Automated bookings (bots) — Stop people booking with programs using “I'm not a robot”

In some communities, getting a court is a race: the slot opens at a set time and it is taken within seconds. Some people use bots (programs that sign in to Apoing and book on their own) to get there first. It is unfair to everyone else and it goes against Apoing's terms of use, which do not allow automated tools.

Apoing watches for this kind of access and helps you stop it with the “I'm not a robot” check.

What Apoing watches for

Every hour we review account activity and look for clear signs of automation:

• Sign-ins from automated browsers or servers instead of a normal phone or computer.
• Sign-ins at an exact interval (for example, every 30 minutes on the dot, also at night) or several in the same second.
• Bookings made, again and again, the very second the slot opens.

Booking fast is not enough on its own: plenty of people wait with their phone for the court to open. An account is only flagged when several signs appear together.

When an account clearly does this, the Apoing team can block its automated access. That person can keep using Apoing normally from their browser or the app; what stops working is the bot.

The notice for administrators

If automated bookings are detected in your community, you will see the notice “Possible automated bookings” under Needs your attention (on the website's Home, on the community panel and in the app), with how many bookings in the last month were made the second the slot opened.

The notice does not say which accounts: a suspicion between neighbours is a delicate matter and we prefer the Apoing team to handle it. If you want more detail, write to hola@apoing.com.

How to turn on “I'm not a robot”

1. From the notice

Tap Turn on verification. It is turned on in every category of the community at once. If you would rather not do it now, tap Not now and the notice will not come back for 30 days.

2. From the booking rules

To do it only for some categories: on the community panel, open Booking rules, choose the category and tick Ask for verification before booking. In the app it is under More › Manage communities › Booking rules.

What changes for members

• On the website: Google's “I'm not a robot” box appears when confirming the booking. Usually ticking it is enough.
• In the app: the box is not shown. Accounts with signs of a bot cannot book in categories with verification turned on during the first minute after the slot opens; if they try, they are told the slot has just opened and to try again in a minute. Everyone else books as usual.
• Accounts blocked by the Apoing team: on the website they are always asked to tick the box, even if the category doesn't have it on, and in the app they always get the first-minute brake.

Frequently asked questions

• Does it bother normal members? Very little: on the website it is one more click when booking, and in the app they notice nothing.
• Can I turn it off later? Yes, by unticking Ask for verification before booking in each category's booking rules.
• I think a person was blocked by mistake. Write to hola@apoing.com and we will look into it. A block never stops anyone from signing in from a normal browser or phone.