Catford Labs
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PlayMahjong Support
Welcome. This page is the support contact for PlayMahjong by Catford Labs. Use it for questions, bug reports, purchase issues, and App Store review notes.
Suggested subject: PlayMahjong Support
How to play
PlayMahjong is energy mahjong by Catford Labs — build three sets on a Western energy grid, Lock In for bonus watts, chase Daily Mix, climb Career, or play turn-based online on Game Center. Three matching tiles make a set. Three sets win the round — after you Lock In. In the app, open ? for How to play, Your table, and Online.
Quick start
- Build three sets of three. You are dealt eight tiles. Draw and discard until you can make three sets. Plants pair with their fuel — Solar with Sun, Wind with Breeze.
- Claim a discard. If someone discards the tile that completes a set in your hand, take it with Claim. That set is exposed on the table.
- Lock In before you win. When you need one tile to win, Lock In. Your hand locks. You must Lock In before Steal Win or Self-Draw.
- Score in watts. Steal Win wins on someone else’s discard; Self-Draw wins on your draw. Bigger Patterns mean more watts. Dealer wins pay 1.5×.
Easy Patterns
The easiest Patterns pair a plant with its fuel:
Daylight: Solar + Sun
Onshore: Wind + Breeze
Nuclear + Uranium, Gas + Methane, and Hydro + Water work the same way. Collect three sets, Lock In, then win.
Online claims
- When someone discards, AI seats claim first if they can.
- Then one remote human who can Claim or Steal Win gets the Game Center turn.
- Pass closes the whole claim window. You can’t claim without the turn token.
What to include
To help us respond faster, please include:
- Device model (for example iPhone 16) and iOS version
- PlayMahjong version number (from the App Store or Settings if shown)
- Whether the issue happens in local play, online Game Center play, Daily Mix, Career, purchases, or ads
- Screenshots or a short description of the steps that reproduce the problem
Common topics
- Game Center / online play. Sign in via Settings → Game Center on your device. The App ID must have Game Center enabled in App Store Connect. Simulator support is limited; a real iPhone or iPad is more reliable. Ranked tables use default rules; AI fills empty seats.
- Purchases (Full Table / Remove Ads). Use Restore Purchases in the Table Shop. Full Table unlocks every premium theme and tile back and removes ads (Family Sharing). Purchases are handled by your Apple ID. For billing problems, also check reportaproblem.apple.com.
- Ads. Between-round ads can be removed with Full Table or Remove Ads. On device you may see App Tracking Transparency and, in some regions, a consent form.
- Daily Mix & Career. Daily Mix is the same deal worldwide each UTC day — chase watts and keep a streak on Home. Career unlocks the eight named opponents in catalog order.
- How to Play in the app. Open the ? help button for How to play, Your table, and Online. See also How to play above and What’s New.
Privacy
See our Privacy Policy for how PlayMahjong handles Game Center, purchases, advertising, and local preferences. Privacy questions: support@catfordlabs.com with subject PlayMahjong Privacy.
Response time
We aim to reply within a few business days. Complex Game Center or App Store cases may take longer while we investigate with Apple’s systems.