Yes — BamBuddies is free for players. No ads, no paywalls, no usage caps on games, groups, invites, or chat. We're funded by partnerships with mahjong-friendly brands. Clubs, leagues, and tournament organizers have a paid plan with more tools — get in touch if that's you.

Everything that usually eats your messages thread:

• Sends invites with date, time, place, and a one-tap RSVP
• Fires reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before the game
• Confirms the game once minimum players accept
• Gives each game its own chat thread for snacks, directions, and day-of changes
• Pushes you when someone accepts, declines, or backs out
• Auto-offers the open seat to your group when someone drops

You stop being the group-chat foreman.

When you build a game roster you can either Add a player straight into the confirmed seat or send them an Invite they have to accept.

• Add drops the player in pre-confirmed — they still get a notification, but the seat is locked. Use it for people you already know are in (your spouse, the regular who never misses Thursday).
• Invite sends a push (or email / SMS if they're not on the app yet) with a tap-to-accept link. The seat stays open until they accept or someone else fills it.

You can mix and match in a single game.

• Group game — tied to one of your saved groups. Every active group member gets auto-invited the moment you create it. Best for your weekly Thursday-night crew or the office league.
• Invite-only game — bespoke. You pick the players one by one. Best for one-off mixes or when you want a different lineup than your usual.

Either type can also be opened to local players via Discover once you've covered your friends.

Yes. When you create a game, bump the player count above four and BamBuddies sets up multiple tables automatically. You can pin players to specific tables and seats from the organizer view, or let auto-fill handle it. Each table has its own seating layout in the game detail; the game chat thread spans every table so everyone stays coordinated.

Yes. When you create a game, tap Make this recurring and pick a cadence (weekly, biweekly, monthly). BamBuddies generates the next game automatically a few days in advance, auto-invites your regulars (for Group games) or copies the previous roster (for Invite-only), and notifies you to confirm. Set up your Thursday night once and the app keeps it running.

Yes — open the game and tap Edit. You can change the time, place, player count, or skill level after invites have gone out. Every invited or confirmed player gets a push notification with the change, and the game chat thread gets a system note so no one shows up at the old spot.

• If they're already on BamBuddies, they get a push notification and the invite shows up in their Inbox.
• If they're not on BamBuddies yet, we send them an email (and an SMS if you provided their phone) with the game details and a deep link. Tapping the link opens the App Store, they install + sign up, and land directly on the game they were invited to — no hunting for it. We don't bug them again after that single invite unless you re-invite them.

You don't have to do the "did you get my text?" follow-up.

BamBuddies pushes for:

• New invites
• RSVPs to games you organize (someone accepted or declined)
• Reminders 24h and 1h before each confirmed game
• Game chat messages
• Spot openings when a confirmed player backs out — your group sees it first

You can fine-tune which categories you receive in Profile → Settings → Notifications, or mute a single game from inside its chat thread.

Yes. Each confirmed game adds itself to your iOS Calendar (with your permission) — title, location, time, and a deep link back to the game. Time changes, location changes, and cancellations all sync the same way, so the calendar entry on your phone is always the source of truth.

Only with your permission, and only to make inviting friends faster. When you tap Invite players, you can pick from your iOS contacts directly — we send an invite by email or phone to the people you select. We never upload your full address book to our servers, and you can revoke contact access in iOS Settings any time.

Groups are private rosters for people who play together regularly — a weekly crew, a neighborhood, a company team. Create a group in the Groups tab and invite members by code, email, or phone. Once people are in your group, every Group game you schedule auto-invites them, and you can chat with the whole group between games.

Open the Discover tab — we'll show open games within 25 miles. Filter by skill, game type, or time. You can also open up your own game to local players when you have an empty seat: edit the game and toggle Open to local players. Most BamBuddies activity is between friends, so Discover is mainly for travel, growing your circle, or filling a last-minute seat.

On the sign-in screen, tap Forgot password? and enter the email you used to sign up. We'll send a reset link. If the email doesn't arrive within a few minutes, check your spam folder or email hello@bambuddies.org and we'll reset it manually.

In the app, go to Profile → Settings → Delete Account. The action is permanent — your profile, games, groups, and messages are removed within 30 days, and your email is freed up for re-registration. If you can't access the app, email us and we'll process it manually.

Tap the three-dot menu on any player's profile or message and choose Report. Tell us what's happening and we'll review within 24 hours. For urgent safety concerns, email hello@bambuddies.org with "URGENT" in the subject.

Not yet — Android is on the roadmap. In the meantime, the web app works great on Android browsers.

Yes — we support clubs, leagues, and community organizations. Email clubs@bambuddies.org or use the contact form and we'll set up your organization.