# Trivia Bowl Buzzer

> Bluetooth buzzer system for iOS devices in trivia competitions. (iPhone/iPad app by Harper Wallace.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trivia-bowl-buzzer/id1078581252 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Harper Wallace](https://appshunter.io/developer/1406144691)
- Category: Games, Education, Trivia
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.50/5 from 284 App Store ratings · 54 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 12 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2016-02-03
- Data updated: 2026-07-21
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trivia-bowl-buzzer/id1078581252/reviews.md

## What is Trivia Bowl Buzzer?

Trivia Bowl Buzzer is perfect for any fast-paced, Jeopardy!-style trivia competition (many such competitions are called Scholars' Bowl, Quiz Bowl, or Academic Bowl).  Players use separate devices to buzz into the Game Host's device.  Upon buzzing, the Player's device sounds and vibrates, and the Game Host's device indicates which Player has buzzed in, while preventing all other Players from buzzing in.

This app uses Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) capabilities to connect multiple iOS devices (which act as buzzers) to a central hub, eliminating the need for wired buzzer systems.

THEREFORE, Trivia Bowl Buzzer is compatible only with the following devices:
- iPhone 4S and more recent
- iPod Touch 5 and more recent
- iPad 3 and more recent
- iPad Mini (all models)
- iPad Pro (all models)

Note that devices running Version 1.0 will not be compatible with devices running Version 2.0 as a result of the added functionality in Version 2.0.  It is therefore necessary that all devices update to the newest version of Trivia Bowl Buzzer.

Disclaimer:
Note also that, due to the nature of Bluetooth connections, various complications could potentially occur during gameplay.  As a result, the timing of buzzing might not always be accurate (for example, distance might cause one device which actually buzzed in first not to register until after another device has buzzed in).  Thus, this app should not be used for any high-stakes competition or in place of any high-accuracy buzzer system.  Thank you for your understanding.

If you have any questions or comments about Trivia Bowl Buzzer, kindly email triviabowlbuzzerios[at]gmail[dot]com.

Thank you very much!

## Key features

- Device-to-device buzzer system
- Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) connectivity
- Host device indicates first buzzer
- Prevents other players from buzzing
- Sound and vibration alerts

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Game Host | $2.99 | one-time |
| Team Captain | $0.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Trivia Bowl Buzzer?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Great for trivia/quizbowl
- 👍 Fun for game nights
- 👍 Works well for practice
- 👍 Easy to set up
- 👍 Bluetooth connection works
- 👍 Host version useful
- 👍 Good buzzer functionality
- 👍 Can use with own questions

**Cons**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Disconnects players
- 🐛 Game resets on app switch
- 🐛 Screen sleep breaks connection
- 🐛 Unusable without purchase
- 🐛 Connection issues
- 🐛 Host not visible to players
- 🐛 Players not visible to host
- 🐛 Continue button not working
- 🐛 App flashes and closes
- 🐛 Requires re-purchase of host
- 🐛 Not working for all devices
- 🐛 Frustrating user experience
- 🐛 Waste of money/time
- 🐛 App disabled after review prompt
- 🐛 Forces rating repeatedly

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App has to be reset after switching apps
- App crashes when host tries to select players
- App closes due to inactivity
- Host loses connections when phone locks
- App crashes no matter what is chosen (version 2.0)
- Players disconnected, difficult to reconnect
- Unable to use host function after purchase
- Continue button grayed out/not active
- App crashes instantly
- Game host feature has many bugs
- Connection dropped for some players
- App will not open, flashes and closes
- Host version requires re-purchase
- Not able to select game in 'Find Host' screen
- App disabled after review prompt
- Connection is broken when host screen goes to sleep
- Kicked students out of the game
- Not letting me connect by pressing continue
- Paid version doesn't work
- Host unable to see any players
- No discoverable game after setup
- Teams cannot see discoverable games
- App seems unresponsive
- Always disconnected, made everyone restart
- App on host phone kept crashing
- App would randomly close due to inactivity
- Host paid for full version, but it crashed
- App will only display portrait, not horizontal
- No option to create a game name
- App purports to be freemium but is unusable without purchase
- Stopped connecting to other devices
- Kept crashing and kicking people
- Quit working altogether
- Would not let people join

**Most requested features**

- Allow players to reconnect without restart
- App should remember players and scores
- App should not disconnect on screen sleep
- Host should remember settings and continue
- Display buzzer in horizontal mode via Apple TV
- Extend question time limit past 20s

## Recent user reviews (10 of 54)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trivia-bowl-buzzer/id1078581252/reviews.md

### 1/5 — No good

*2024-05-18, version 2.1.0*

The entire game has to be reset every time someone click out out the app to look at a text or another app, or click their phone off.

### 2/5 — Don’t waste your money

*2023-03-16, version 2.1.0*

10 minutes of troubleshooting and still couldn’t get this to work for 2 teams.

### 5/5 — Awesome!

*2022-12-27, version 2.1.0*

Great!

### 1/5 — Very frustrating…. Stay away!

*2022-12-11, version 2.1.0*

It spoilt our game night!!! We all left the games frustrated

### 1/5 — Does not work - rip-off

*2022-06-02, version 2.1.0*

I tried to use this product several times. It never worked with over 6 individuals. Every time your phone monitor hibernates for being idle for one minute you lose the whole game. Too many challenges to be efficient or worthwhile.

### 4/5 — Host version

*2021-03-21, version 2.1.0*

I have used this app for my academic bowl team’s practices for several years. I have purchased the host version for three different devices (my iPhone, a school iPad, and a substitute’s iPhone). All of a sudden the app will not open. When I try it flashes open and closes immediately. I went to the App Store and reloaded it, but it wants me to purchase the host version again. How can I use this app without purchasing it again?

### 1/5 — Don’t waste your money

*2020-10-10, version 2.1.0*

Purchased the ability to host and it would not connect to the other players. All phones being used were current iPhone Pro models.

### 4/5 — Pretty good

*2020-07-22, version 2.1.0*

Seems pretty good! I bought host version and so far so good!

### 1/5 — Waste of money

*2020-05-27, version 2.1.0*

Paid for the host and unable to use because it keeps knocking off the players and would also knock me off. Was really hoping to be able to use this.

### 2/5 — Needs improvement

*2020-02-16, version 2.1.0*

We paid for the game host feature but the app had lots of bugs. 
1) the connection dropped for some players occasionally and to add them back, the whole game needs to restart and everyone need to reconnect. The app should remember all the players and their scores and allow players to reconnect if disconnected. 
2) the connection should not disconnect if the screen sleeps. Specially for game host, it should remember last setting and continue rather that restart the game. 
If the above two issues are resolved, then it would be an excellent app for jeopardy or other group games.

## Frequently asked questions about Trivia Bowl Buzzer

### What does Trivia Bowl Buzzer do?

Trivia Bowl Buzzer acts as a wireless buzzer system for trivia competitions. Players use their iOS devices to buzz in, and the host device shows who buzzed first, preventing others from interrupting. It's designed for casual, Jeopardy!-style games.

### What are the key features of this app?

The app uses Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) to connect multiple player devices to a host device. When a player buzzes, their device sounds and vibrates, and the host device displays the winner while locking out other players. This eliminates the need for physical buzzer systems.

### Is this app free to use?

The application is free to download and use, but it does offer in-app purchases. Specific details about what these purchases entail are not provided in the description, but it indicates a freemium model.

### What devices are compatible with Trivia Bowl Buzzer?

The app is compatible with iOS devices using Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE). This includes iPhone 4S and newer, iPod Touch 5 and newer, iPad 3 and newer, all iPad Mini models, and all iPad Pro models. All devices must be running the same version of the app for compatibility.

### Can I use this for high-stakes competitions?

Due to the nature of Bluetooth connections, timing accuracy might vary, and complications could occur. Therefore, this app is not recommended for high-stakes competitions or as a replacement for professional, high-accuracy buzzer systems. It is best suited for casual gameplay.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.1.0 — 2016-09-06

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Scoring
- Game Host can keep track of team and individual scores using custom-defined values for "Correct," "Incorrect," "Bonus," and "Penalty."

### 2.0.2 — 2016-08-22

Bug Fixes

### 2.0.1 — 2016-08-20

Bux Fixes
- fixed bug where device mode selection causes app to crash

Game Timer
- a countdown timer was added to allow hosts to limit the duration of a game
- (the Game Timer can be hidden and revealed using the "Timer" button on the upper right of the Host's screen)

### 2.0 — 2016-08-17

Teams Mode implemented:
- In Teams Mode, Players connect to a Team Captain, which connects to a Game Host.
- Up to 16 Players can connect to a Team Captain, and up to 16 Teams can connect to a Game Host.
- A Game in Teams Mode can consist of up to 17 x 16 = 272 Players (Team Captains also act as Players).

Individuals Mode improved:
- Up to 16 Players allowed to connect to a Game Host.
- Option to display 2nd and 3rd Player (or Team) to buzz.

General Improvements:
- Response timer duration extended (from 20 seconds) to up to 90 seconds.
- Players can see how much time remains to respond to a question.
- Once no time remains to respond, a "Time's Up" alert sounds for the Game Host and the buzzed-in Player.
- Gameplay setup instructions accessible in-app.
- Connections made to be more stable.

### 1.0 — 2016-02-03

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Trivia Bowl Buzzer

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Sporcle Party: Social Trivia](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sporcle-party-social-trivia/id1484143447) | 4.6 (2,611) | Free | Games |
| [Buzzer Blitz: Trivia Scoring](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buzzer-blitz-trivia-scoring/id1522809359) | 4.4 (12) | Free | Games |
| [Game Show Studio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/game-show-studio/id924249807) | 4.1 (18) | Free | Games |
| [Sporcle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sporcle/id1572007006) | 4.7 (3,906) | Free | Games |
| [Catch It! Phrase Party Games](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/catch-it-phrase-party-games/id973605105) | 4.5 (1,820) | Free | Games |
| [Trivia Questions and Answers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trivia-questions-and-answers/id1084185810) | 4.7 (2,124) | Free | Games |

## More apps by Harper Wallace

- [Logg](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/logg/id1029188364)
- [Trivia Bowl Buzzer - Full](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trivia-bowl-buzzer-full/id1150919297)

All apps by Harper Wallace: https://appshunter.io/developer/1406144691

---

*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 2026-07-21.*