Getting into the same session as someone you know — rather than being dropped in with strangers — is the part of 8 Ball Pool that people actually search for. Here is the whole process, start to finish.
Before you start
You each need your own copy on your own phone. 8 Ball Pool is on both the App Store and Google Play, so it does not matter which of you is on iPhone and which is on Android.
It is free to download, so there is no reason for one of you to hold off and watch over the other's shoulder.
Step by step
- Install it on both phones. Do this before you sit down to play — first-launch downloads are always bigger than you expect.
- Connect and challenge your partner to a match. This is the step that connects the two of you rather than putting you in a public lobby.
- Play a quick head-to-head game.
- Stay on a call while you set up the first time. Working out one game's friend system together takes five minutes; doing it over text takes half an hour.
When you cannot find each other
- Make sure you are both fully signed in, not playing as a guest — guest accounts are the most common reason a friend request never arrives.
- Check you have both got the app updated. A version gap can hide one of you from the other.
- Have the person creating the session send the invite rather than both of you searching at once.
- Restart the app on both phones before assuming something is broken.
Making 8 Ball Pool work as a couple thing
Once the setup is done, the question becomes whether you keep playing. 8 Ball Pool is best played as a running best-of series, and that shapes how to fit it into a week.
- Go one-on-one for some friendly competition.
- Easy to learn, satisfying to master together.
- Quick matches fit into any spare few minutes.
Agree on how long a session is before you start. "One more round" is how a ten-minute game eats an evening.
Similar games worth having installed
- Golf Battle — Golf Battle is a fast, playful mini-golf game where players race to sink putts across creative courses.
- Bowling Crew — Bowling Crew is a slick 3D bowling game with quick 1v1 matches.
- Tennis Clash — Tennis Clash is a real-time 1v1 tennis game with simple swipe controls and surprisingly deep progression.
More of the same kind on our category page.
Where to go next
Whatever you decide about 8 Ball Pool, it is worth having one calm game in the rotation too. Ours is Our Flower Garden: a single garden you both tend, with no pressure to keep up.
- Is 8 Ball Pool Cross-Platform? iPhone & Android
- Is 8 Ball Pool Multiplayer? How to Play It Together
- How to Play 2 Player Games: The Challenge With Friends
- How to Play Among Us With Friends
- Our full list of the best mobile couple games
Frequently asked questions
- How do I play 8 Ball Pool with my partner?
- Install 8 Ball Pool on both phones, connect and challenge your partner to a match, then start a session together. The friend step is what keeps you out of a public lobby.
- Can you play 8 Ball Pool with friends as well as your partner?
- Yes — the same friend system that connects the two of you works for a wider group, so 8 Ball Pool scales up on the nights you want company.
- Why can't my partner see me in 8 Ball Pool?
- Usually one of you is signed in as a guest, or one copy of the app is out of date. Sign in properly on both phones, update both, then send the invite from one side rather than searching from both.
- Do we need to be in the same room to play 8 Ball Pool?
- No. 8 Ball Pool plays online, so the two of you can be anywhere as long as you both have a connection.
