The playbook
How GameSound works
No app store, no login, no server in the middle. Your browser watches a public scoreboard and sounds the horn when a team you follow scores. Here is the whole play, start to finish.
Four steps to the horn
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Choose your team
Choose your team from the Your teams menu in the ticker bar on the home page or tap Follow team on the Teams page. GameSound remembers it every visit and follows every game they play. You can also tap Follow on any single game card.
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Sound is on
Sound is on by default. Browsers will not play audio until you interact with the page, so your first tap anywhere unlocks the horn. Tap Test horn in Settings to hear it. The volume slider works on Android and desktop; iPhones use the side buttons.
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Keep the screen on
Turn on Keep awake so your phone does not go dark mid-drive. Turn on Alerts and scores also reach this phone as notifications when the app is in the background, closed, or the phone is locked.
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Hear the horn
When a team you follow scores, a banner flashes in that team's colors with the play type and score, and the horn sounds. Touchdown, field goal, extra point, two-point conversion, safety: each one is called.
Where the scores come from
Scores come from ESPN's public scoreboard feed, and your browser reads it directly, so nothing about you passes through us. While a game you follow is live, the feed is checked every 10 seconds; between games it slows down to save battery, and a hidden tab checks once a minute while the horn or Alerts can still reach you.
A score is detected when a team's points go up between two checks: 6 is a touchdown, 3 a field goal, 1 an extra point, 2 a two-point conversion or a safety. If the feed corrects a score downward, the card updates quietly with no sound.
Locked-phone and background alerts come from GameSound's own small alert service: turn on Alerts and it stores this device's push address with the teams you follow, watches the same public feed once a minute, and sends a push notification when one of your teams scores. Your phone shows it with its own notification sound. The open tab still plays the horn; the two never double up.
Flash your Govee lights
If you own Govee smart lights, GameSound can flash them in your team's colors on every touchdown - or every score, kickoff and final if you like. You connect once on the Lights page with a free API key from the Govee Home app, tick the lights that should flash, and set quiet hours. The alert service watches the scoreboard for you, so the lights flash whether or not GameSound is open; with a tab open they flash within about ten seconds. Afterwards every light returns to how it was. Google Home and Alexa keep working as before; nothing needs to be set up there.
Send scores to Discord, Slack, Telegram or a webhook
Your group chat can get every score too. On the Chat alerts page you paste a Discord or Slack webhook address, a Telegram bot token and chat id, or any https address of your own - a Home Assistant or IFTTT webhook, for example - and choose the plays and quiet hours. The alert service posts the play, the team, the score line and the play text as a message the moment a team you follow scores, with the page open or closed. A plain webhook message is signed with a secret the page shows you, so your hub can check it came from GameSound. Disconnect any time and the address is deleted.
Install it like an app
GameSound is a progressive web app. Installing it puts an icon on your home screen, opens it full-screen without browser chrome, and caches the app shell so it loads instantly on game day.
iPhone and iPad
In Safari, tap the Share button, choose Add to Home Screen, then tap Add. Open GameSound from the new icon. On iOS, the Alerts toggle only works from the installed app, and the side buttons set the horn's level - the volume slider has no effect there, and the ringer switch does not silence the horn (it plays like media, not like a ringtone).
Android
In Chrome, tap Install app in the menu when it appears, or open the browser menu and choose Install app or Add to Home screen. The volume slider in the menu sets the horn level.
Desktop
In Chrome or Edge, click the install icon at the right end of the address bar, or use the Install app button in the menu. It opens in its own window, and the volume slider sets the horn level.
FAQ
Does GameSound work when my phone is locked or the app is in the background?
Yes. Turn on Alerts in Settings and scores arrive as push notifications when the app is in the background, closed, or the phone is locked - with the phone's own notification sound. On iPhone this needs the app installed to the home screen (iOS 16.4 or later). The horn itself plays only while the page is open, so turn on Keep awake for game day.
Is the sound on, and why does it need a tap?
Sound is on by default. Browsers refuse to play audio until you interact with the page, so your first tap anywhere unlocks playback for the rest of your visit. After a reload, one more tap re-arms it. The volume slider works on Android and desktop; iPhones use the side buttons.
How fast do the alerts arrive?
During a live game the scoreboard is checked every 10 seconds, so most alerts land within 10 to 15 seconds of the score posting to the public feed.
Is GameSound free, and do I need an account?
Yes and no. GameSound is free and there are no accounts or sign-ups. The teams, games and players you follow live in this browser; locked-phone alerts, chat alerts, lights and sync codes are opt-in and the alert service stores only what each one needs.
What is the difference between following a team and following a game?
Following a team covers every game that team plays, all season long, and GameSound remembers it every visit. Following a game covers only that one matchup and drops off your list once it ends.
Which sports and leagues are supported?
NFL only for now. Other leagues are on the roadmap and will use the same follow-and-listen flow.
Does GameSound work with smart lights?
Yes, with Govee. On the Lights page you paste a free API key from the Govee Home app, tick the lights that should flash, and choose the plays. They flash in your team's colors on every score and return to how they were, with the page open or closed. Other brands are not supported yet.
Can I use my own sound?
Yes. Open Settings, tap Your sounds, and choose an audio file from your device for any alert: every score, touchdowns, field goals, kickoff, final, an opponent score, or one of your teams. The file is kept in this browser on this device - nothing is uploaded - and the Test horn plays it so you can check the level.