Play a quiz with friends from afar on WhatsApp or Snapchat

The idea in a nutshell

Remote mode on the Buzzloo quiz buzzer isn’t played in one evening, but over a day, three days or a week, in the group chat where you already talk with your friends. Nothing to install, no account, no email address: a link, a first name, a color, and you’re in.

Players take turns being the asker: they send a question to the group. The others open it whenever they have two minutes and buzz. The server records the exact time of every buzz, and that order decides who wins the point. Nobody needs to be online at the same time.

Create the game

On the buzzer page, choose Remote mode and fill in the “Create your game” form:

1. Your first name and color: that’s how the others will spot you on the leaderboard.
2. The game name: “The cousins”, “3rd floor crew”, “The roomies”…
3. The length: 1 day, 3 days or 1 week.
4. The topics: they’re used for random questions, when a player runs out of ideas.

A game holds up to 20 players. Whoever creates it asks the first question. Nobody wants to go first? Draw a name at random from the group: whoever comes up creates the game and gets things started.

How long should it last?

• 1 day: a lightning quiz, perfect for a rainy Sunday or a group that replies in seconds.
• 3 days: the sweet spot, with time for everyone to ask their question without rushing.
• 1 week: a real championship, for a chatty group that loves a bit of friendly trash talk.

Which topics should you pick?

The ready-made questions come in eight topics of 30 true or false questions each: general knowledge, animals, geography, history, science, sports, food and kids. Can’t decide? Put them on the random wheel and let it choose the topic of the week. You can also browse all the quiz questions before you make up your mind.

Invite the group

Once the game is created, the site gives you an invitation link. Send it with the WhatsApp button, by text message, or with your phone’s share menu. For Snapchat, copy the link and paste it into the group chat.

Everyone opens the link, enters a first name, picks a color, and they’re in the game. No account to create, no email address to leave. After that, the site always shows whose turn it is: no need to keep track in the chat.

Ask your question when it’s your turn

When your turn comes, you have two options:

• write your own question, true or false or multiple choice with 4 options, and mark the right answer: that’s where the game gets really fun;
• pick a random question from the true or false questions in the game’s topics: only you see the answer, handy when inspiration runs dry.

Then send the question’s link to the group. You can’t answer your own question, of course. But you can still score with a trick question: if every player gets it wrong, or if nobody has found the answer after 24 hours, the point goes to you.

After each question, it’s the next person’s turn to ask. No time today? Press “Skip my turn”. And if an asker doesn’t ask anything for 24 hours, their turn passes automatically: the game never gets stuck.

Buzz and answer

A question just landed in the group? Here’s how it works:

1. Open the link whenever you like, over breakfast or at 2 a.m.
2. Until you buzz, the question stays hidden. Press BUZZ when you’re ready.
3. The question appears, and you have 20 seconds to answer. Too slow? It counts as a wrong answer.

Twenty seconds is short: no time to look it up online. So get comfortable, read carefully, and trust your memory.

Who wins the point?

Answers are judged in buzz order, based on the server’s clock. The first correct answer wins the point. If the first player got it wrong or was too slow, the second player’s answer counts, then the third’s, and so on.

After you buzz, you see the buzz order and the times. That’s often when the “Wait, she buzzed at 7:02 a.m.?” moments happen. The leaderboard updates live, and the history keeps every question already asked. At the end of the game, a podium appears, ready to share with the group.

Fair play rules

The site can’t watch everything: it counts on everyone. Set these rules in the group on day one.

• No searching: no search engine, no voice assistant, no calling a friend during the 20 seconds.
• No spoilers: nobody gives the answer in the chat. A quick “I buzzed!” is perfect.
• Fair questions: a trick question should be hard, not ambiguous, and its answer must be checkable. Our guide on how to write good quiz questions will help a lot.
• Everyone plays for themselves: no buzzing on someone else’s phone.
• Nobody has to stay up: buzzing at 2 a.m. is possible, not required.

Switching phones mid-game, or would you rather play on your computer? Use My personal link: it lets you continue the game on another device. Keep it to yourself and never post it in the group, or someone else could play in your place.

Question ideas for your group

The ready-made questions are a great backup, but the best ones are often those you write for your own crew:

• All about the group: “True or false: Jess once forgot her passport on the day of the trip.”
• Shared memories: last summer’s trip, a wedding, a party nobody has forgotten.
• Everyone’s specialty: a question about your job, your town or your hobby.
• Half serious, half silly: a real geography question, then one about the neighbor’s cat.
• The multiple choice that makes you doubt: four believable answers, only one right, and everyone hesitates.

Keep the group going all week

A week is a long time. A few tips to keep the energy up until the podium:

• Match the length to the group: a very chatty group can last a week; a quieter one will prefer 1 or 3 days.
• Create a little ritual: one question with your morning coffee, another when you get home in the evening.
• Nudge a slow asker kindly: a “Your turn!” is often enough. If not, their turn passes on its own after 24 hours.
• Celebrate trick questions: whoever stumped everyone deserves their moment of glory.
• Plan a symbolic reward: the winner picks the topics for the next game, or renames the group for a week. No money, no bets: you play for bragging rights.
• Keep it rolling: share the podium and start a new game right away if people are up for it.

The game is deleted 30 days after it ends. If you want to keep the podium as a souvenir, take a screenshot.

And when the whole group finally gets together?

Switch to Party mode: the room shows up on the TV or a laptop, everyone joins with their phone using the QR code or a 4-character code, and the first to buzz appears big on screen. The host clicks Correct or Wrong, and the party holds up to 30 players. To get everything ready, read our guide on how to host a quiz night and the one on using your phone as a buzzer. Want to play in teams? Make random teams: nobody can say it was rigged.