Free tonight? A few neighbours might be too.

Say what you're up for: a coffee, a walk, a board game. When enough people nearby are free for something similar, CommonBeat puts at least three of you in a small group chat. The rest is yours.

Say what you're up for. When a few people nearby are free for something similar, you land in a small group chat together.

  • Google Play Coming soon
  • App Store Coming soon
See how it works

Android first, iPhone later. Canada only, 19 and over.

An example: three people nearby, free for coffee, a walk and board games, land in one small group. An example. The names are made up.

Opening first in Downtown & West End, Vancouver.

An example. The names are made up.

Not a dating app.

It's the first question people ask, and a fair one. Here's how we keep it true.

  • There are no profiles to browse. You never scroll through people.
  • There are no photos. Others see your first name, not your face.
  • There is no swiping, and no way to ask for a particular person.
  • Every group is three or more. CommonBeat never links two people alone.
  • Asking someone out closes an account after one confirmed report. No warnings.

We ask your gender once, keep it private, and never show it or use it to form a group. The women-only rooms it's there for are not part of this version.

CommonBeat is for the friend you haven't met yet, not the date.

How it works

Four steps, then CommonBeat gets out of the way.

  1. Put a beat out.

    Pick when you're free, roughly where you are, and what you feel like doing. About ten seconds, less if you're decisive.

  2. Land in a small group.

    When enough people nearby are free for something similar, CommonBeat puts at least three of you together. Nobody picks anybody.

  3. Say hi in the chat.

    Your group gets a text chat. Everyone sees first names, and nobody can send a photo.

  4. The rest is yours.

    CommonBeat stops at the chat. It doesn't plan anything or pick a place. If your group decides to meet up, that's your group's plan.

Small plans, big maybe.

Put a beat out for whatever sounds good right now. Or just say how you are and let that do the talking.

Try a beat

Pick one and watch a group come together. It's an example, so nobody real is on the other end.

Three people nearby said coffee, and all of them are free till 6.

Four people nearby want a walk after work. That's a group.

Three people nearby are up for board games tonight. Somebody has the good one.

Two people nearby want something to eat around 7. One more and it's a group.

Also up for

  • Studying near people
  • Music
  • Making something

Or just how you are

  • Wired
  • Restless
  • Easy-going
  • Heads down
  • Low-key
  • Need to talk

A pub or patio beat needs you to be 19 in BC. The app checks.

What it could feel like.

The app isn't out yet, so there's nobody to quote. Here are three small scenes instead.

  • Four people walking together along a woodland path, seen from the waist down, no faces in view.

    Tuesday, 5:40.

    Work's done and the day isn't. You put a beat out for a walk. Three people nearby are free after six too. The chat picks the long way round the park.

  • Saturday, 2:00.

    Board games need a third player. So does this. Three of you land in a chat, and somebody already owns the good one.

  • Four cups of coffee on a wooden café table, seen from above, each held by a different person.

    Sunday, 10:15.

    You're new to the neighbourhood and low-key about it. Three others feel the same. Coffee, first names, and no pressure to make it a thing.

One neighbourhood at a time.

Opening first in Downtown & West End, Vancouver.

A beat needs someone nearby to land on, so we open neighbourhoods one by one, starting with Downtown & West End in Vancouver. You join the list inside the app. This website never asks for your details.

  1. Get the app.

    From Google Play. iPhone comes later.

  2. Sign in with your phone number.

    It's how you sign in. Nobody else ever sees it.

  3. Pick your neighbourhood.

    If it's not open yet, you're on its list. We'll let you know with a notification, and by email if you keep your address with us.

See every neighbourhood
Vancouver streets, traced from OpenStreetMap. The drawing is not the area CommonBeat opens in; each square is 500 metres across, the size of the grid your location is rounded to.

Safety, in plain words.

  • Grown-ups only.

    You need to be 19 or over to sign up.

  • Nobody can see where you are.

    Your location is rounded to a 500-metre grid before it's stored. The app has no map.

  • Chats don't linger.

    Messages are deleted 48 hours after a room closes.

  • Leave any time.

    Block anyone, and they're never told. “I didn't feel safe” is reason enough.

Nobody on CommonBeat has had a background check, and we won't pretend otherwise. The safety page lists exactly what runs today, and what doesn't.

How safety works

Questions people ask.

Still wondering? Say hi at info@commonbeat.ca

Is this a way to meet a partner?

No. Groups are three or more, there are no photos and nothing to browse. Asking someone out closes an account after one confirmed report. CommonBeat is for the friend you haven't met yet, not the date.

Who ends up in my group?

People near you who said they're free at the same time for something similar. Nobody picks anybody, which is sort of the charm.

Do I have to meet anyone in person?

No. CommonBeat gives your group a chat and stops there. If the group wants to meet up, that's its own plan, and you're free to say no or leave.

Can anyone see where I am?

No. Your position is rounded to a 500-metre grid before anything is saved. There's no map in the app.

What do other people see about me?

Your first name, and the one line you write about yourself if you add one. Both are checked before anyone else sees them. No photo, no surname, no phone number, no gender.

Is it open where I live?

We open one neighbourhood at a time, starting with Downtown & West End, Vancouver. Pick yours in the app to join its list.

When will my neighbourhood open?

When enough people there are waiting. Each neighbourhood's page shows how it's getting on, and we won't guess when that'll be.

Is there an iPhone app?

Not yet. Android comes first, and iPhone is on the way.

Why does it need my phone number?

To sign you in with a code, and to make a ban stick. Nobody else ever sees your number.

What if someone makes me uncomfortable?

Leave the room, no reason needed. Block them, and they're never told. Report it, and a person reads it. If you're in danger right now, call 911 first.

Your neighbourhood's waiting.

Get CommonBeat, pick your neighbourhood, and you're in, or on the list. Canada only, 19 and over.

  • Google Play Coming soon
  • App Store Coming soon

This website never asks for your details. You join inside the app.