This is the practical version: how to get Play Together running on two phones with the two of you in the same session, and what to do when you cannot see each other in the friend list.
Before you start
You each need your own copy on your own phone. Play Together 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.
- Add each other as friends in-game. This is the step that connects the two of you rather than putting you in a public lobby.
- Meet up in a shared space or mini-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 Play Together work as a couple thing
Once the setup is done, the question becomes whether you keep playing. Play Together is the game you put on when neither of you wants to concentrate, and that shapes how to fit it into a week.
- Hang out and play mini-games in one shared world.
- Casual, welcoming and easy to jump into together.
- Customise your space and explore as a pair.
Give it a regular time rather than waiting for you both to feel like it. That single habit is what separates a game you play twice from one you play for months.
Similar games worth having installed
- Stumble Guys — Stumble Guys is a chaotic knockout party game where up to 32 players tumble through obstacle courses until one is left standing.
- Roblox — Roblox is not one game but a whole universe of millions of player-made experiences — obbies, roleplay, tycoons, horror and more.
- Plato — Plato packs dozens of two-player and group games — Ludo, dominoes, pool, word and strategy games — into one social app with built-in chat.
More of the same kind on our category page.
Where to go next
One more suggestion, unrelated to Play Together: keep something running that neither of you can lose at. Our Flower Garden is ours — a shared garden, tended a few minutes at a time.
- Is Play Together Cross-Platform? iPhone & Android
- Is Play Together Multiplayer? How to Play It Together
- How to Play 2 Player Games: The Challenge With Friends
- How to Play 8 Ball Pool With Friends
- Our full list of the best mobile couple games
Frequently asked questions
- How do I play Play Together with my partner?
- Install Play Together on both phones, add each other as friends in-game, then start a session together. The friend step is what keeps you out of a public lobby.
- Can you play Play Together with friends as well as your partner?
- Yes — the same friend system that connects the two of you works for a wider group, so Play Together scales up on the nights you want company.
- Why can't my partner see me in Play Together?
- 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 Play Together?
- No. Play Together plays online, so the two of you can be anywhere as long as you both have a connection.
