How it works

How to play photo bingo with Tilesy

Tilesy is a real-world photo bingo game: the host creates a game in the app, players join with a 6-character code, and everyone races to fill a 5×5 board with live photos. Here is the whole flow, from setup to the results reel.

Step by step

From new game to first photo in about a minute.

1

Create the game

Pick a pack — Household hunt and Nature hunt are free; Birthday bash, Wedding day, Team building, and School & kids come with Premium. A Premium host can instead create, preview, and save a custom list of 25–60 prompts. Choose First line wins or Full board — Blackout, then set an optional timer (the default is 20 minutes) and choose whether the center tile starts as a free tile.

2

Share the game code

The app generates a 6-character game code. Players install Tilesy, enter a display name and the code, and appear in the lobby — no accounts. Free games hold up to 4 players; Premium removes the limit. The host starts when everyone is in.

3

Tap a tile, take a photo

Every player gets a 5×5 board generated for them from the selected pack or custom list, so players' boards differ while each person's board stays stable after reconnecting. Tap a tile, snap the prompt with the in-app camera, and the tile is completed. Photos count when submitted, and the group decides whether each shot fits its prompt.

4

Reconnect if interrupted

If the connection drops, captured photos can wait safely on the device and upload when internet returns. If the app closes, reopening it restores an available lobby, active board, or just-completed results.

5

Reach the selected goal

First line wins means completing any row, column, or diagonal. Full board — Blackout means completing the whole board. The first goal-completing submission confirmed by the game wins. If the timer runs out or the host finishes first, the highest score wins. Two lines completed with one photo give +20 line bonus points, plus 1 for the photo.

6

Relive the results reel

When someone reaches the selected goal, the timer runs out, or the host finishes, Tilesy builds the recap: leaderboard, superlatives, each player's finished board, and a swipeable photo gallery. Everyone can save their own photos; Premium adds other players' photos and lets the host enable a password-protected, downloadable web gallery. Premium games stay available for 14 days (free games for 24 hours), and the host can request deletion sooner.

Scoring reference

How scoring works

Reach the selected goal to win. If time runs out or the host finishes before the goal, points decide the winner.

Completed tile
+1 point per photographed tile.
Bingo line
+5 points for each completed row, column, or diagonal.
Multi-line finish
Complete two or more lines with one tile to double their line bonuses. Two lines give +20 bonus points, plus 1 for the photo.
Blackout
+25 points for the full board. Completing it wins a Full board — Blackout game.
Center free tile
Optional. Counts toward lines but does not award +1.
Game goal
First line wins: any row, column, or diagonal. Full board — Blackout: complete the whole board. First confirmed goal-completing submission wins.
Timer or host finish
If nobody has reached the goal, the highest score wins. Tied scores are ranked by who reached that score first.
Cancel
Cancel without results stops the game for everyone without declaring a winner. Choose Finish & show results to keep the results.

Common questions

Know before you host

What is Tilesy?

Tilesy is a real-world multiplayer photo bingo game for iPhone and Android. A host creates a game and shares a six-character game code, and players race to fill a 5×5 bingo board by photographing real-world prompts with the in-app camera.

Is Tilesy free?

Tilesy is free to download and free to play. Free games support up to 4 players with no limit on the number of games, and include two packs: Household hunt and Nature hunt. An optional one-time Premium purchase unlocks unlimited players and all packs.

What does Premium include?

Premium is a one-time purchase — pay once, no subscription. It unlocks unlimited players per game, all challenge packs, custom prompt lists, saving or sharing other players' photos in the app, an optional password-protected web gallery, and 14-day game history. Packs are not sold individually. Current local prices are shown in the App Store and Google Play.

Do I need to create an account?

No. Nobody creates an account. Players install the app and join each game with a display name and its six-character game code.

Does every player need the app?

Each player joins from their own iPhone or Android phone with the game code. A pair or a small group can also share one phone and play as a single player entry. The website is for information only — games run in the app.

How do scoring and bingo work?

Every successfully submitted tile photo earns 1 point. Each completed row, column, or diagonal adds 5 bonus points. Completing two or more lines with one tile doubles those line bonuses: two lines give +20 bonus points, plus 1 for the photo. A full board adds a 25-point blackout bonus. The optional free center counts toward lines but adds no point. The selected goal determines the winner, not necessarily the highest score.

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iPhone and Android

Bring Tilesy to the next group thing.

Start with a free Household or Nature hunt, invite up to 4 players, and upgrade once when you need unlimited players or premium packs.

What are you planning to use Tilesy for?

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