Player can't join my pool

Symptom

A player clicks your join link, or types in a passcode, and can't get into the pool. They might see "Incorrect passcode," "This email isn't on the invite list," or a message saying the pool is full instead of the join form.

Common causes

Most join failures come down to one of two things: the pool's join policy is blocking them, or the pool has run out of room.

Wrong join policy for who's trying to join. Every pool is set up with one of these access rules:

• Open (anonymous): anyone with the link can join after signing in with Google, email and password, or a one-time email code.
• Passcode: the player needs both a valid sign-in and the current passcode. Entering the passcode unlocks browsing, but joining and locking in picks still checks the passcode (or a prior unlock) against the pool.
• Invite-only (email allowlist): only the email addresses you've added to the invite list can join. If a signed-in player's verified email isn't on that list, they'll see an access-denied message and a prompt to try another account.

If your friend is hitting a wall, the first thing to check is which of these three modes the pool is using and whether their email or passcode actually matches what the policy expects.

The pool has hit its player capacity. Every pool has a cap on how many players can join. Free pools cap at 25 players; upgrading the pool raises that ceiling. On top of that tier cap, you can also set your own, lower player limit in the pool settings. Whichever number is lower is the one that's enforced. Once a pool hits its cap, new visitors see a "pool's packed" message instead of the join form. The pool owner can always join their own pool even when it's full, since they're the one who can raise the limit.

Fix

Check the join policy and confirm capacity.

1. Open your pool's settings and look at the join policy: open, passcode, or invite-only.
2. If it's set to passcode, confirm you're sharing the current passcode. Changing the passcode invalidates every player's previous unlock, so anyone who saved an old code will get "Incorrect passcode" until you send them the new one.
3. If it's set to invite-only, check the email allowlist and make sure the exact email address your friend is signing in with is on the list (matching is case-insensitive, but it has to be the same address, not a personal vs. work alias).
4. If your friend says they're signed in but still blocked, ask them which email or account they used. Someone with two Google accounts, or with a work and personal address, is a common cause of "the passcode is right but it still won't let me in."
5. Check your current player count against your limit. If the pool shows as full, that's why new joins are being turned away, even with the right passcode or a valid invite email.

Raise the player limit if needed.

If the pool is full, you have two options: remove or wait on some existing players to free up a spot, or raise your player limit in the pool settings. If you're on the free tier and already at the 25-player cap, you'll need to upgrade the pool before you can raise the limit further. Once you increase the cap, ask the player to try the join link again.

If you've confirmed the join policy matches what you intended, the passcode is current, the invite list includes the right email, and the pool isn't at capacity, but the player still can't get in, contact support with the pool name, the player's email, and the exact error message they're seeing so the team can check what's blocking them.