Scoreboard - Keep score

Review by eFreeware

Scoreboard - Keep score is a free Android app from the developer Truyendiv, filed under Sports, that does one job: it tracks the score of two teams through a game. That is the whole pitch, and for a lot of matches and game nights it is enough. The app has been out since October 2022 and now sits above a million installs with a 4.8 average from just over five thousand ratings.

What makes it worth a look is how little ceremony it asks for. You name the two sides, tap or swipe to add points, and the board keeps the running total. For a pickup basketball game, a family board game or a friendly tennis set, that is the right amount of tool.

The developer also notes that a recent update focused on bug fixes and performance optimization, which is a modest, maintenance-minded change rather than a feature drop. If you want a scoreboard that stays out of the way, this is the category to look at.

Tap, swipe, and the score moves

The core interaction is the part the developer leads with, and it is deliberately physical. You tap the side of the screen belonging to the team that scored, or swipe up on it, and the number goes up by one. Swipe down on the same side and the point comes back off. That covers the common case where a referee or a parent is holding the phone in one hand and watching the play with the other.

I like that the correction gesture is built in rather than hidden. Scorekeeping mistakes happen constantly in casual games, and a swipe-down that subtracts a point means you do not have to reset the whole match to fix a single miscount. The developer also provides a reset, which clears the score so you can start a new game without leaving the screen.

The app works in both portrait and landscape, and the developer says it supports display on tablets as well. Landscape is the natural orientation for a scoreboard propped on a table or held at the side of a court, while portrait suits a phone passed between players. Having both means you are not fighting the app to get the layout you want.

Names, colors, and a timer that ends the argument

Beyond the score itself, the app lets you set custom names for the two teams. That sounds minor until you are three games into a session and cannot remember which side is which. Naming them removes that ambiguity, and it also makes the board readable to anyone who glances at it from across the room.

Colors and styles can be changed to suit your taste. This is the kind of feature that matters more than it first appears: a bright board is easier to read outdoors, and a muted one is less distracting indoors. I would treat it as a readability tool rather than a decoration.

There is also a timer, which lets you set a time limit for the game. For sports with periods or halves, that turns the phone into a combined clock and scoreboard, so you are not juggling two devices. For board games with a turn clock, it does the same job.

It covers basketball, soccer, volleyball, hockey, tennis, table tennis, badminton, baseball, rugby, handball and cornhole, plus board games and indoor or outdoor games generally. The list is long, but the underlying logic is the same in every case, which is two numbers going up and down. That breadth is what keeps a simple app useful across a household.

What it asks of you

The app is free to download, and it carries ads. It also offers in-app purchases.

In terms of requirements, there is not much to satisfy. It runs on Android, works in both orientations, and supports tablets. The interface is meant to be easy to navigate, and the gesture model is simple enough that a new user can pick it up in a minute. No special hardware, no league account.

The one thing to consider is the ad presence. For a scoreboard you might leave open on a table for an hour, an ad-supported app is a different proposition than a game you play in short bursts. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it is worth knowing before you commit a match to it.

The content rating is Everyone, which fits a tool that just counts points.

Getting the most out of a match

Set the teams up before the game starts, not during it. Naming both sides and choosing a color scheme takes a few seconds and saves confusion later, especially if you are keeping score for people who did not set the app up themselves.

If the game has a time limit, set the timer at the same moment. That way the clock and the score live on the same screen and you are not switching between apps mid-match. For games without a clock, leaving the timer alone keeps the board clean.

Reset between games rather than closing the app. The developer built reset specifically for starting fresh, so a quick reset is faster than backing out and reopening. If you are running a series of short games, that rhythm matters.

Finally, decide on an orientation and stick with it. Landscape on a tablet propped against a bag works well for court sports, while portrait on a phone is easier to hand around. The app supports both, so the choice is yours rather than the app's.

A dependable pick for casual scorekeeping

Scoreboard - Keep score is a narrow tool, and it is good at being narrow. It counts two teams, corrects mistakes with a swipe, names the sides, colors the board and runs a timer. For a pickup game, a board game night or a friendly competition, that covers the ground.

The 4.8 average across more than five thousand ratings suggests the simple approach lands well with the people who use it.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants a phone or tablet to act as a scoreboard. If your scoring needs run to multiple teams, detailed stats or league records, this is built for two sides and a clock.

What's new in version 1.8.3

- Bug fixed and optimize