Frequently Asked
Questions

SocialIRL is a hyper-local social app that lets you post or discover real-life hangouts with people nearby. Think of it as a live feed of people in your city who are free right now and want to do something — coffee, a walk, food, activities. You post what you want to do, where, and when. Nearby users can request to join. You approve. You meet. That's it.

Yes, SocialIRL is free to download and use. You can post hangouts, join hangouts, and use all core safety features at no cost. We may introduce optional premium features in the future, but our core mission — helping people meet IRL — will always be free.

SocialIRL is available in 200+ cities across the US, with new cities added regularly based on demand. If your city isn't listed, download the app anyway and join the waitlist — we'll notify you the moment we launch in your area. You can also vote for your city to be prioritized.

Yes. A verified profile is required to post or join hangouts. This is a core safety requirement. You'll need to verify your phone number, add a profile photo, and complete a short onboarding. You don't need to share your full name publicly — a first name or nickname works.

Tap the '+ Post a Hangout' button on the home screen. Fill in: what you want to do (activity), where (pick a location or a verified venue), when (now, or schedule for later), how many spots you're opening (1–10), and any brief description. Your hangout goes live immediately and is visible to nearby users. You can edit or cancel it anytime.

Absolutely. Every join request requires your approval before it's confirmed. You can view the requester's profile, their verified status, past hangout history, and any community reviews before deciding. You can accept, decline, or ignore requests. You can also remove confirmed attendees at any time before the hangout starts.

You can cancel a hangout up to the posted start time. All confirmed attendees receive an instant push notification. Frequent last-minute cancellations may affect your reliability score on your profile, so we encourage you to only post hangouts you genuinely plan to attend.

By default, you see hangouts within a 5-mile radius. You can expand this to 15 miles or narrow it down to 1 mile in your settings. Distance is calculated from your current location, not your home address.

When you start a hangout, SocialIRL automatically shares your live GPS location with a pre-designated trusted person — a friend, family member, or anyone you choose. They receive a link that shows your location in real time. When you check out of the hangout, they get a notification that you're safe. If you don't check out within 15 minutes of the scheduled end time, they get an alert. This all happens automatically — you don't have to remember to text anyone.

Users who verify as women can toggle 'Women-Only' when creating a hangout. Only other verified women will see or be able to request to join that hangout. Verification is done via phone number validation plus periodic random checks. Men who are found to have misrepresented their identity to access women-only spaces are permanently banned immediately.

Tap the flag icon on any profile, hangout, or message to report immediately. You can also block any user with one tap — they won't be able to see your profile, your hangouts, or contact you. In an emergency, always call 911. The SOS button in the app alerts your trusted contact with your location — it does not contact emergency services.

No. Your location is never shown precisely on the discovery feed. Other users see your hangout listed with a neighborhood or venue name, not your exact GPS coordinates. Even when a hangout is confirmed, only the hangout venue location is shared — never your home or personal address. Your Trusted Contact does receive your precise live location during active hangouts, because that's the whole point.

No. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We use your data to operate the app, keep you safe, and improve our service. We use Firebase for authentication and Supabase for our database. You can read our full Privacy Policy for details on exactly what we collect and why.

Go to Settings → Account → Delete Account. Your account and all associated data (profile, hangout history, messages) are permanently deleted within 30 days. Location data is deleted immediately. We may retain anonymized, non-identifiable usage data for analytics as described in our Privacy Policy.