable.
• Both phones are within a few metres of each other, with no bodies or walls in between.
• On Android 11 or earlier, location services are switched on. Android requires this before any app may scan for Bluetooth devices; the app never reads your location.
• Bingo Air has Bluetooth permission on both phones. If you refused the prompt, the app will tell you, and there is a button to open Settings.

If the list stays empty, have both players close the app fully, reopen it, and try again with the other phone hosting.

We got disconnected in the middle of a game.

The game ends and both phones return to the lobby. Bluetooth drops for ordinary reasons — a phone going into a pocket, someone walking away, another app grabbing the radio — and there is no way to rejoin a game already in progress. Start a new one; it takes a few seconds.

I tapped PLAY AGAIN and nothing happened.

If the other player has closed the app, left, or turned Bluetooth off, you will see that they have gone and return to the lobby. If it simply sits there, they may still be deciding.

Can I see the other player's card?

No, and that is deliberate. You cannot see their numbers, their marks, or how many lines they have. The first you know of their bingo is when they claim it.

How do I change my name?

Tap EDIT beside your name in the lobby. It is remembered between games. Note that while you are hosting, the name you choose is broadcast so nearby players can find your game, so use a nickname if you would rather not show your real one.

Does it collect any data?

No. No servers, no accounts, no analytics, no advertising. The only thing kept on your phone is the display name you chose. The privacy policy sets out exactly what passes between the two phones during a game.

Will it drain my battery?

Bluetooth Low Energy is designed to be frugal, and the app only uses the radio while you are hosting, joining, or playing. A few games will cost you very little. Nothing runs in the background once you leave the app.

I use VoiceOver, or I have reduced motion turned on.

Both are supported. Numbers, the board, whose turn it is, and each call are announced as they happen. With Reduce Motion enabled, the animations are skipped and everything appears directly.

Requesting a feature

Send it to the same address. Bingo Air is a small app and stays that way on purpose, so not everything gets built — but knowing what people are trying to do with it shapes what comes next more than anything else does.