Hong Kong Mahjong — Free iOS & Mac App with Offline Play
The fastest way to play authentic Hong Kong Mahjong on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. New in version 2.1.0: Play with Friends Nearby is now cross-platform — real 4-player Mahjong with friends in the same room over Bluetooth, across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android, no internet needed. Perfect for flights. Airplane Mode now supports full 4-round matches against AI bots that pursue every special hand. Play with Friends Online stays free and worldwide — invite up to three friends to a private lobby and play together in real time. AI Coaching delivers a personalised post-game report to your inbox after every match. Jump into a game in seconds — bots fill empty seats automatically.
Two ways to play
Choose the layout that suits you. The accessible list view is a classic scrollable interface — great for readability and smaller screens. The Mahjong table view is a bird's-eye 5×5 grid that puts all four players on screen at once, just like sitting at a real table. Switch between them any time.
Beginner & advanced modes
Beginner table: 10-second turn and claim timer, no minimum faan required to win. Tiles display simplified symbols to help new players learn tile recognition faster.
Advanced table: 7-second timer, minimum 3-faan required to win. Standard Hong Kong tile artwork for experienced players.
Interactive tutorials
Never played Mahjong before? The app includes a step-by-step beginner tutorial that walks you through tile suits, melds, discarding, and claiming — all within an actual game. An advanced tutorial covers faan scoring, minimum-faan strategy, and when to push for value versus speed.
Training mode — learn by playing
Training mode is the easiest way to learn Hong Kong Mahjong: play a full game against easy bots with a 60-second turn timer, and every discard turn the app highlights which tiles to keep (green) and which to consider discarding (orange). A tooltip explains the reasoning — "ready pung", "completes a chow", "isolated tile" — so you build intuition as you play. No account or signup required.
AI coaching reports
After any game, tap Get Coaching Report and enter your email. Within minutes you receive a personalized AI analysis covering discard efficiency, defensive play, fan strategy, missed winning opportunities, and an overall game rating. The first report is free — no subscription needed. Subsequent reports are available via monthly subscription or single purchase. This is the first AI coaching tool built specifically for Hong Kong Mahjong.
Since version 2.1.5, every coaching report for a standard online game also includes the full game replay — step through every move with all four hands face up, see the best play at every turn, and jump straight to your graded mistakes.
Airplane Mode — play offline
No Wi-Fi? No problem. Unlock Airplane Mode and play full Hong Kong Mahjong against three AI opponents — on flights, underground, or anywhere without internet. Choose between a single hand (8–15 min) or a full 4-round match (60–90+ min). Bots pursue every special hand including Seven Pairs, Thirteen Orphans, Nine Gates, the dragon hands (Pearl, Jade, Ruby), and Small/Great Winds and Dragons. Choose a 24-hour Flight Pass or a monthly Frequent Flyer Pass. Proper 4-player Mahjong with real faan scoring — not solitaire tile-matching.
Play with Friends Nearby — Bluetooth multiplayer
Real 4-player Mahjong with the friends sitting next to you — directly between your devices, no internet at any point during play, no airline Wi-Fi needed. Since iOS app 2.1.0 and Android app 2.1.1 it works across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android: Apple devices connect via Bluetooth and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi (Multipeer Connectivity), while any link involving an Android device uses Bluetooth Low Energy. Mixed tables are fully supported and any platform can host.
This is a separate feature from Play with Friends Online: it's gated by the same Airplane Mode entitlement, so each player needs an active Flight Pass or Frequent Flyer Pass. Built for travelers heading somewhere together — buy passes before the flight, then play uninterrupted at 35,000 feet. Read the full guide.
Play with Friends Online — private lobby, free worldwide
Invite up to three friends to a private lobby — no account required to join, and it's free and stays free. Tap Invite Friends on the home screen, create a lobby, and share the invite link. Friends tap the link and are at the table in seconds, wherever they are in the world. Choose a single hand or a full 4-round match when you open the lobby. Any empty seats are filled automatically by AI bots, so you always get a full 4-player game whether you have 1, 2 or 3 friends available. Works on both the web app and iOS.
The app is fully localised in seven languages: English, Traditional Chinese (繁體中文), Simplified Chinese (简体中文), German (Deutsch), French (Français), Italian (Italiano), and Portuguese (Português). The interface adapts automatically based on your device language.
Key features
- Airplane Mode with full 4-round offline matches against AI bots that pursue every special hand
- Play with Friends Nearby — Bluetooth multiplayer across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android, no internet needed
- Play with Friends Online — free, worldwide, private lobbies via invite link, bots fill empty seats
- AI coaching reports — personalized post-game analysis emailed to you
- Training mode with per-tile keep/discard hints — no signup needed
- Real-time multiplayer with automatic bot fill
- Two table layouts: accessible list view and Mahjong table view
- Beginner mode with simplified tile artwork
- Interactive beginner and advanced (3-faan) tutorials
- Hong Kong rules with configurable faan minimum
- Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac
- Seven languages supported
- Free — no ads, first coaching report free
What's new
Version 2.1.5 — Game replay with every coaching report
Ordering an AI coaching report after a standard online game now also unlocks the full game replay in the app, at no extra cost: rewatch every move with all four hands face up, see the recommended play at every turn with its reasoning, jump to your graded mistakes, and get defensive reads and fold advice. A replay library on the home screen filters your games by result, mistakes, and winning hand.
Version 2.1.0 — Cross-platform Nearby play
Play with Friends Nearby now works across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android (Android app 2.1.1): Apple devices connect via Bluetooth and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi, links with Android use Bluetooth Low Energy — still no internet needed, and any platform can host. Also new: custom turn timers for offline games including a no-timer pace, pause for offline solo games, and clearer self-drawn Kong visuals.
Version 1.3.0 — Play with Friends Nearby
Real 4-player Mahjong with friends in the same room — over Bluetooth and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi between your devices. No internet, no backend, no airline Wi-Fi needed. Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Gated by the Airplane Mode entitlement so each player needs an active Flight Pass or Frequent Flyer Pass. Built for travelers flying together — buy passes before takeoff, play uninterrupted at 35,000 feet.
Version 1.2.0 — Full 4-round offline matches & smarter bots
Airplane Mode now supports full 4-round matches (East, South, West, North), not just single hands. Bots pursue every special hand including Seven Pairs, Thirteen Orphans, Nine Gates, the dragon hands (Pearl, Jade, Ruby), and Small/Great Winds and Dragons. New suit-equivariant neural network trained with canonical feature engineering, with separately tuned weights for beginner and advanced modes.
Version 0.7.0 — Play with Friends
Invite up to three friends to a private lobby — no account required to join. Share the invite link and friends are at the table in seconds. Any empty seats are filled by AI bots, so you always get a full 4-player game.
Version 0.6.0 — Airplane Mode
Play offline against AI bots — no internet needed. Unlock a 24-hour Flight Pass or monthly Frequent Flyer Pass and enjoy full Hong Kong Mahjong on flights, in tunnels, or anywhere without Wi-Fi. Three AI opponents fill the table instantly so you can play a proper 4-player game anytime.
Version 0.5.0 — AI Coaching Reports
Get a personalized AI coaching report emailed to you after any game. The report analyses your discard efficiency, defensive play, fan strategy, missed wins, and tile readiness — with specific examples from your game and actionable improvement tips. First report free; subsequent reports via monthly subscription or single purchase.
Version 0.4.0 — Training Mode
Play a real Hong Kong Mahjong game against easy bots with guided tile hints on every discard turn. Each tile in your hand is colour-coded — green for keep, orange for consider discarding — with a tooltip explaining why. No account required: tap Training Mode on the home screen and start learning immediately.
Version 0.3.0 — Mahjong Table View & Tutorials
Introduced the Mahjong table view, interactive tutorials for beginners and advanced players, a concealed-hand visualisation in the meld strip, and improved iPad support.