Break Speed

Review by eFreeware

If you play pool or billiards seriously and you have ever wondered exactly how hard your break is, Break Speed is built for you. It is a paid sports app from CY Mobile Software that turns your phone into a break speed meter, so you can put a number on something most players only guess at.

The idea is simple. You set your phone on the rail, tap the screen, take your break, and tap again. The app then shows how fast the cue ball was traveling. That single number is the whole point of the app, and for players who treat the break as a skill worth training, it is a useful one to have.

It has been around for a long time, first released in June 2010 and updated as recently as August 2025, and it carries the Predator name. More than 10,000 installs and a 3.9 average from 211 ratings suggest a modest but real audience rather than a mass-market hit.

Putting a number on your break

The core job here is measurement. You take a break, the app tells you the speed, and you can compare that figure against your own previous attempts. That turns break practice into something you can track rather than feel your way through.

The developer pitches the accuracy as more than ten times that of a radar gun, and describes Break Speed as a standard for break shot speed measurement in both private and professional settings. I would treat those as marketing claims rather than settled fact, but the underlying proposition is clear enough: a phone-based measurement that is meant to be precise enough to be worth acting on.

That precision matters because the feedback loop is the point. If the number is reliable, you can test whether a change in stance, grip or cue speed actually produces a harder break, and whether you can repeat it. The developer's line about breaking harder and more consistently is essentially a description of what that feedback is for.

Measuring in a noisy pool hall

One practical problem with any sound-based measurement in a pool hall is everything else going on around you. Other tables, conversations and general noise are all competing with the sound of your break. The developer addresses this directly with what it calls Break Recognition technology, which is meant to pick out your break even when other players are breaking nearby or shouting.

That is the feature that decides whether the app is usable in a real room rather than a quiet practice setting. You can measure your break in a busy hall without waiting for a quiet moment or worrying about a neighbor's break being counted instead of yours.

The app also now includes history tracking, so measurements are not just a one-off reading. You can build up a record of your break speeds over time, which is where the consistency side of the developer's pitch starts to make sense.

What the Predator partnership adds

Break Speed is branded as powered by Predator, and the developer describes a collaboration with the Predator R&D team. That account says Predator checked the app against its own measurement tools and the Iron Willie robot, and the results led to a partnership in pool science.

I take that as a credibility signal rather than a guarantee. A cue and equipment maker putting its name on a measurement tool implies it was checked against other instruments, which is more than most phone apps of this type can point to.

The developer also says professional players use and recommend the app. Again, that is a claim from the maker rather than something I can verify, but it fits the overall positioning: this is a tool aimed at people who care about break speed as a measurable part of their game.

Setting up and taking a reading

Getting started is about as minimal as it gets. The app then displays the speed of that break.

Nothing about extra hardware is described. The phone itself is the measuring device, which is what makes the app easy to try at any table you happen to be playing on.

The one thing to keep in mind is that the phone has to sit on the rail while you break. That is how the app works, and it is worth knowing before you buy, because it shapes how you use the app at the table.

Who gets the most from it

This is a tool for players who already take the break seriously. If you practice break shots deliberately, or you are trying to add power without losing control, having a speed figure after each attempt gives you something concrete to work with.

Coaches and players working with someone else could also find it useful, since a measured number is easier to discuss than an impression of how hard a break looked. The same goes for anyone comparing cues, tips or techniques and wanting a consistent measure across attempts.

The app is rated for Everyone and sits in the Sports category rather than being a game, so it is a utility rather than entertainment. It costs $4.99, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases, so the price is the whole cost. If you are a casual player who breaks for fun and never thinks about the number, the value is harder to justify, since the app does one job and does it in a single, specific way.

A focused tool for players who track their break

Break Speed is a narrow app with a clear purpose, and it is priced like one. For $4.99 you get a break speed meter that lives on your phone, backed by a Predator branding arrangement and a long history of updates, most recently in August 2025.

The strongest case for it is the feedback loop: if you want to know whether your break is actually getting faster, and whether you can repeat it, a measured number is more useful than a feeling. The Break Recognition feature is what makes that practical in a real pool hall rather than only in a quiet room.

The caveats are straightforward. It measures one thing, and the accuracy claims come from the developer and its Predator partners rather than from independent testing I can point to.

If you are a serious pool player who wants a hard number on your break, this is a reasonable purchase. If you play casually and the break is not something you think about, the app has little to offer you beyond a novelty reading.

What's new in version 6.5

Enjoy Break Speed updated to the new Google API version.