Help and how-tos
Step by step: setting up Gather, joining, every game on the TV and on your phone – and what helps when something doesn’t work.
Setting up
- Set up Gather on Apple TV and open a roomHow to start a game on Apple TV: pick a game, open a room, let everyone scan the QR code and play – step by step.
- Use an iPad or Mac as the game tableNo Apple TV? With “Use as game table”, your iPad or Mac shows the board for everyone – and a Mac can put it on a TV or projector.
- Play without a TV: your iPhone as the hostEleven games need no TV at all: your iPhone becomes the board and friends on the same Wi‑Fi join with a code – in the app or a browser.
- Play on your own against the computerTwelve games in Gather let you play the computer – right on your iPhone, or on the TV, where it fills empty seats.
Joining
- Join with the QR codeScan the QR code on the TV with your phone’s camera or the scanner in the Gather app – and you’re in the room within seconds.
- Join with the room codeHow to enter the six-character room code in the Gather app – where the field is, what the code looks like and what to do if it fails.
- Play in a browser without the appGuests don’t need the app: scan the QR code, pick a name and an animal avatar, join. No account – on the same Wi‑Fi or through gathergames.de.
- Join straight into the app with an invite linkWith Gather on your iPhone, the QR code and invite links open the app instead of the browser. How it works and what to do if it doesn’t.
- Change your name and animal avatarHow to change your name and animal avatar in Gather – in the app under “Profile”, in a browser when you join. And what Apple TV has instead.
- Get back to your seat after a dropoutBattery died, app closed, page reloaded? Here’s how to get back to your old seat in Gather – in the app and in a browser.
Games with Gather
- How to play Chess with GatherChess in Gather: pick a time control and your color, move on your phone, offer a draw and get a rematch with colors swapped – with or without a TV.
- How to play Stack Rush with GatherStack Rush in Gather: open a room, get ready, tap a card, choose a glowing build pile and end your turn with a discard – for 2 to 6 players.
- How to play Corner Chaos with GatherCorner Chaos in Gather: open a room, add computer drivers, hold your phone sideways as a wheel, hit the gas and fire items – the race runs on the TV.
- How to play Crazy Mau with GatherCrazy Mau in Gather: open a room, tap glowing cards, wish for a symbol, use “Draw” or “Keep” and hit “Mau!” in time – for 2 to 8 players.
- How to play Village at Night with GatherVillage at Night in Gather: check your role secretly on your phone, tap quietly at night, discuss by day and vote in secret – the TV is the narrator.
- How to play Say It Different with GatherSay It Different in Gather: teams Gold and Blue, card language and rounds set on the TV, the card on your phone, plus “Correct”, “Skip” and “Forbidden!”.
- How to play Four in a Row with GatherFour in a Row in Gather: play the computer or a friend, tap a column on your phone, watch the disc drop and rematch in one tap – with or without a TV.
- How to play Nine Men’s Morris with GatherNine Men’s Morris in Gather: place pieces with a tap, move and fly, then take a glowing piece after a mill – against the computer or a friend.
- How to play Checkers with GatherCheckers in Gather: tap a piece, pick a square, tap multi-jumps one hop at a time, use “Choose again” and rematch – with or without a TV.
- How to play Rummy with GatherRummy in Gather: draw, select cards, meld or line up, lay off on glowing melds, swap jokers, discard – and score the game after any round.
- How to play Sketch Round with GatherSketch Round in Gather: pick a word on your phone, draw with your finger, watch the picture appear live on the TV while everyone else types guesses.
- How to play Letter Hunt with GatherLetter Hunt in Gather: pick categories and rounds on the TV, type answers on your phone, call “Stop!” and review everyone’s answers together.
- How to play Quiz Night with GatherQuiz Night in Gather: set categories, length and language on the TV, read each question there and tap one of four colored buttons on your phone.
- How to play Sea Battle with GatherSea Battle in Gather: place your fleet secretly on your phone, tap a target and hit “Fire!” – two players or against the computer, with or without a TV.
- How to play Five Dice with GatherFive Dice in Gather: roll on your phone, tap dice to hold them, pick a box on your score card and score it – solo, against the computer or with up to six.
- How to play Cover Word with GatherCover Word in Gather: teams Red and Blue, the clue giver sees the key on their phone, the team proposes and reveals words – the grid is on the TV.
- How to play Fib Finder with GatherFib Finder in Gather: write a fake answer on your phone, tap the one you think is true among all answers, and watch the step-by-step reveal on the TV.
- How to play Little Max with GatherLittle Max in Gather: roll hidden on your phone, press and hold to peek, make your call, then believe or doubt – with or without a TV.
- How to play Thirty-One with GatherThirty-One in Gather: tap a hand card and a middle card to swap, or pass or knock – middle and lives on the TV, or everything on your phone.
When something doesn’t work
- Your phone can’t find the TV or hostGather can’t find the host? This checklist covers Wi‑Fi, guest networks, local network access, VPNs and joining by code or in the browser.
- The connection drops during a gameYour phone loses the connection mid-game? Here’s how to get back to your seat after the screen locks, you switch apps or change Wi‑Fi.
- Apple TV switched apps – is the game gone?Screen saver, sleep or another app on your Apple TV? Why the game depends on Gather staying open, and how to carry on playing.
- No sound in Gather? That’s by designGather plays no sounds and no music. Here’s the feedback you get instead: visuals on the TV and haptics on your iPhone.
- Too many or too few playersHow many can play? The player count of all 19 games in Gather at a glance – and where the computer fills empty seats.
- Change the language in GatherGather comes in 17 languages. How to switch it in the app, on Apple TV and in the browser – and what applies to quiz questions and word cards.
- Game controllers on Apple TV in Corner ChaosPair a PlayStation or Xbox controller with your Apple TV and race in Corner Chaos – including the layout for steering, gas, brake and items.
Explained
- What is Gather? The game box in briefGather turns Apple TV, iPad or Mac into a game table and phones into controllers: 19 games, free, no account, ads or purchases, in 17 languages.
- How your phone works as a controllerWho runs the game, what does your phone send, and why do cards and roles stay secret? The tech behind Gather, explained in plain words.
- Privacy in Gather, explained simplyNo account, no tracking: what Gather stores, what travels over your Wi‑Fi and our relay server, and what the camera, iCloud and Game Center are used for.
- Apple TV, iPad, Mac and iPhone comparedWhich device does what in Gather? Game table, host without a TV, controller and game controllers – Apple TV, iPad, Mac and iPhone at a glance.
- Glossary: game terms in Gather explainedCastling, double mill, 30½ or clue giver? The key terms from every game in Gather – explained briefly, the way the app uses them.
Didn’t find what you need?
Contact details are in the legal notice. Briefly describe which device and which game are affected.