First Impression
My buddy Mark kept bragging about his bowling stats from this app, so I finally caved and downloaded it on my Galaxy S23. I was fully expecting a “pro” version to just be a demo that pushes a subscription. The first thing I did was tap every menu looking for a paywall. To my surprise, the whole thing just… worked. It looked a little basic, not super flashy, but I had a profile set up for myself and my wife in under a minute. I figured for the price of a candy bar, I’d give it a shot at league night that Thursday.
What It Does Well
This app nails the simple stuff perfectly. Keeping score during a game is effortless. You just tap the number of pins you knocked down each frame. No more arguing with my teammate Steve about the math in the 10th frame after a couple beers. The stats are where it gets good for a numbers guy like me. After a few weeks, I could see my average was stuck at 158 and my strike percentage was pathetic in the early frames. It showed me a real pattern I was blind to. I also love that I can have separate profiles for everyone in my league group. Last week, I even used it to track a full five-person game when we had friends in town, and it handled it without a hiccup. It works in my local alley’s dead zone, too, which is huge.
Where It Falls Short
It’s not perfect. The social features feel like an afterthought. You can share a screenshot of your score, but that’s it. I wish I could easily send my full game history or stats to Mark so he could see my progress without sending ten pictures. The visual design is functional but dated. Some of the graphs in the stats section look like they’re from an older version of Android. Also, while you can track multiple players, managing teams is a bit clunky. If I want to save my usual Thursday night trio as a “team,” I have to select each of us every single time instead of having a saved group.
Is It Worth the Price?
Absolutely, and this is coming from someone who uses free versions of everything. It’s a one-time payment of $1.49. No monthly fee, no ads popping up while I’m trying to enter a score, no “pro features” locked behind another paywall. I’ve used it for several months now, probably over thirty league nights. That breaks down to about five cents per use already, and the value just keeps going up. Compared to any free ad-supported scorekeeper, the lack of distractions alone is worth the buck fifty.
Developer & Support
I haven’t needed to contact support because nothing’s broken, but I did poke around the app store reviews before buying. A lot of people mentioned the developer, Peter, by name. They said he actually responds to questions and fixes bugs. I’ve gotten a couple of updates since I installed it. One added a new way to view my average over time, which was a nice surprise for an app I already paid for. It feels like it’s maintained by one person who cares, not some big company that’s forgotten about it.
Privacy & Safety
This is a big one for me. The app doesn’t ask for any weird permissions. It doesn’t want my contacts, my location, or access to my files. All the data—my scores, my friends’ averages—stays on my phone. I checked its Data Safety section on the Play Store, and it confirms it doesn’t collect or share any user data. For a simple utility app, that’s exactly what I want. I’m not signing up for a service; I bought a tool. It feels private and self-contained.
Can I track scores for multiple players in a single game?
Yes, you can create separate profiles for everyone in your group and track a full five-person game without any issues. The app handles multiple players smoothly, and you can easily switch between them during a match.
Does the app work offline in areas with poor cell reception?
Yes, My Bowling Scoreboard Pro works perfectly in dead zones, so you can keep score even at a bowling alley with no signal. All your data syncs later when you reconnect to the internet.
How do I share my game stats with a friend who also uses the app?
The app only lets you share a screenshot of your scorecard, so you can't send full game history directly to another user. If you want to share detailed stats, you'll need to take multiple screenshots or send them manually.
Why can't I save a team lineup so I don't have to re-enter players every time?
The app currently lacks a saved team feature, so you have to select each player individually each time you start a game. This is a known limitation, and many users hope future updates will add a way to save regular groups.
How does My Bowling Scoreboard Pro compare to other bowling scorekeeper apps like PinPal?
My Bowling Scoreboard Pro is simpler and more affordable than PinPal, with a straightforward tap-to-score interface that's great for casual use. However, PinPal offers more polished social sharing and team management features, so if you need those, it might be worth the higher price.
