Play by Play was a third-party Mac app that provided a native desktop experience for browsing Dribbble, the popular design community where designers share work-in-progress shots. The app offered push notifications, activity tracking, and a cleaner interface than Dribbble’s website circa 2013. It was discontinued when the developer stopped updates around OS X Mountain Lion, and modern macOS versions cannot run it.
Key Specs
| Price | Was $4.99 (no longer available) |
| Platform | Mac only (OS X 10.7-10.8, incompatible with 10.13+) |
| Best for | Browse Dribbble shots, track activity, notifications |
| Learning curve | 5 minutes to learn basic browsing |
How Designers Used Play by Play
For Browsing Design Inspiration
Play by Play organized Dribbble shots into feeds: Popular, Recent, Debuts, and your personalized activity stream. The app remembered which shots you’d already seen, highlighting new content. Designers kept it open in the background while working, checking for fresh inspiration during breaks without opening a browser.
For Following Specific Designers
You could filter the feed to show only shots from designers you followed, making it easier to keep up with specific people’s work. The app sent notifications when followed designers posted new work, so you didn’t miss updates from your favorite creators.
For Participating in the Dribbble Community
Play by Play showed your activity stream (likes, comments, follows) in a dedicated view. You could like shots, comment, and view project details without leaving the app. It functioned as a lightweight Dribbble client focused on consumption rather than uploading your own work.
Play by Play vs. Current Alternatives
| Feature | Play by Play | Dribbble Website | Browser Extensions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Mac app (discontinued) | Web (all platforms) | Browser-dependent |
| Offline access | ⚠️ Cached shots only | ❌ Requires internet | ❌ Requires internet |
| Notifications | ✅ Native Mac alerts | ✅ Browser notifications | ✅ Via browser |
| Uploads | ❌ View-only | ✅ Full upload features | ⚠️ Limited |
| Modern macOS | ❌ Incompatible | ✅ Always current | ✅ Works |
Choose Dribbble Website if: You want the full Dribbble experience with uploads, project pages, and guaranteed compatibility with future updates. The web interface is now responsive and fast.
Choose Browser Extensions if: You want Dribbble integrated into your browser with keyboard shortcuts and custom filters. Extensions like “Dribbble Color Search” add features Dribbble doesn’t offer.
Choose Mobile Apps if: You’re on iOS or Android and want a touch-optimized experience. Wait, Dribbble discontinued those too in 2021. Just use the website.
Getting Started with Dribbble (Without Play by Play)
Since Play by Play is gone, here’s how to get a similar experience using the Dribbble website:
Step 1: Create a free Dribbble account
Visit dribbble.com and sign up for a free account. You don’t need a paid “Pro” membership to browse, like, and comment. Follow designers whose work you admire by clicking the Follow button on their profile pages.
Step 2: Enable browser notifications
Go to your account Settings > Notifications and enable browser notifications for activities you care about (new followers, likes, comments). Your browser will ask permission to show notifications. Accept it, and you’ll get desktop alerts just like Play by Play provided.
Step 3: Add Dribbble to your Dock (Mac)
Open dribbble.com in Safari, then go to File > Add to Dock. This creates a shortcut that opens Dribbble in its own window without browser chrome, mimicking a native app. You can also use Chrome’s “Install Dribbble” option (click the install icon in the address bar) for a similar pseudo-app experience.
Dribbble in Your Design Workflow
Dribbble serves as an inspiration library and community connection point throughout the design process.
- Before starting a project: Browse Dribbble for style references, UI patterns, and color palette inspiration
- During design: Check how other designers solved similar problems (mobile navigation, empty states, onboarding flows)
- After completing work: Upload shots to Dribbble to build your portfolio, get feedback, and attract clients or employers
Common tool pairings:
- Dribbble + Figma for finding inspiration shots and recreating techniques in your designs
- Dribbble + Pinterest for collecting shots into mood boards (use browser extensions to save Dribbble shots to Pinterest)
- Dribbble + Notion for documenting design patterns and linking to specific shots for reference
Common Problems (and How to Fix Them)
“I miss having a dedicated Dribbble app on my Mac”
Use Safari’s “Add to Dock” feature or Chrome’s “Install Dribbble” to create a pseudo-app. These open Dribbble in a standalone window without browser UI. It’s not as native as Play by Play was, but it’s close. You can also use browser extensions to add keyboard shortcuts and custom filters.
“I can’t keep track of which shots I’ve already seen”
The Dribbble website doesn’t mark viewed shots like Play by Play did. Workaround: use the “Following” feed instead of “Popular” or “Recent.” Your Following feed shows only designers you follow in chronological order, making it easier to pick up where you left off. Alternatively, bookmark shots you want to revisit using browser bookmarks or save them to Collections on Dribbble.
“Dribbble notifications are too noisy”
Go to Settings > Notifications and disable categories you don’t care about. You can turn off notifications for new followers, project likes, or shot views while keeping comment notifications. Most designers disable everything except comments and direct messages to reduce noise.
“Is there any way to use Play by Play on a modern Mac?”
Technically, you could try running it in a virtual machine with an old OS X version, but it’s not worth the effort. The Dribbble API has changed since 2013, so the app likely wouldn’t connect properly anyway. The web interface has improved dramatically since Play by Play’s heyday and offers more features now.
“Why did Dribbble shut down their own apps?”
Dribbble announced in January 2021 that they were sunsetting their official iOS and Android apps to focus development resources on the web platform. They cited the difficulty of maintaining feature parity across web and mobile codebases. The decision reflected a broader trend of companies abandoning native apps in favor of responsive web experiences.