# First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere — Mahj Guide-lessons & solo play > Pocket companion for learning, teaching, and playing American Mahjong. (iPhone/iPad app by Kelly Faris.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bloom-mahjong-anywhere/id6768630772 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Kelly Faris](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896591341) - Category: Games, Education, Board, Strategy - Price: $4.99 - Rating: 4.80/5 from 70 App Store ratings · 21 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.1 · 71 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2026-05-30 - Data updated: 2026-08-28 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bloom-mahjong-anywhere/id6768630772/reviews.md ## What is First Bloom? First Bloom - Mahjong Anywhere is a pocket companion that every American Mahjong player has been waiting for. Whether you're a total beginner trying to understand the tiles for the first time, a seasoned player who wants a quick reference during game night, or a teacher looking for a modern alternative to printed handouts - this app has you covered for 2026 Mahjong play and practice. COMPLETE LESSONS Work through a full library of structured lessons covering everything from tile basics and Charleston rules to hand categories, scoring, and strategy. Learn at your own pace and track your progress as you go. QUICK GUIDES Designed for real-life play. Each guide is clean, screenshot-friendly, and laid out so you can pull it up mid-game or share it with players at the table. No more paper cheat sheets. DAILY TIPS A new Mahjong tip every day to sharpen your game over time - perfect for the commute, coffee break, or the five minutes before your group sits down to play. QUIZZES Test your knowledge with tile identification and strategy quizzes. Track your scores and watch your skills improve across multiple difficulty levels. SOLO PLAY Practice the Charleston and work through hands on your own with a fully interactive solo game mode. Features multiple visual themes designed to be refreshed for seasons, holidays, and special occasions so the app always feels fresh. FOR TEACHERS First Bloom (and subsequently Bloom Mahjong Anywhere) works beautifully as a digital companion to in-person lessons. Share quick guides on screen, assign quizzes to students, or simply replace the stack of printed references you've been lugging around. The app is a great take home offering for reference for your students! BUILT FOR PLAYERS, BY PLAYERS No ads. No subscriptions. No internet connection required. Just everything you need to learn, teach, and play American Mahjong — all in one place. First Bloom (and subsequently Bloom Mahjong Anywhere) is an independent educational app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Mah Jongg League, Inc Sounds Provided by Freesound: S: Level Up 01 by mokasza | License: Attribution 4.0 | S: sfx_win_3.wav by Mihacappy | License: Creative Commons 0 | S: Pushing Large Stones Down Shoreline on Stony Beach 2.wav by F.M.Audio | License: Attribution 4.0 S: Lowering Door Handle 2.wav by F.M.Audio | License: Attribution 4.0 | S: Raising Door Handle Slowly 5.wav by F.M.Audio | License: Attribution 4.0 | S: Interface Delete 4.wav by F.M.Audio | License: Attribution 4.0 S: Interface Exit 2.wav by F.M.Audio | License: Attribution 4.0 ## Key features - Structured Mahjong lessons - Quick reference guides - Daily Mahjong tips - Tile and strategy quizzes - Interactive solo play mode - Digital tool for teachers ## Chart rankings - #55 in Top Paid · Board (US App Store) - #148 in Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 21) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bloom-mahjong-anywhere/id6768630772/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Wish it was optimized for iPad *2026-07-03* The lessons are great. Wish you could sort the tiles on your own. When I played the bloom version it doesn’t have an auto sort button that allows you to sort the tiles. Makes it too difficult to keep track of the hand you have or don’t have. ### 5/5 — Solo play and great interface *2026-06-20* This app is amazing for practicing mahjong solo! The interface is way better than other Mahj apps I’ve tried **Developer response:** Thank you for your kind words! We’d love if you’d be willing to share with friends ❤️ ### 5/5 — Wonderful Instruction and Tips *2026-06-19* A fantastic and easy to use app to level up your Mahjong game. Lots of great instruction and tips. Perfect if you want to practice on your own without a full set up of actual tiles. **Developer response:** Thank you for this thoughtful response! Reviews really help small app developers and you are so appreciated. Please share in your circles. We’d love to spread the mahjong love as far as possible. ### 5/5 — Mahjong Mastery! *2026-06-16* Definitely the most fun (and informative) app/game I’ve downloaded. Pretty obsessed that I have to play a round or two before bed each night. Not only is it fun but I love the trivia and lessons to help up my game for mahjong nights! Instant fan. ❤️❤️🥰🥰 **Developer response:** Thank you for writing a review! People like you help small business grow and we value all the feedback. ### 5/5 — Mahjong App *2026-06-15* Great app for beginners learning Mahjong. Also great way to practice without having 4 people to play with. **Developer response:** Thank your for your review! Sharing feedback like this really helps. We are so excited to offer this to the growing mahjong community! ### 5/5 — Love the solo play! *2026-06-15* This app is very informative on the initial rules and setup of American mahjong, with the added bonus of a section on strategies and the opportunity to play solo. The solo play is wonderfully built: the “sort rack” button is amazing! It allows me a quick practice on choosing hands and thinking strategically. ### 5/5 — Great App! *2026-06-14* This app is great for beginners and experienced players. It’s easy to use and I love the built in reminders and fun tiles! ### 1/5 — Horrible *2026-06-14* Am I supposed to be able to play here? **Developer response:** Hi Rain1970 — thank you for giving First Bloom a try! To start a game, open the app and tap solo play: that’ll take you straight to the table where you can play solo mahjong. Solo mahjong practice is the best way to increase your speed with pattern recognition using any card you choose. If something isn’t loading or you’re getting stuck on a particular screen, we’d genuinely love to help get you up and running. You can reach us directly at hello@bloomstudiosco.com and we’ll walk you through it. We hope to win you back to more stars once you’re playing! ### 5/5 — Beginner Friendly! *2026-06-07* Really love this app. After taking in-person mahjong lessons, it helps me continue to practice solo. The app developer welcomed my feedback and incorporated some of it. I now understand Charleston and some of the nuances I didn’t quite get before. **Developer response:** Thank you so much for your review. We are so happy this app is out for the mahjong community at large! Please share with friends! Appreciate you! ### 5/5 — Amazing for all players! *2026-06-07* Definitely the app I wish I would have had when I was first getting started but now that I know the game it’s fantastic for practicing solo and refreshers on the rules. ## Frequently asked questions about First Bloom ### What is First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere? First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere is a digital guide designed to help users learn, practice, and play American Mahjong. It offers lessons, quick guides, daily tips, quizzes, and a solo play mode. ### Is First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere free to use? No, First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere is a paid application. It is available for a one-time purchase price of $4.99 and does not require any subscriptions or in-app purchases. ### Does First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere have ads? No, First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere is ad-free. The developers have stated that the app contains no advertisements, providing an uninterrupted learning and playing experience. ### Can I play First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere offline? Yes, First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere can be used without an internet connection. The app is designed to function entirely offline, making it convenient for use anywhere. ### What age rating does First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere have? First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for users of all ages, with no mature content. ### How often is First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere updated? The latest version of First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere is 1.02, last updated on May 17, 2026. While specific update frequency isn't detailed, the app has received updates since its release on May 30, 2026. ### What devices support First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere? First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere is currently supported on iPhone and iPod devices. It is built for iOS mobile platforms. ### Does First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere offer multiplayer? The current description for First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere focuses on solo play and learning features. It does not mention any online or local multiplayer game modes. ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 1.02 — 2026-05-17 We've made the Solo Play experience much easier to follow and updated our app store screenshots! The Charleston now shows your tiles 3 at a time so you always know exactly what's being passed and received. Rack tiles are larger and easier to read, and the Declare Mahjong button has been moved to a prominent gold button for quick access in Self Declare mode. We also fixed win counting in Self Declare mode and updated the How to Play instructions. A future update will include full iPad accessibility. Thanks for learning with First Bloom: Mahjong Anywhere! ### 1.01 — 2026-05-14 Changed screenshot order. The review triggering was in the wrong spot as this is predominantly a teaching app and less about playing Mahjong. Resized some tiles on the Understanding the Tiles. fixed the two issues sent to me in email regarding the pre-release train and the bundle being invalid ### 1.0 — 2026-05-13 No release notes. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*