Help and support

Getting started

What you need

• A Mac running macOS 26 or later, or an iPad running iPadOS 26 or later
• Wi-Fi that the host device and the players' phones can share
• A screen everyone can see: a TV or projector over HDMI or AirPlay, or the Mac's own display window (the big screen is designed for 1080p and up)
• Players with any phone made in the last few years. They play in their browser, there is nothing for them to install
• Your own music videos and music files, or an Apple Music subscription for streaming. No music is included with the software

A note on music rights

BeatsBingo plays the music and video files you provide. We actively encourage every host to comply with the copyright and public performance licensing rules that apply in their own country, especially when playing to a paying or public audience.

Your first five minutes

1. Open BeatsBingo. A 3-day trial of Home play starts automatically.
2. Add your own music and videos, or connect an Apple Music playlist. No music comes with the app.
3. Press Create Bingo Game, choose a grid size, press Create Game.
4. Press Open Display and put that window on the big screen.
5. Press Start Game. Players scan the QR code on the big screen and play.

Plans

• Trial: 3 days of Home play from first download.
• Home (Party Pass, one off): 48 hours unlocked from the moment you buy. Up to 10 players. Made for parties, birthdays and holidays.
• Advanced (weekly): full hosting. Up to 75 phone players, printed card packs, iPad remote control.
• Pro (monthly or yearly): everything in Advanced, up to 150 phone players and 300 cards in a single game, plus your venue's own logo and a sponsor slot on the big screen and printed cards.

You can see and change your plan any time in Settings under Support.

Music and playlists

Adding your own files

Drag video or audio files into the app, or use the Add Songs button. Track and artist names are read from the files' tags automatically. If a name comes in wrong, open the playlist and edit the title or artist on the song row.

Apple Music

Import a playlist straight from Apple Music. Streaming uses your own Apple Music subscription and needs internet on the night. Each imported song also carries an offline preview clip as a safety net, so a dropped connection does not stop the game.

From a USB stick or SD card

On Mac, plug it in and use Refresh External Files to point BeatsBingo at the folder. On iPad, use Refresh External Files and pick the folder in the Files picker (a card reader works). BeatsBingo remembers the permission.

Managing playlists

Double click a playlist to open the editor: rename the playlist, edit song names, search and sort, drag to reorder, remove songs. Right click a playlist for Duplicate, Save As and Delete. Save As exports a .bbp file you can move between machines.

Creating and running a game

Create the game

Create Bingo Game asks for a title, playlist, grid size (3x3, 4x4, 5x5) and how cards are dealt: printed cards, phone cards, or both in the same game. The preview shows a live sample card. Print packs export to PDF in A4 or Letter, one or two cards per page, with an ink saver option. Printed card packs are available on the Advanced and Pro plans.

How big should my playlist be?

The app needs at least 8 songs for a 3x3 game, 15 for 4x4 and 24 for 5x5, and every card in a game is a different combination of songs. A game holds up to 300 cards in total.

The table shows the minimum number of unique songs for each game size (duplicate tracks collapse into one on the cards). On top of these minimums we recommend adding at least 10 more songs: the extra headroom spreads the cards further apart, delays the first bingo, and builds the tension and excitement that make the night.

Minimum unique songs by total players (phones and paper together):

* Maximum 150 handsets per game. Bigger games use printed cards for the rest of the room.

Win conditions and clips

Choose one line, two lines or full house. Change it mid game if the room needs a longer round. Clips run 20 or 30 seconds, and Extend Track keeps a song going when everyone is singing.

The big screen

The display window shows a how to play loop between games, the join QR code and PIN, the now playing screen during clips, and the song reveal near the end of each clip. Put it on a TV with HDMI or AirPlay, or press the Join QR button any time to pop the QR code back up.

Players

Players scan the QR code and get a card in their phone browser. They tap songs to mark them and press BINGO when they complete the pattern. Claims appear on your host screen for you to verify, so nobody can cheat. The same phone rejoining gets its own card back.

Hosting from iPad

The iPad app does everything the Mac app does. Two extra tricks:

Big screen from iPad

AirPlay or HDMI the display to the TV, same as the Mac.

iPad as a remote control (Advanced and Pro)

Run the night from a Mac and carry the iPad with you. On the Mac, Settings shows a Controller pairing code. On the iPad, choose Pair as controller, pick the Mac from the list and type the code. The iPad then mirrors the full command deck: start, pause, next song, bingo checks, even the join QR. If the iPad's screen sleeps it re-pairs by itself, no retyping.

Branding (Pro)

In Settings, Branding, set your venue name and a sponsor name, and upload PNG logos for each. They appear on the big screen welcome scene and on printed cards. Names and logos are kept when your plan changes, and come straight back when you upgrade.

Troubleshooting

Players cannot join

• Phones must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the host device.
• Venue guest networks sometimes isolate devices from each other. Ask for the staff network, or use a travel router or a phone hotspot the host device also joins.
• The big screen footer shows the join address. If the QR will not scan, players can type the address and PIN.

A song will not play or is wrong

Skip it with Next Song. To fix names, open the playlist editor and edit the row, or use Refresh Names from File Tags after fixing the file's tags.

The app says a phone is on the wrong network

That warning means a player's phone joined from a different network than the host. They can usually still play, but if they lag, move them to the host's Wi-Fi.

Something else went wrong

Settings, Support, Send Error Report creates a report file with technical details from the app. Share it to us and we can usually see exactly what happened. Reports are only sent when you choose to share them.

Plans, billing and refunds

• Buy, upgrade or downgrade any time in Settings under Support, View Plans.
• Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple ID subscription settings.
• The Party Pass is a one off purchase, not a subscription. It never renews.
• Refunds are handled by Apple: reportaproblem.apple.com