Here at AngryBirdsNest.com we get so many questions about Apple’s Game Center (“What is it and how do I use it?”) that we decided to put together this handy guide that will walk you through each step of getting Game Center set up and configured. So let’s get started.
First off, what is an iOS device? An iOS device, in short, is any handheld device that runs Apple’s iOS Operating System. That includes any iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Though the 6th generation iPod Nano has a similar screen and icons, it is not considered an iOS device.
So now we know which handhelds are iOS devices, but can all of them run GameCenter? Saddly, no. Game Center is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad, iPad 2 and the 2nd thru 4th Generation iPod Touch. Also those devices must be updated to at least iOS 4.1 or higher. If you’re not sure which OS version you’re running, tap the Settings icon, then General, and finally About. Scroll down until you see “Version” and check your number. If you don’t see at least 4.1 it’s time to upgrade (I actually recommend keeping your device as up-to-date as you can, it’ll help with bugs and app compatibilities).
Updating your device is easy. Connect it to your computer (be sure it has an active internet connection) and go to iTunes. After it’s connected your device will show up in iTunes in the left hand pane. Click on it and then click on Update in the right hand pane. Simple as that! Your computer will now download and install the latest software. It goes without saying, but be sure not to untether your iOS device while it’s updating.
And there you have it! The ins and outs of Game Center. Now get out there, make some friends and start racking up those achievement points! If you need a friend, Bird Leader, can be found in Game Center as “BrodySlater” and FujiToast can be as just that, “FujiToast”.
Note: As some have noticed, there is an icon on the main homescreen for AngryBirdsNest.com. If you too would like an icon on your homescreen, simply follow the steps below!
Step 1: First open safari on your iOS device.
Step 2: Go to AngryBirdsNest.com.
Step 3: Tap on the icon that looks like a box with an arrow pointing to the right.
Step 4: Tap Add to Home Screen.
Step 5: This will open a menu and allow you to name the icon whatever you might like. Tap Add
And just like that, you have quick access to ABN on your homescreen, custom icon and all. Enjoy!
It would be pretty sweet if android did something like this!
Good tutorial Birdleader, I’m sure a lot of users will benefit from this :-)
Thanks! Though, FujiToast actually wrote most of this article. I just published it. Just wanted to give credit where credit is due (suppose this should be added to the actual article).
what is that app logo of angry’s nest ??? i am searching but cant find it
anyone?
ABN doesn’t have an app (yet….) though I’m sure BL&FT are working or searching for something. In the meantime, you can navigate to ABN in your browser and bookmark the site to your home screen. Neat logo there.
I already have this site bookmarket but how can i get it there like the photo with the same logo,
Kind regard
Alexander
If you’re on an iOS device, tap the icon that looks like a box with an arrow pointing right. That will give the option to add angrybirdsnest.com to your homepage. Then it will automatically give you that nice little logo bird leader created. This may be possible on android or other os’s but I can’t say for sure as I’m not a user. I’ll let some one else chime in for that.
I knew someone would notice the logo and this exact question. I really want to create a native app, but I have yet to find the right developer. I have the app planned out for the most part, so it’s just a matter of finding the right team. If anyone knows any app developer feel free to get in touch via the contact form.
I sent you a friend request Bird Leader, why didn’t you reply?
is amazon app developer not something for you? you can create a developer account there and then other developers can give a reaction on your account if they wanna do it or not ;)
here is the link:
https://developer.amazon.com/welcome.html?login=https://www.amazon.com/ap/signin?openid.assoc_handle=mas_dev_portal&openid.identity=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.ns=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0&openid.claimed_id=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fdeveloper.amazon.com%2Fap_login%2F68747470733A2F2F646576656C6F7065722E616D617A6F6E2E636F6D2F686F6D652E68746D6C.html&openid.mode=checkid_setup&openid.pape.max_auth_age=60
kind regards
Alexander BomberBird52
I noticed that in the fourth paragraph the word device is misspelled as deceive. Otherwise, great arcticle. I will add you and FujiToast as friends in Game Center.
Thanks
teven
Thanks teven, I’ll take care of that.
hey bird leader i requested you as a friend on game center my account is ssbrulz203 ithink if not then take off the 203 part
can i add you fujitoast?
For sure, add away!
can i use a droid to make one?
No, GameCenter is iOS only.
aaaawwwwwwwwwww.
Iam downloaded angry birds demo version.I also installed this game& open the game i see this error. ” open GL 2.0 renderer not supported! reason:open GL 2.0 is not supported,
open GL 1.4 renderer not supported! reason: open GL 1.3 is not supported”.this is showing.So what i do? please help me……….
The best advice I can give is to try updating your video card drivers.
When I get a second iPhone for my brother with the same iTunes account will I be able to simply log into gamecenter with my apple ID but enter a different email and nickname so both can play?
I suppose you can download the app for free (i.e., that iTunes account has already played) but the progress will not be there.
i wanted the game center accounts to be separate but not have separate iTunes accounts. That way I can send him invites.
I’m not sure if you can have more than one GameCenter name on a given iTunes account, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was wrong. Beware syncing these devices to iTunes however, as progress may overwrite each other.
if I registered a new apple ID on his device in game center do you think it would interfere with device syncing to my account? Also I wanted to keep all purchases under the same account.
Again, I’m not sure about this. I would definitely contact Apple to clear this up.
Thanks.
i can’t get my game center friend to show up on my game center game, Dragonvale. He was able to send me a gift, but he is not listed as a friend in my game, he is only listed in my game center, and I can’t send a gift back :(
I’m not too familiar with the process, but try going to GameCenter > Friends > Dragonvale. You should see [whatever app you are looking for] under “Games in Common”. If not, check out “Dragonvale’s Other Games”. Perhaps he is playing the HD version and not the SD.
For some reason I can’t change my comment or status I’m on a 4th gen iPod 32gb please help me
Have you accepted the newest terms and conditions? Try logging out and back in to GC.
I have completed all levels with 3 stars and all the golden eggs. I just activated Game Center and it’s showing zero achievements. Any suggestions?
If you are signed in, it should register over time. It’s by no means immediate. Just keep playing and they will arrive.
Er… It doesnt allow me to go any further than my bday… It just goes back to country :-(
There is a minimum age to accept Apple’s Terms and Conditions. Perhaps you are violating that?
Same issue…my birth year is in 1972. Still can’t go past bday.
Sorry you should contact Apple.
How come there can be 3-4 people who has had a zillion points on Angry Birds Classic and the people behind Game Center does not exclude them ?? How do we report that, they are not serious players like we are :-(
It’s hacking GameCenter. Even if either Apple or Rovio removed them, a new slew would arise in a day or two. GC is just too easy to hack.
It’s disappointing, really, but only a small amount of players at the top of the boards are hackers, so really, your GC rank is still quite accurate. Just ignore the people who are right at the top. Work on your individual rank, after all, the rank is probably 95% accurate. Good luck and keep on flinging!
“i can’t get my game center friend to show up on my game center game, Dragonvale. He was able to send me a gift, but he is not listed as a friend in my game, he is only listed in my game center, and I can’t send a gift back”
I’m having the same problem..any help with this would be nice!
The same problem for me :(((
Could be HD vs SD.
Hi. After adding a friend how do you play a game together? Cheers.
There is no multiplayer functionality at this time. All you can do is compare achievements and scores on the leaderboards.
Where’s the box with an arrow pointing to it?
GameCenter got remodeled a little bit in iOS 5, but the general guide should still work.
When connecting to game center it will play for a while and then say that it is having trouble connecting …
Try restarting your device and be sure you have a strong Internet connection.
Hi AMslimfordy,
I have seven AB games listed on Game Center. All have my Achievements except for two: Angry Birds Rio Free and Angry Birds Seasons Free. I have completed all the Achievements 8 and 9 respectively. GC has given me a rank for these two games but no Achievements.
Why are not all the Achievements showing up but the ranks are?
Is there something I need to do?
Is there someone I should email to report this situation?
Advice and suggestions from the ABN folks is appreciated.
Don’t worry about those two (SFree and RFree). There is an API issue related to iOS5 that prevents achievements from registering. It will be fixed in the next update.
I have no idea why, but my game center does not have that last “requests” on the bottom and when I click on “friends” there is not a plus symbol in the upper right corner. A friend sent me a request but nothing happened. Any ideas on how to fix it?
Try restarting your device and logging out/in to GameCenter again.
The Game Center does not register the new Fry To The Moon on my Iphone
The is no leader board for FMTTM.
Game Center is acting up a little with the space leader boards.
Sometimes the total includes FMTTM and Eggsteroids levels, sometimes not.
We can only hope that it will be fixed in future updates.
This episode is actually a kind of ‘bonus’ levels which maybe Rovio decided not to put up on GC.
This does not work I’m afraid… Any other ideas? I’m having the same problem. There is no plus in the corner of my friends screen and there is no requests tab
Are you signed in? Because I see both of these in my version of GC.
even when I signed in I have the same problem
You should contact Apple. Sounds like an issue with your device.
Any ideas on getting Game Center to recognize scores for the Facebook levels of the original Angry Birds? For some reason, the scores show up on my account for Episode 5, but not for World 14?
Angry Birds maxed out on the number of Leader Boards allowed by Game Center.
Surf and Turf won’t count in your total score.
That’s a drag, but it’s also an additional reason to come to Angry Birds Nest.
Any idea about my original question, though? Should the Facebook boards be counted toward World 14 (as well as for Episode 5)? The top World 14 scores at Game Center suggest it should.
I’m not sure if they were ever counted as world 14, but I can’t be sure.
Hi,
My game centre doesnt seem to have the friends request tab at the bottom :-( when i close this app i have 5 notifications which i am assuming are friend requests but i cant see the tab! Ders only 3 tabs at the bottom :-(
Hi folks — well, I FINALLY upgraded from my 1st-generation iPod touch, so can now access the Game Center. Problem is, it’s missing some of my very basic achievements. i.e., it shows all the birds have been unlocked and it shows I’ve gotten “Total Destruction” in all episodes, but it does NOT show I actually finished any of those episodes (well, actually the Worlds within those episodes).
I’ve tried finishing the last game in each world again, to get it to register, but it’s still showing I haven’t finished any levels.
Has anyone else had this difficulty, and have they been able to find a workaround?
Obviously not terribly important, other than my own obsessive-compulsive tendencies. :-)
I guess I should mention – the upgrade was to an iPhone 5
This has been reported from time to time. Usually an app update will force a “check” that will grab these achievements. So, on one hand, I’d encourage you to just hang tight for the time being. On the other, it’s not a bad idea to ping Rovio about it — using screenshots and all relevant device info.
Thanks!
i got to step 4 of creating a new account…once i pressed next after setting up new question for password my screen turned green and says “your request produced an error” it wont allow me to press cancel or next.
do you know how to help?
This would be an Apple issue. You should contact them.
I am finally trying to access game center, but it refuses to let me use cjcp as my nickname saying it has been taken. I played on IPOD touch but entered all scores through ABN on my pc.
Does ABN register its leaderboards in game center? If so, how do I claim the name and scores on my IPod? If not, and there actually is another cjcp, will it be necessary to re enter all scores on the IPod?
TY for any help you can give.
PS Where exactly on the home screen is the icon (box with arrow pointing right)?
We are in no way associated with Apple or GameCenter. Someone else is using that handle of cjcp, and that’s all there is.
I deleted a game that I was really high on, and when I reinstalled it, I had to restart the whole thing. How can I get back to my previous profile?
When deleting the app, it specifically says all data will be lost. That’s exactly what happens.
I didnt actually delete it personally, but is there a possible chance that I could get the data back?
You’re only hope is likely an iTunes restore
@fujitoast @Bird Leader
Could you please explain the purpose/benefits of the GC points system?
Also, do I need to complete ‘ABO free’ before scores/ranking is shown on GC?
Thanks in advance
The benefit is just a world-wide system. On its face, it was sort of revolutionary, but it became very easy to hack, so it was heavily tainted.
Scores should update as scores are improved (and achievements logged as satisfied), but it can be pretty buggy. For example, Seasons and Rio Frees will not log any achievements if you are running iOS 5 or higher. I haven’t heard of any issues with ABo Free, but I can look into it certainly.
Btw, what version of iOS are you running? 6.x?
So as I understand it, points don’t equal prizes then (ie. free games, discounts), they’re just a worldwide status thing, and are basically earned/there just for fun – okay, that’s a shame, but hey, no biggie ;)
Despite running iOS version 6.1, the GC is stating the following information –
ABO free: showing achievements, no scores, no ranking
AB Rio ‘full’ free: showing achievements, scores and ranking
AB Space free: showing achievements, scores and ranking
AB start Wars free: not played
AB Seasons free: not played
All very confusing I must say, and from what you have said, defo buggy if you ask me. It’s a few extra games for me to play though, so I think I’ll just stick with entering my scores on here and not worry too much about the GC now that I’ve gathered a little more information about it.
I do however appreciate your help/advice @AMslimfordy, am off now to play some Angry Birds ;)