Trying to find the Game Center App in your latest iOS version? But it’s nowhere to be found? Well, that’s by design (Apple’s choice.) If you use any iOS or iPadOS version above 10, there is no Game Center app anymore, instead, it’s a service found in your Settings app.
Many of our game-loving readers complain that Apple’s Game Center app is no longer available on their iPads, iPhones, and iPods. And some of us are really upset by this change.
We liked checking Leaderboards and seeing our friends’ stats across all our games. The Game Center app provided great encouragement to revisit and replay games, especially when someone beat out our highest score(s.)
Where is my Game Center? Check out our Video (or continue reading)
Yes, it’s true. Game Center is no longer a stand-alone app
But even though the app is gone, Game Center settings remain available in the Settings app in iOS and iPadOS (for iOS versions 10 and higher.). And Game Center is still part of Screen Time’s Content & Privacy Restrictions (or in older iOS, Restrictions) and even includes an option for screen recording.
It’s even a part of watchOS and tvOS! So Game Center is alive and well–just no longer an app for your home screen.
Game Center is Now a Service
So what this means for you is that while the app is gone, its functionality is still there. Think of Game Center as a service rather than an app.
So for all gamers out there, your Game Center Service continues to track your best score(s) on a leaderboard, compare your achievements, invite your friends to play, or even start a multiplayer game through auto-matching.
And you still receive notifications from Game Center, provided Notifications for Games is set to ON (Settings>Notifications>Games.)
Now everything that the Game Center app did is available directly in your game’s individual app. Check leaderboards, your achievements, view challenges, send challenges, and see your turns–all inside the game app itself.
If you want to manage your Game Center account, you do that in Settings.
Changing Game Center accounts
If you would like to change Game Center accounts, tap your Apple ID in Settings > Game Center > Apple ID and sign out.
You can’t, unless you want to downgrade your device to iOS 9–and that’s a lot of trouble!
Plus you miss out on all the great iOS features in the later iOS versions.
Use Game Center with iCloud to save scores and gameplay across devices!
make sure you turn on Game Center in your device’s iCloud settings to save your gameplay and sync to all devices that you sign in using the same Apple ID
To make sure your gameplay is consistent across all your devices, toggle on Game Center in your iCloud’s settings. Game Center should already be enabled by default but it never hurts to check!
What About Friends? How Do I Add or Delete Game Center Friends?
Use Game Center to play with friends in iOS 13+ and iPadOS
If you update to at least iOS 13 or iPadOS, you can once again send friend requests, manage your public profile, and even keep track of your high scores across all your same signed-in Apple ID devices using Game Center!
To create a Game Center profile
Go to Settings > Game Center
If needed, toggle it on and sign in
To add a name for your friends to see, tap the Nickname
Enter whatever name you want–if you don’t enter a name Apple choose one for you (we don’t recommend that)
To add a picture or even a Memoji to your nickname, tap Edit in the profile icon at the top of the page and select your image, choose an Animoji or Memoji, or create a new one!
Game Center Friend Management (iOS 11.3+)
With iOS 11.3+, Apple finally introduces a way to delete individual Game Center friends–something we’ve waited for since Game Center became a service instead of an app!
Starting in iOS 10 through iOS 11.2.6, your choices for friend management in Settings > Game Center were limited to Remove All Game Center Friends or nothing!
But with iOS 11.3+, there’s a new Friends option from the Game Center Settings Menu that allows you to access your friends individually. Finally!
Add or remove friends in Game Center
Go to Settings > Game Center
Tap Add Friends
Enter the phone number of the person that you want to invite to be friends in Game Center or tap the plus sign to invite your contacts
To accept a friend request, the recipient must click the link in Messages and use a device with iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 or above
Friend requests on older operating systems, computers, or Android devices do not work
Once that person accepts the request through the Messages app, find them on your list of friends!
Toggle on Nearby Players, if you want to connect to others to play multiplayer games
To remove a friend, tap Friends to open your list or use spotlight to search for it
Swipe the friend’s name and choose Remove to stop being friends with someone in Game Center
Think someone is cheating or inappropriate when using Game Center?
Go to Settings > Game Center
Tap Friends to open your list
Swipe the friend’s name or the recent player’s name and tap Report and follow the onscreen instructions
What about iOS 10-11.2?
If you want to manage your friends, you do that in the game app or add new friends using Facebook, if the game app is linked to your FB account. Unfortunately, though you still have your friends list in Game Center Settings, you can’t delete friends individually when using iOS 10-11.2.6. You either delete them all or none at all.
Consequently, Game Center for iOS 10-11.2 does not allow you to add friends. All those things are now done through the individual game app or through games that link and sync to your social media accounts–like FaceBook etc.
What Happens to My Game Now That Game Center App is History?
If your game is saved to your Apple ID, try logging out and then logging back into and then connect to game center from within the game itself. Performing those steps should restore your game progress and info.
And even though the Game Center app is gone, your game data is also likely stored safely on the individual game app’s or social media’s (like FaceBook’s) servers. These servers should retain all your Game Center info.
If you updated to iOS 10 and don’t see your game data when opening a game, open Settings > Game Center and sign back into your Game Center account to restore your game’s previous progress and any other information.
If your game is not yet connected to Facebook, connect it now
Open your game and tap a social button or icon
Tap the Facebook Login button and enter your FB’s email address and password
Tap the “Yes” button to confirm that you want to connect to Facebook
Once your game connects to Facebook, add (or remove ) Facebook friends and ask them to join a game!
Unlink Your Game from Game Center
If you’d rather not use Game Center now that it’s not a fully supported App, there is an easy way to unlink your game from Game Center.
Unlink All Games
Open Settings > Game Center
Toggle Game Center Off to Sign Out
Want to Remove Game Data from Game Center?
If you backup Game Center AND the specific game app’s data via iCloud, you can manage the storage on your iDevice or Mac.
For Macs
Go to Apple Menu >System Preferences > iCloud
Select Manage Storage
Look for the game in your list of iCloud App Data and select it
Choose Delete Documents and Data–this deletes that games data from all Apple ID connected devices!
A confirmation pops-up, select Delete to go ahead or Don’t Delete to retain your game data
For iDevices
Go to Settings > Apple ID Profile > iCloud
Tap Manage Storage
Look for the game in the list of apps that iCloud backs up data for and tap it
Select Delete Data–remember this action deletes all data for this game from all Apple ID connected devices
A message pops-up asking you to confirm the deletion
Select Delete to remove this data or cancel to keep the game data
Disable the Game Center Welcome Banner
If you are sick and tired of seeing that welcome banner each and every time you open a game that supports Game Center, there’s good news!
Removing that banner is as easy as changing just one setting. Go to Settings > Notifications > Games and turn off notifications.
Gaming Via Messages
Adding friends and inviting them to games is now handled by the individual game apps using iOS 10’s expanded Messages app.
So starting in iOS 10, within your game app you send a message to anyone in your Contacts and are immediately able to play a game with them. These messages are sent to your contacts as Game Center notifications.
You no longer add friends to Game Center. Instead, you invite people to play via iMessage for supported games.
Game Center support is implemented by each app developer. So it’s no longer Apple’s global responsibility but rather a game-by-game feature. Beloved Game Center features like leaderboards and achievements now show up individually in your game apps.
Invitations are sent to players from your contacts, to recent players seen online, and even nearby players on a local network playing the same game.
Players with legacy Game Center accounts also receive notifications from iMessages invites. Or send a rich attachment link to the game through the app store’s share button.
The invitation is sent as an attachment in iMessage to another iPhone or iDevice user.
One caveat is that everyone must have an Apple ID and an iCloud account to work.
Playing inside of Messages
With iOS 10+, we get to play games inside of Messages by downloading within iMessage itself. How cool is that?
Browse iMessage-compatible games
Just visit Apple’s iMessage App Store within iMessage
Tap the App Store icon within iMessage–it looks like the letter A
Select the menu button in the bottom left corner of the screen–looks like 4 circles
Tap the Big Plus Sign (+) named “Store”
Search for Turn-Based Games you like and download
Once downloaded, send challenges to friends within iMessage to start a game
If friends don’t have the game installed, they receive a message to install
Let the game fun begin! Each person takes a turn playing–one by one
While playing an iMessage game, you can continue chatting and messaging with others as normal. And having multiple active games in a single conversation or in multiple conversations is also possible.
So play a bunch of different games with as many friends and family members as you want–all at the same time!
iOS Gaming is Multi-Player Magic!
iOS 10+ is optimized for amazing multiplayer gaming experiences. A single game session now holds up to 100 players, along with smaller sessions of one, two, four, twelve, and so forth up to the 100 player maximum. You’re also able to set-up multiple players into teams!
Because Game Center is now specific to individual game apps and iMessage-based, you invite and play with anyone that you message for a true multiplayer gaming experience.
It’s also easy to send messages to multiple players or between players. These messages appear as Game Center notifications.
And players can send messages back and forth. Any player can send a message at any time; there are no restrictions.
All This Data!
Gaming on your iPhone or iPad is iCloud-based, so game data is shared and saved on each player’s iCloud account. This is what allows you to play with anyone with an iCloud account.
But all your game data comes at a price. Your game data is now stored in your iCloud account, and it does count against your iCloud limit.
So if you are a heavy gamer, you might need to upgrade your iCloud account to one of the larger plans. Remember that each iCloud account comes with 5GB of storage at no cost. However, your iCloud account is for everything–not just games.
Troubleshooting Game Center
If you experience challenges in playing games with your friends, getting an invite, or sending Game Center messages back and forth, here are a few tips that might just turn things around.
Tap Settings > Game Center > Your Apple ID
Tap on your Apple ID
Select Sign Out
Then Sign back in
These three steps above should help in solving many game center issues.
Tap Settings>Game Center
Ensure Game Invites>Nearby Players is ON
Restart your iDevice by powering off and then back on
Force restart your iDevice (iPhone or iPad)
On an iPhone 6S or below plus all iPads with home buttons & iPod Touches 6th gen and below, press Home and Power at the same time until you see the Apple logo
For iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus and iPod touch 7th generation: Press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo
On an iPhone 8 and above: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo
Tap Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically
Wrap Up
Playing games on your iOS iDevice is fun! And now we enjoy playing on our Apple watches too. Even though the Game Center app is gone, the support and many of the features are not.
So go ahead and challenge your friends, take a peek at leaderboards, and invite your friends, contacts, and even those nearby to play–all now directly through each game’s app rather than Game Center app.
To browse games, visit the App Store. Look for games that list “offers iMessage App” for the best iOS and iPadOS iMessage gaming experience.
So go ahead and send and receive Game Center invitations in Messages and tap on the link to take you directly to the game. And remember, if you don’t have that particular game installed, the link opens the game’s page in the App Store.
For most of her professional life, Amanda Elizabeth (Liz for short) trained all sorts of folks on how to use media as a tool to tell their own unique stories. She knows a thing or two about teaching others and creating how-to guides!
Her clients include Edutopia, Scribe Video Center, Third Path Institute, Bracket, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Big Picture Alliance.
Elizabeth received her Master of Fine Arts degree in media making from Temple University, where she also taught undergrads as an adjunct faculty member in their department of Film and Media Arts.
Hi,
I have iPad Air2 can’t launch my Game Center site!
Updates all updated. Tried signing out and in of GC.
Want to I date my profile’ change profile pic.
What if the data is not on icloud but still connected to the game center? Because I cant unlink my game from gamecenter but I also cant find it on my Icloud back up
For the past two weeks I haven’t been able to sign in to my Game Center
My game pobg mobile work by Game Center and I spend money to improve the game and I love the game and I can’t even play the game because I cannot signing in the Game Center
Please make sure that my Game Center is working well
I have 3 different accounts with Facebook and play some of the same Casino games on them.
On my computer, I switch accounts from one to another almost every hour with no problem, getting the game I want with the account it is under.
However, I tried switching Facebook accounts on my iPad, which I can do also, but the games from the primary account holder are still on the secondary account and if I log out and I open a third account, the same primary account game is still on, not the third account’s games.
I have been reading about Game Center and because I am using ONE device, this iPad which is iPad iOS 12.
How can I use one device for three different facebook accounts?
These games will not be compatible with Windows Desktop because of browser issues. Apple does not have this issue.
When you play these games, do you see a Welcome Back banner when you launch the game? If so, that means they are also connected to your Game Center account (your Apple ID).
What might work for you is completely signing out of Game Center–go to Settings > Game Center > then toggle it off–that should sign you out.
Once you sign out, close all open apps and restart your iPad:
1. On an iPhone or an iPad with no home button from the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen
2. On an iDevice with a home button, double-click the Home button and swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close
3. Swipe right or left to locate the app you want to close
4. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it
5. Repeat for all apps
6. Restart your iPad
After restarting, try playing your games with your various Facebook accounts. We also recommend storing all your facebook credentials in Passwords & Accounts so it’s easy to change between them.
There is no list of games that use Game Center (at least, not that we know of.)
If a game supports Game Center, you see the Welcome Back Game Center banner when opening the game.
To find out what games you already purchased or used, open the app store and navigate to your purchased apps section–that shows you all the apps you’ve purchased using that Apple ID.
To see what games are installed on your device, go to Settings > General > Storage and scroll through the list of apps installed on your iDevice.
Sorry, we can’t offer more help on locating what games you have.
Your Game Center account is your Apple ID. You can always create a new Apple ID on a Mac, Windows PC, or and iPhone/iPad/iPod–however, iDevices are limited on the number of Apple IDs each device and its corresponding serial number can create.
You can only CREATE up to 3 new Apple IDs on each of your iOS devices.
Check if your iPhone and iPad are signed in with the same Apple ID and have Game Center toggled on in iCloud–go to Settings > Apple ID Profile > iCloud > Game Center. If it’s toggled off on either device, toggle it on so both devices have this setting on.
On each device go to Settings > Game Center and toggle on Nearby Players.
Then, close all open apps, in particular, Hay Day, by double pressing the Home button or swiping up the Home Gesture Bar and swiping up off the top of your screen all open apps–do this for both the iPhone and iPad.
Then restart both devices by powering off, waiting 20-30 seconds, and powering back on.
If you still don’t see your friends on your iPad, try reinviting them.
Open Hay Day. And Invite Friends via the Game App
Choose to send the invitation to join the game via iMessage
First, make sure you are signed into Game Center (settings > Game Center and verify it’s on and connected to the correct Apple ID.
Then open the App Store and search for Hay Day there. Download and install it.
Or, if you like to see your previous app purchase, open the App Store, tap the Today tab at the bottom, then tap the profile icon in the upper-right corner. From the menu, choose Purchased > My Purchases (or a Family member if that’s applicable) and locate Hay Day–tap the cloud to install.
Yeah ok makes sense but I’m an achievement hunter and I keep getting achievements on some games but I can’t see my progress or what achievements I still need. This is frustrating to me. Anyone know how to check achievements?
This is one of the dumbest things that Apple has ever done!
Most of us game with complete strangers as gaming buddies, not as friends we know IRL (in real life)! Most of my friends would not be interested in the games I play. Sending them a random invite would be pointless and unwelcome.
Apple needs to reintroduce allowing us to give out our Game Center ID so that we can connect with people all over the world who like to play the same games as we do.
This new system is absolutely pointless and broken.
Tranferring progress, points, and levels has been inconsistent at best when updating iPhone devices (and even when updating iOS itself.) Our readers report the best success when they do the following:
Before Moving to New Device
sign into game center on your device via Settings > Game Center
all GC supported games should show the Game Center Welcome banner when opening, if you don’t see this welcome banner it’s likely the game does not support game center
In each game app, open the settings or account menu and make sure you are signed into the game itself–these credentials are usually NOT the same as your Apple ID or Game Center ID. Some games require sign up via linking to a facebook account or other account (like google)
Once signed into BOTH Game Center and the game itself, verify that your game data is correct
REMEMBER to follow these steps for each and every game you want to transfer to your new device
MAke sure you are signed into Game Center AND each Game before setting up a new device
SET-UP THE NEW DEVICE
Go through the usual steps of setting up a new device and linking to either an iPhone or iCloud backup
For each game app, sign into your account via the game’s settings or account options
Then, sign into Game Center (Settings > Game Center) with your Apple ID
Restart the device
Check if your game data transferred over to each game
***NEVER delete any data from your old iDevice or disconnect Game Center or ANY individual games from your accounts until you verify that your information transferred over***
If you notice that a game is not accurate on your new device BUT is accurate on the older, manually delete that game and reinstall it via your storage tools.
I have a iPhone 6 and i just update my iPhone 6 11.3 and i have game a that have deal with game center and i’m trying to see why i can’t add people to game center or see my game center?
In Game Center with iOS 11.3, you add friends in the individual game app itself, instead of via a Game Center App (made obsolete in iOS 10) or the Game Center Settings (starts with iOS 10–in Settings > Game Center.)
Sorry to hear about your issues with Game Center. In iOS versions 10-11.2.6, Game Center removed the function to add/remove friends. However, in iOS 11.3, that function returns. You find it in Settings instead of the App (the app was removed in iOS 10.) Go to Settings > Game Center > and under Game Center Profile, tap Friends.
To add friends, you must add them via the individual game app–they should then show up under “Friends” in the Game Center settings.
Since this is a new functionality in iOS 11.3–let us know if you encounter problems.
Hi, i play family farm . Touch 130 level. Spend lots of pounds and this morning game restore . I am sad and dont fill well. Play more then 5 years. Please help me beck my farm.
Sorry to hear about your Boom Beach game status. First, close the app by double pressing Home and swiping up off screen the Boom Beach app preview. If you linked to Game Center, log into your Game Center account via Settings > Game Center and then open Boom Beach again. Any game play stored in GC should show up.
If you never connected to Game Center, send a help request to Boom Beach Player Support. Open the Boom Beach app and Go to settings > Help > How to save your progress & lost account recovery > I lost my base! Can I get it back > tap “Contact Us” in the upper right corner
Please include the following information in the message, to help locate your base:
Exact name of the account you lost access to
Headquarter level of the account you lost access to
XP level of the account you lost access to
Task Force Name
Your exact in-game name
Your experience level
Make sure you connect your to a unique Game Center ID moving forward to save your game play.
Game Center is ridiculous. I hate the way it is set up now. People that want to be friends with you to play the game can’t unless they are on social media and some people aren’t on it. So how the hell do they become friends and play the game if they aren’t on social media. I give this app a 0 out of 10. It is not user friendly at all and I think it wasn’t a good idea to change it.
I failed to mention..i hv no desire to PLAY any of the game apps IN iMessage… i mean only to USE iMessage for inviting people… and like i said in prev , several have invited me…i just cant communicate with them to ask how.. Thanks again…
SK and/or Liz… please help as u have been great about replying to many folks here with questions… You say in the article:
“Invitations are sent to players from your contacts, to recent players seen online, and
even nearby players on a local network playing the same game. Players with legacy
Game Center accounts also receive notifications from iMessages invites.”
But how do i address the other players i play a lot when i dont have their email addys./.. i only have their game center names… using the app I HAVE NO WAY TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR Names in my Gin Rummy app… when i click on the INVITE FRIENDS button from the app itself… it opens iMessage yes… but i have no idea what their email is other than a screen name… and it wont send that way…
I even tried their “screen name”@gamecenter.com . Should i be addressing it to “screen name”@icloud.com instead? Since everyone i think has to be with icloud as GC players???
Nothing happens and usually it fails when i do to GC but it does often send,,,.. a couple of times it sent but no response… and PEOPLE are sending them to me yet it shows up in the app and not in iMessage… yet we have no ability to chat in this game so i cant ask them how or what their email address is… help… there is a work-around but no one is mentioning it….
HELP PLS…
Thanks for any advice…. Becca T —(iPhone, Mac OS X, iOS tutor, applehead in general)
Unfortunately, Apple did not make this transition from the Game Center App to the Game Center Service very smooth or user-friendly. It’s been a really confusing year without the Game Center App and though Apple said it would support legacy Game Center accounts, their record of doing so is spotty. Ultimately, Apple placed the burden of integration between Game Center (and its users) and Game Apps onto the game developers themselves. That means that the game developer must spend the resources and time to integrate with Apple’s new Game Center Service to preserve user data, friends, and user data.
Ultimately, many games chose to abandon Game Center and use Facebook for their user and invitation management. That means that some games that worked with the Game Center App no longer work with iOS 10+ Game Center Services.
And we’re still trying to figure this whole transition out–1 year later!
But here are some tips to see if we can help:
First, make sure you’re signed into Game Center on iCloud. Go to Settings > Apple ID Profile > iCloud and check that it’s toggled ON. If it already is toggled on, turn it off, wait 20 seconds, and then turn it back on again. Next, open your game and find the settings menu within the game. Check that any toggles for invites, online friends and notifications are all on. Then navigate to Invites, invitations to play (it’s called other things too but the point is to invite someone to play.) Some games include a lookup tool for usernames, so if you know their username, it automatically sends a Messages-based invite to them. This texting replaces the old method of inviting friends to play.
I don’t know which Gin Rummy App you’re using and each game’s design is different. But if it supports Game Center (you see the welcome back banner,) these function should be there.
For example, I found some of my friends by using their Game Center nickname (or username) and sent an invite using the Username lookup tool in the game “Words With Friends”. When I send that invite to play, the game itself sends a rich link to that friend through iMessage. Then when they tap that message, it takes them into the game. As mentioned, not all games support this behavior. It needs to be implemented by the Game’s developers instead of Apple. So it’s a per-game feature.
If your game doesn’t have a lookup tool, see if your game has your game history and look for your friends this way. If not, look at the leaderboards, achievements, or trophy sections and see if any of your friends are listed and then challenge them to a game.
A final thing to check is if your Gin Rummy game is using Facebook to manage friends. If so, sign into Facebook and see if this makes any difference.
I wish there was an easy and straightforward answer to this…
Is there any way I could still send or receive a friend request? The game I wish to collaborate in (pocket frogs) doesn’t allow you to do so within the app. I am unable to send frogs, view other habitats etc. without becoming friends and since we were not friends before the update I cannot search for them, recieve their requests, or view their profile. Please advise me if or how I might regain these features?
I looked into Pocket Frogs to see if there’s a way to send and receive friend requests NOT using Game Center. The only way to send and receive friend requests for Games (using iOS10 or later) is via iMessage. For this to work, the game must offer an iMessage app, which Pocket Frogs currently does not offer. Since the release of iOS10 almost a year ago (September 2016), Apple moved the management of friend requests etc. to iMessage and onto individual game developers. According to Apple, this is a feature individual game developers wanted. So, in order to have this functionality, you must make the request to the game developer.
Since the demise of the Game Center app, many games have chosen to use Facebook as their share play vehicle. I’m not seeing that functionality with Pocket Frogs (again, not yet at least.) Again, all these requests now run through the game developer (NimbleBit LLC.)
I used to have three game center accounts, but now I only have two. When I signout of the game center and attempt to sign in again, it always recommends the account I no longer use. How do I change the default suggestion login account?
I used to have three game center accounts, but now I no longer use one of them. When I sign out of game center and sign back in, game center asks me if I would like to sign in with the account I no longer use. How can I change the default setting (suggested login account) to stop suggesting this unused account?
Try these steps to delete the unused Apple ID account:
Launch iTunes > Store
Click View My Apple ID
Enter password and see the option
Now Deauthorize all computers
Confirm the de-authorization
In the Manage Devices window, click “Remove” for every device
Disable Auto Renew. If you’ve set up an iTunes Match subscription with your Apple ID, be sure to turn that off. Click the “Turn Off Auto-Renew” button
Remove Apple ID from iOS device follow these steps
Go to Settings > iTunes & App Stores
Tap the Apple ID button at the top of the screen
Tap Sign Out
Now on both devices, you can log in with new Apple ID
Update Game Center
GO to Settings > Game Center
Toggle Game Center OFF
Toggle Game Center ON and choose the Apple ID you want to use with Game Center
Remember that you can only link 1 Apple ID with Game Center for each device
To completely delete the unused Apple ID from Apple’s side, you need to call Apple Support. Check out this article for the details.
I like having my online gaming friends separate thru Game Center from my personal FB friends. Now Game Center sticks. I can’t even view my GC friends with photos anymore? They really need to fix this and go back to the way it was.
how to unlink facebook account in game center, I accidentally linked different facebook account and now I dont know how to unlink it and add link my main facebook account. pls reply thanks
Unfortunately, the only way to unlink FaceBook accounts is game by game. You need to go into the settings for each connected game and unlink the current FB account and then relink it to the FB account you want. There is not universal unlink to games for FB (that we are aware of.)
how can i get my sons game info removed from my game center service so i can have mine save there with our opening a whole new itunes account? What a hassel!
With the removal of the Game Center app, the only way to control things universally is to go to Settings > Game Center and change the Apple ID from your son’s account to your own Apple ID account. The other alternative is to go to those games one by one and disconnect them from your son’s game center (Apple ID) account. That is likely a pain!
Unfortunately, at this time each iDevice is only allowed one official Game Center account, connect to 1 unique Apple ID.
I wish I had better news, but that’s the deal right now.
Is there a way to turn off the challenges now? Before you could actually turn off that functionality in the app and now there simply isn’t as far as I can tell? Not really what I would call fun to be honest.
Marilyn Brown says
Hi,
I have iPad Air2 can’t launch my Game Center site!
Updates all updated. Tried signing out and in of GC.
Want to I date my profile’ change profile pic.
Stumped!
Firestorm "Danger" Dash says
Not sure if it was just me or not, but my Ipad Mini 2 easily updated to iOS 12 and i never lost the Game Center app.
I did recently remove it thinking I could add it back later but clearly I was wrong. LOL
Miguel says
What if the data is not on icloud but still connected to the game center? Because I cant unlink my game from gamecenter but I also cant find it on my Icloud back up
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Miguel.
If you don’t see the data in iCloud, then it’s likely stored locally on the individual device.
Yani says
For the past two weeks I haven’t been able to sign in to my Game Center
My game pobg mobile work by Game Center and I spend money to improve the game and I love the game and I can’t even play the game because I cannot signing in the Game Center
Please make sure that my Game Center is working well
Sandra Sherlock says
I have 3 different accounts with Facebook and play some of the same Casino games on them.
On my computer, I switch accounts from one to another almost every hour with no problem, getting the game I want with the account it is under.
However, I tried switching Facebook accounts on my iPad, which I can do also, but the games from the primary account holder are still on the secondary account and if I log out and I open a third account, the same primary account game is still on, not the third account’s games.
I have been reading about Game Center and because I am using ONE device, this iPad which is iPad iOS 12.
How can I use one device for three different facebook accounts?
These games will not be compatible with Windows Desktop because of browser issues. Apple does not have this issue.
Thank you
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Sandra,
Sorry about your trouble with games on your iPad.
When you play these games, do you see a Welcome Back banner when you launch the game? If so, that means they are also connected to your Game Center account (your Apple ID).
What might work for you is completely signing out of Game Center–go to Settings > Game Center > then toggle it off–that should sign you out.
Once you sign out, close all open apps and restart your iPad:
1. On an iPhone or an iPad with no home button from the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen
2. On an iDevice with a home button, double-click the Home button and swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close
3. Swipe right or left to locate the app you want to close
4. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it
5. Repeat for all apps
6. Restart your iPad
After restarting, try playing your games with your various Facebook accounts. We also recommend storing all your facebook credentials in Passwords & Accounts so it’s easy to change between them.
Keep us posted if this works (or not)
Liz
Kellie phillips says
Where do I find came center so I can see what games I have
Elizabeth Jones says
Hi Kellie,
There is no list of games that use Game Center (at least, not that we know of.)
If a game supports Game Center, you see the Welcome Back Game Center banner when opening the game.
To find out what games you already purchased or used, open the app store and navigate to your purchased apps section–that shows you all the apps you’ve purchased using that Apple ID.
To see what games are installed on your device, go to Settings > General > Storage and scroll through the list of apps installed on your iDevice.
Sorry, we can’t offer more help on locating what games you have.
Liz
Henry says
I need a Game Center account
Elizabeth Jones says
HI Henry,
Your Game Center account is your Apple ID. You can always create a new Apple ID on a Mac, Windows PC, or and iPhone/iPad/iPod–however, iDevices are limited on the number of Apple IDs each device and its corresponding serial number can create.
You can only CREATE up to 3 new Apple IDs on each of your iOS devices.
Reggie Bond says
When I’m in the Game Centre I can’t open my Game Centre Profile.
It says ‘ update your account’ stating there was ‘ an error communicating with the server’.
I’ve updated my Game Center account, turned my iPad off then on and force closed it, what could be the problem?
I’m also having an issue connecting to a game I play for cash, could this be connected?
If so can you please help fix the issue. Many thanks
Terri says
I am missing some of my friends from Game Center on Hay Day on my iPad.
They are all on my iPhone in Hay Day. How can I fix this?
SK says
Hi Teri,
Check if your iPhone and iPad are signed in with the same Apple ID and have Game Center toggled on in iCloud–go to Settings > Apple ID Profile > iCloud > Game Center. If it’s toggled off on either device, toggle it on so both devices have this setting on.
On each device go to Settings > Game Center and toggle on Nearby Players.
Then, close all open apps, in particular, Hay Day, by double pressing the Home button or swiping up the Home Gesture Bar and swiping up off the top of your screen all open apps–do this for both the iPhone and iPad.
Then restart both devices by powering off, waiting 20-30 seconds, and powering back on.
If you still don’t see your friends on your iPad, try reinviting them.
Open Hay Day. And Invite Friends via the Game App
Choose to send the invitation to join the game via iMessage
Merilyn says
Oh if only!
If only I trusted Facebook!
Why do you do these things?
Sandra Downs says
I lost my Hay Day game when changing phones. How can I get it back?
SK says
Hi Sandra,
First, make sure you are signed into Game Center (settings > Game Center and verify it’s on and connected to the correct Apple ID.
Then open the App Store and search for Hay Day there. Download and install it.
Or, if you like to see your previous app purchase, open the App Store, tap the Today tab at the bottom, then tap the profile icon in the upper-right corner. From the menu, choose Purchased > My Purchases (or a Family member if that’s applicable) and locate Hay Day–tap the cloud to install.
Adnama says
Yeah ok makes sense but I’m an achievement hunter and I keep getting achievements on some games but I can’t see my progress or what achievements I still need. This is frustrating to me. Anyone know how to check achievements?
Darlene says
I just want to throw my iPad across the room!!!
With the change of the Game Center I can’t get on to most of my games to open and the few I can I have lost everything.
It requires me to keep entering my passwords every time.
Since the update when I try to read emails it’s loading the emails but then closes itself out.
We have turned it off and on with no luck.
Horrible Decision by Apple says
This is one of the dumbest things that Apple has ever done!
Most of us game with complete strangers as gaming buddies, not as friends we know IRL (in real life)! Most of my friends would not be interested in the games I play. Sending them a random invite would be pointless and unwelcome.
Apple needs to reintroduce allowing us to give out our Game Center ID so that we can connect with people all over the world who like to play the same games as we do.
This new system is absolutely pointless and broken.
Madelyn says
Absolutely b*S. This change did not make apple better. I like the app better.
Ellen says
Thanks for pointing out the changes to GC friends in ios11.3. Still, I’d like to see Apple bring back the App.
Denise Divis says
How do I transfer my games, points, and levels from my old I-phone to my new one ?
SK says
Hi Denise,
Tranferring progress, points, and levels has been inconsistent at best when updating iPhone devices (and even when updating iOS itself.) Our readers report the best success when they do the following:
Before Moving to New Device
sign into game center on your device via Settings > Game Center
all GC supported games should show the Game Center Welcome banner when opening, if you don’t see this welcome banner it’s likely the game does not support game center
In each game app, open the settings or account menu and make sure you are signed into the game itself–these credentials are usually NOT the same as your Apple ID or Game Center ID. Some games require sign up via linking to a facebook account or other account (like google)
Once signed into BOTH Game Center and the game itself, verify that your game data is correct
REMEMBER to follow these steps for each and every game you want to transfer to your new device
MAke sure you are signed into Game Center AND each Game before setting up a new device
SET-UP THE NEW DEVICE
Go through the usual steps of setting up a new device and linking to either an iPhone or iCloud backup
For each game app, sign into your account via the game’s settings or account options
Then, sign into Game Center (Settings > Game Center) with your Apple ID
Restart the device
Check if your game data transferred over to each game
***NEVER delete any data from your old iDevice or disconnect Game Center or ANY individual games from your accounts until you verify that your information transferred over***
If you notice that a game is not accurate on your new device BUT is accurate on the older, manually delete that game and reinstall it via your storage tools.
Keep us posted,
SK
Johnnetta Coleman says
I have a iPhone 6 and i just update my iPhone 6 11.3 and i have game a that have deal with game center and i’m trying to see why i can’t add people to game center or see my game center?
SK says
Hi Johnnetta,
In Game Center with iOS 11.3, you add friends in the individual game app itself, instead of via a Game Center App (made obsolete in iOS 10) or the Game Center Settings (starts with iOS 10–in Settings > Game Center.)
SK
Johnnetta Coleman says
I have a iPhone 6 and I’m trying to see why i can’t find my game center or add friends that have a game center.
SK says
Hi Johnnetta,
Sorry to hear about your issues with Game Center. In iOS versions 10-11.2.6, Game Center removed the function to add/remove friends. However, in iOS 11.3, that function returns. You find it in Settings instead of the App (the app was removed in iOS 10.) Go to Settings > Game Center > and under Game Center Profile, tap Friends.
To add friends, you must add them via the individual game app–they should then show up under “Friends” in the Game Center settings.
Since this is a new functionality in iOS 11.3–let us know if you encounter problems.
SK
Limira says
Hi, i play family farm . Touch 130 level. Spend lots of pounds and this morning game restore . I am sad and dont fill well. Play more then 5 years. Please help me beck my farm.
Nathan wolfgang says
Lost my boom beach account and need to get it back. I got a new phone and don’t have the code to switch devices
Elizabeth says
Hi Nathan,
Sorry to hear about your Boom Beach game status. First, close the app by double pressing Home and swiping up off screen the Boom Beach app preview. If you linked to Game Center, log into your Game Center account via Settings > Game Center and then open Boom Beach again. Any game play stored in GC should show up.
If you never connected to Game Center, send a help request to Boom Beach Player Support. Open the Boom Beach app and Go to settings > Help > How to save your progress & lost account recovery > I lost my base! Can I get it back > tap “Contact Us” in the upper right corner
Please include the following information in the message, to help locate your base:
Exact name of the account you lost access to
Headquarter level of the account you lost access to
XP level of the account you lost access to
Task Force Name
Your exact in-game name
Your experience level
Make sure you connect your to a unique Game Center ID moving forward to save your game play.
Hope that helps!
Tamara says
Game Center is ridiculous. I hate the way it is set up now. People that want to be friends with you to play the game can’t unless they are on social media and some people aren’t on it. So how the hell do they become friends and play the game if they aren’t on social media. I give this app a 0 out of 10. It is not user friendly at all and I think it wasn’t a good idea to change it.
beccando says
PS to SK and/or Liz
I failed to mention..i hv no desire to PLAY any of the game apps IN iMessage… i mean only to USE iMessage for inviting people… and like i said in prev , several have invited me…i just cant communicate with them to ask how.. Thanks again…
beccando says
SK and/or Liz… please help as u have been great about replying to many folks here with questions… You say in the article:
“Invitations are sent to players from your contacts, to recent players seen online, and
even nearby players on a local network playing the same game. Players with legacy
Game Center accounts also receive notifications from iMessages invites.”
But how do i address the other players i play a lot when i dont have their email addys./.. i only have their game center names… using the app I HAVE NO WAY TO HIGHLIGHT THEIR Names in my Gin Rummy app… when i click on the INVITE FRIENDS button from the app itself… it opens iMessage yes… but i have no idea what their email is other than a screen name… and it wont send that way…
I even tried their “screen name”@gamecenter.com . Should i be addressing it to “screen name”@icloud.com instead? Since everyone i think has to be with icloud as GC players???
Nothing happens and usually it fails when i do to GC but it does often send,,,.. a couple of times it sent but no response… and PEOPLE are sending them to me yet it shows up in the app and not in iMessage… yet we have no ability to chat in this game so i cant ask them how or what their email address is… help… there is a work-around but no one is mentioning it….
HELP PLS…
Thanks for any advice…. Becca T —(iPhone, Mac OS X, iOS tutor, applehead in general)
Elizabeth says
Hi Beccando,
Unfortunately, Apple did not make this transition from the Game Center App to the Game Center Service very smooth or user-friendly. It’s been a really confusing year without the Game Center App and though Apple said it would support legacy Game Center accounts, their record of doing so is spotty. Ultimately, Apple placed the burden of integration between Game Center (and its users) and Game Apps onto the game developers themselves. That means that the game developer must spend the resources and time to integrate with Apple’s new Game Center Service to preserve user data, friends, and user data.
Ultimately, many games chose to abandon Game Center and use Facebook for their user and invitation management. That means that some games that worked with the Game Center App no longer work with iOS 10+ Game Center Services.
And we’re still trying to figure this whole transition out–1 year later!
But here are some tips to see if we can help:
First, make sure you’re signed into Game Center on iCloud. Go to Settings > Apple ID Profile > iCloud and check that it’s toggled ON. If it already is toggled on, turn it off, wait 20 seconds, and then turn it back on again. Next, open your game and find the settings menu within the game. Check that any toggles for invites, online friends and notifications are all on. Then navigate to Invites, invitations to play (it’s called other things too but the point is to invite someone to play.) Some games include a lookup tool for usernames, so if you know their username, it automatically sends a Messages-based invite to them. This texting replaces the old method of inviting friends to play.
I don’t know which Gin Rummy App you’re using and each game’s design is different. But if it supports Game Center (you see the welcome back banner,) these function should be there.
For example, I found some of my friends by using their Game Center nickname (or username) and sent an invite using the Username lookup tool in the game “Words With Friends”. When I send that invite to play, the game itself sends a rich link to that friend through iMessage. Then when they tap that message, it takes them into the game. As mentioned, not all games support this behavior. It needs to be implemented by the Game’s developers instead of Apple. So it’s a per-game feature.
If your game doesn’t have a lookup tool, see if your game has your game history and look for your friends this way. If not, look at the leaderboards, achievements, or trophy sections and see if any of your friends are listed and then challenge them to a game.
A final thing to check is if your Gin Rummy game is using Facebook to manage friends. If so, sign into Facebook and see if this makes any difference.
I wish there was an easy and straightforward answer to this…
Keep us posted,
Liz
Kitkat says
Is there any way I could still send or receive a friend request? The game I wish to collaborate in (pocket frogs) doesn’t allow you to do so within the app. I am unable to send frogs, view other habitats etc. without becoming friends and since we were not friends before the update I cannot search for them, recieve their requests, or view their profile. Please advise me if or how I might regain these features?
SK says
Hi Kitkat,
I looked into Pocket Frogs to see if there’s a way to send and receive friend requests NOT using Game Center. The only way to send and receive friend requests for Games (using iOS10 or later) is via iMessage. For this to work, the game must offer an iMessage app, which Pocket Frogs currently does not offer. Since the release of iOS10 almost a year ago (September 2016), Apple moved the management of friend requests etc. to iMessage and onto individual game developers. According to Apple, this is a feature individual game developers wanted. So, in order to have this functionality, you must make the request to the game developer.
Since the demise of the Game Center app, many games have chosen to use Facebook as their share play vehicle. I’m not seeing that functionality with Pocket Frogs (again, not yet at least.) Again, all these requests now run through the game developer (NimbleBit LLC.)
I’m sorry that I don’t have better info for you.
Cheers,
Liz
Dan says
I used to have three game center accounts, but now I only have two. When I signout of the game center and attempt to sign in again, it always recommends the account I no longer use. How do I change the default suggestion login account?
Dan says
I used to have three game center accounts, but now I no longer use one of them. When I sign out of game center and sign back in, game center asks me if I would like to sign in with the account I no longer use. How can I change the default setting (suggested login account) to stop suggesting this unused account?
SK says
Hi Dan,
Try these steps to delete the unused Apple ID account:
Launch iTunes > Store
Click View My Apple ID
Enter password and see the option
Now Deauthorize all computers
Confirm the de-authorization
In the Manage Devices window, click “Remove” for every device
Disable Auto Renew. If you’ve set up an iTunes Match subscription with your Apple ID, be sure to turn that off. Click the “Turn Off Auto-Renew” button
Remove Apple ID from iOS device follow these steps
Go to Settings > iTunes & App Stores
Tap the Apple ID button at the top of the screen
Tap Sign Out
Now on both devices, you can log in with new Apple ID
Update Game Center
GO to Settings > Game Center
Toggle Game Center OFF
Toggle Game Center ON and choose the Apple ID you want to use with Game Center
Remember that you can only link 1 Apple ID with Game Center for each device
To completely delete the unused Apple ID from Apple’s side, you need to call Apple Support. Check out this article for the details.
Keep us posted!
SK
Jen k says
I like having my online gaming friends separate thru Game Center from my personal FB friends. Now Game Center sticks. I can’t even view my GC friends with photos anymore? They really need to fix this and go back to the way it was.
AverageGamer says
how to unlink facebook account in game center, I accidentally linked different facebook account and now I dont know how to unlink it and add link my main facebook account. pls reply thanks
SK says
Hi There,
Unfortunately, the only way to unlink FaceBook accounts is game by game. You need to go into the settings for each connected game and unlink the current FB account and then relink it to the FB account you want. There is not universal unlink to games for FB (that we are aware of.)
Good luck!
SK
Chris says
how can i get my sons game info removed from my game center service so i can have mine save there with our opening a whole new itunes account? What a hassel!
SK says
Hi Chris,
With the removal of the Game Center app, the only way to control things universally is to go to Settings > Game Center and change the Apple ID from your son’s account to your own Apple ID account. The other alternative is to go to those games one by one and disconnect them from your son’s game center (Apple ID) account. That is likely a pain!
Unfortunately, at this time each iDevice is only allowed one official Game Center account, connect to 1 unique Apple ID.
I wish I had better news, but that’s the deal right now.
Best of luck,
SK
Aran says
Please I want my Game Center
Leo says
How do I delete a game that is connected to my Game Center account?
jijie says
how to invite via imessage
Jamie says
Is there a way to turn off the challenges now? Before you could actually turn off that functionality in the app and now there simply isn’t as far as I can tell? Not really what I would call fun to be honest.
Susie francis says
My Apple app has disappeared. I need to reload the app
Susie francis says
I need to reload the app for the Apple Store