Support

Balldog is live group pool in one iMessage bubble.

How to play

1. Install Balldog from the free iPhone beta: balldog.app/beta. The link installs Apple’s TestFlight app first, then Balldog. Open the app or Balldog inside Messages, choose a character and enter your display name.
2. Tap the apps button in Messages, then Balldog — not Camera.
3. Host picks Standard (3 lives) or Sudden death (1 life), then sends the table bubble.
4. Friends tap that same bubble and Join. Before the first serve they sit down at once. Between matches or mid-match they join the next match, which starts when the host taps Play again. A table seats up to eight.
5. Drag the white cue onto the highlighted cloth, then flick it to throw. Serve from the highlighted kitchen; after contact, use the highlighted opposite half. Shots do not send a new iMessage.
6. After contact, the next seat throws while the object still rolls. If the red stops during a rally, the player on the clock loses a life — even with a throw still in the air. If the red is pocketed, the next player loses a life and the player after them serves. Serves are exempt.

Friends without Balldog

Anyone in the chat who doesn’t have Balldog yet sees a card with a link to get it. On iPhone the link leads to the beta; once Balldog is installed, they go back to Messages, tap the same table and Join. Friends on a Mac or Android phone can follow the score on that page, but the game itself runs in Messages on iPhone.

Your controls and avatar

From a legal placement, flick the white ball to throw it. There is no cue stick, aim line, power lever, or spin control.

Choose Avatar before sending or joining a table, or tap your own portrait during a match. You can also edit your name and avatar from the home screen or Settings. Setup is shared between the app and Messages on this iPhone. Your profile is saved locally for the next game and backed up when online. There is no account or cross-device sign-in.

Leaving and returning to a game

Your seat and lives stay with the table when Messages closes or your connection drops. Reopen the same bubble on the same device to reconnect. Live rallies keep running: the player on the clock can still lose a life when the red ball stops or pockets. Shots and drags made while disconnected are not sent later.

An unplayed serve waits for its player; leaving does not pass host control or replace you with a bot. If the host leaves a lobby, wait for them to return or create a new invitation. Idle lobbies and unplayed serves close after 24 hours. Finished tables are retained for 7 days; after that, create a new invitation.

New players can join at any time: before the first serve they sit down at once, and after it they wait for the next match. Opening a forwarded bubble does not grant another player’s seat. If your device no longer has its seat credentials, create a new table. Profile backup does not transfer game seats to another device.

Need help?

Email danny@bizzy.sh. Please include your device model, iOS version, and what happened. See our privacy policy for privacy questions and deletion requests.

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