16 Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About HQ Trivia. You’re Welcome.

In 2017, if I asked you to name a trivia app, your mind would probably go to HQ Trivia. The app designed by the creators of Vine in 2017 rose to success as quickly as its predecessor. It became one of the most popular trivia apps with its daily trivia games. They offered players real cash prizes that they got to split with other winners.

In 2018, the app faced a steady decline. In 2020, the CEO of the company announced that there would be no more HQ Trivia. The company had run out of money and could no longer afford the expenses. Only a few days after that announcement, the CEO came back to state that he could “re-home” the app and daily live quizzes would continue!

HQ Trivia is operational again, but at what cost? Everything you ever wanted to know about HQ Trivia, you will find in this article!

Is HQ Trivia Legit?

Yes, HQ Trivia is legit. That means that you can win real cash prizes. You will, however, have to split your winnings with all other winners, which often leaves each winner with only a few cents. 

Some reviews from February 2021 state that the app has been glitchy. A few months back, Rus Yusupov (co-founder of the app) said that he was hoping the new owner of the app would be able to fix these issues.

Do You Actually Win Money on HQ Trivia?

Yes, you can actually win money, but very little. For starters, it’s not that easy to win, as the questions can get quite difficult, especially towards the end of the quiz. Plus, even if you do manage to answer everything correctly, you still have to split the money with hundreds of people who answered correctly too. Thus you end up with a very humble sum. (If you’re looking for more apps that offer this, check out our list of the best trivia apps to win money).

My advice is—don’t play for money, play for fun; it’s not that profitable, anyway!

Can You Play HQ Trivia On the Computer?

At some point, you used to be able to play HQ Trivia on your Windows PC, but not on a Mac. If you search for it now, you will find a free HQ Trivia application for Windows, but it appears to be down or unavailable. You may have to use a phone emulator like Bluestacks. More on using an emulator to play HQ Trivia here.

Can You Play HQ Trivia in the UK?

When HQ Trivia first came out, it was available for download everywhere except for Russia and India. UK players got special treatment with their own games and hosts. In 2018, when the app faced dwindling numbers, HQ Trivia UK announced that they would be taking a break. They never said how long that break would last or if they were ever coming back.

Since then, the game has not had an official UK version. In 2020, the world got the news of the end of HQ Trivia. The game has since returned, but with no UK version in sight.

Can You Cheat in HQ Trivia?

If you’re serious about cheating HQ Trivia, you’ve probably already browsed the internet. If not, you will find several articles that will promise to teach you how to cheat. Whether it actually works or not, we can’t say for sure as we do not encourage cheating in any trivia game, but people sure are innovative! 

There is one obvious barrier to cheating in HQ Trivia—the live format. You don’t get as much time as you need to answer a question. In fact, you only get ten seconds to tap the correct answer. That’s not nearly enough time to type your question into Google, find the correct answer, return to the app, and select your answer.

People at Mashable found one way to cheat the game. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. All you need is an extra Android phone with Google Assistant. Using Google Voice Assistant, you voice your question. Word it strategically; instead of asking the whole question, focus on keywords and hope that Google’s strong algorithm will do its job. Using an extra phone and your voice, you might get the right answer just in time.

While that strategy asks for some skill, HQuack required minimal effort. HQuack was an app that is no longer available. The app automatically Googled the questions in actual time and gave you the right answer with 82% accuracy, with a few seconds to spare. Additionally, you may also be able to find some hacks by joining a Discord server. As of now, there is nothing quite like it. If you want to cheat, you need to do it the old-fashioned way and Google your questions… but really, what’s the fun in cheating in trivia? 

What Does HQ Trivia Stand For?

The co-founder of HQ Trivia, Rus Yusupov, doesn’t have an official answer to this question. Thus, it is left entirely up to your imagination. There have been rumors that HQ stands for “Hard Questions.” HQ Trivia’s ex-host Scott Rogowski joked about the subject, saying that HQ stands for “Happy Quinceañera.” One Reddit user promoted the theory that it stands for “Hype Quiz.” 

An HQ representative said that the name is not really an abbreviation at all; it’s just HQ. Take that as you will. Even if HQ does stand for something, we don’t know what it is.

Who Has Hosted HQ Trivia?

At first, HQ Trivia’s primary host was Scott Rogowski. In 2019, Scott Rogowski was replaced by Matt Richards, who was a fill-in host at the time. Sharon Carpenter hosted the British games, and so did Beric Livingstone. Alexandra Maurer hosted the German games.

Other hosts include Sarah Pribis, David Magidoff, Sian Welby, Leonie Zeumer, Lara Falkner, Kathryn Goldsmith, Lauren Gambino, and Lyndsey Rodrigues.

For the app’s anniversary on March 29, 2021, they’re currently hosting a contest to host their special Anniversary Game!

Who Were the HQ Trivia UK Hosts?

HQ Trivia UK only had two hosts. Sharon Carpenter was the primary host of HQ Trivia UK. Beric Livingstone was another British host.

What was HQ Trivia: Back to School?

HQ Trivia Back to School refers to the sixth season of HQ Trivia, where “Back to School” was the theme. Season six started on September 9th, 2019. HQ Trivia invited its players to share funny and embarrassing stories from school through Twitter. The account promised to mention the best stories on the show.

What Happened to Scott from HQ Trivia?

Scott Rogowski was the primary host of HQ Trivia since the very beginning of the app. In April 2019, he was replaced by Matt Richards, who was a fill-in host at the time. Rogowski got a new deal with a baseball show on DAZN. He and HQ Trivia couldn’t negotiate agreeable terms, so he was replaced by Richards.

Are There Podcasts About HQ Trivia?

The Ringer released a documentary podcast called Boom/Bust in 2020. HQ Trivia was the theme of the podcast’s first episode. You can listen to it on Spotify or find it online. Listen to it to get the hosts’ takes on why HQ Trivia fell as quickly as it rose. The eighth episode of the podcast is also dedicated to HQ Trivia and titled “Selling for Parts.” 

Another podcast called Snacks Daily discussed the rise and fall of HQ Trivia in an episode titled “HQ Trivia’s Frankenstein/Queer Eye Moment.” If you do a little digging, you will probably find more podcasts that mention HQ Trivia, especially in the tech and marketing spheres. (And if you’re a fan of podcasts in general, check out our list of trivia podcasts–sure, they may not be about HQ Trivia, but they’re still entertaining!)

Who is the New Owner of HQ Trivia?

In February 2020, Rus Yusupov, the co-founder of HQ Trivia, made an announcement stating that HQ Trivia was going under. A few days later, he announced that the game would be back on, but under a new ownership. At the end of March 2020, the games were back on at full speed.

It is known that HQ Trivia was developed by the founders of Vine, Colin Kroll and Rus Yusupov. The former passed away shortly after the app started to lose players, so Yusupov had to take over completely. 

When Yusupov announced that another company would take over HQ Trivia, he didn’t say who the owner of that company was. All we know is that on the 30th of March 2020 live trivia games were back on with Matt Richards.

Who is the CEO of HQ Trivia?

Rus Yusupov was the co-founder of HQ Trivia. After his colleague Colin Kroll passed away, Yusupov became the CEO. The app allegedly found a new owner earlier in 2020. No news has come out regarding the new owner of the app, the team that handles the app, or the CEO. On LinkedIn, Rus Yusupov remains the co-founder and CEO of HQ Trivia.

What is HQ Trivia’s Music?

If you’ve ever participated in one of HQ Trivia’s daily quizzes, you must be familiar with their catchy soundtrack. A Reddit user suggested that the soundtrack was produced by Russell Wyner, who also happens to be a graphic designer. It is unclear whether that’s correct. The company has never spoken about the soundtrack, so it’s possible that one of HQ Trivia’s employees produced it.

What is the Email of HQ Trivia?

If you’d like to contact HQ Trivia to provide feedback about the quiz or show appreciation, you can tweet at them at @hqtrivia. Alternatively, email them at feedback@hqtrivia.com.

Why Did Matt Richards Get Drunk on HQ Trivia?

Back in 2020, when HQ Trivia announced its “last quiz ever,” the hosts got drunk on air. They drank alcohol, popped champagne, and used profanities. It was a classic last day on the job for Matt Richards and his colleagues. 

The last prize of $5 came out of the host’s pocket and was split among 523 winners. Back in HQ Trivia’s heyday, cash prizes would reach thousands of dollars. It was quite obvious that Matt Richards was sad about the show ending. He made it clear that if it was up to him, HQ Trivia would still be running, and he tried to make the best of the last quiz. 

He got his wish in the end, and HQ Trivia lives on with Matt Richards as the main host!

Do you have any fun facts about HQ Trivia we may have missed? Let us know in the comments! And for more fun trivia-related facts, check out our lists on Trivial Pursuit and Trivia Crack! And if you’re looking for more apps like HQ Trivia, check these out!