Meet. Connect. Belong.
Say what you feel like doing tonight. Someone close by says yes. You both get a countdown to when you meet, so it actually happens.
Android, and in Lisbon: leave your email and we add you to the test. No iPhone build yet, same list.
Meeting someone tonight takes one tap.
There is no profile to fill in and no messages piling up. You look at what people near you are doing tonight, tap the one you like, and go.
See what people near you are doing tonight.
The main screen (we call it the Radio) is one list of real plans happening near you, each with how far away it is and how long you have to say yes. Plans disappear when they are over, so nothing on the list is out of date.
Tap it and you are in. No message to write first, nothing to fill in.
Type what you fancy doing, like “coffee at the beach?”. Choose how long it runs and how many people can come.
A countdown starts for both of you
Before you say yes you see who it is, where it is and how far you would walk. Then the same countdown runs on both phones, so neither of you quietly forgets.
You turn up and say hi
A short chat, just enough to find each other, and a map if you need one. Your phone checks that you got there, and the chat disappears when the plan ends.
The parts people tell their friends about.
None of this is buried in a settings menu. It is how the app works the moment you open it.
Come to a table, not a blind date
Most plans have a few seats. You are not signing up to sit opposite one stranger for an hour, you are joining a group. Far less nerve-wracking, and it fills up quicker too.
Sometimes there is a free coffee waiting
Cafés and bars on the map can put something on the table: a coffee on the house, ten percent off the first drink, two for one. You scan a code at the bar and it is yours.
The face you see is the face that turns up
Everyone photographs themselves inside the app, front camera, on the spot. No uploads, no flattering shot from four years ago. It runs out after two weeks and they do it again.
Nobody gets to leave you sitting there
Your phone quietly checks that you both reached the place. Stand somebody up and it goes on your record. Do it three times and you are off the app.
Dating is one switch, and it starts off
Leave it off and you only ever see plans from other people who left theirs off too, so nobody has to wonder what this is. Turn it on and it only shows if you both did.
You get one photo of the evening
Where you were, who was there, how long it lasted. Save it within seven days or let it fade. It is private, and nobody else ever sees it.
Solo, but not antisocial.
The app never asks how you are feeling. It just shows you what is happening near you tonight. What you do about it is up to you.
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You just landed
First night in a new place, and eating alone on the first night sets the tone for the whole trip.
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You've got a free evening
Nothing planned, and you'd rather not spend it scrolling through other people's evenings.
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You work on your own
Remote, freelance, between things. You've been looking at a laptop since eight and you want to talk to a person.
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You want people, not a date
There is a dating switch and it starts off. Leave it off and you will only ever see plans from other people who left theirs off too.
The things we left out on purpose.
- No swiping. No profile grid to browse.
- No infinite scroll. You see what's live, then you're done.
- No streaks, no daily nudges. We would rather you forgot the app existed between plans.
- No ads.
- No ratings on people.
- Dating is one switch, not the whole app. Turn it off and you never see it again.
The only thing that counts here is turning up.
Three rules the app actually enforces, rather than promises in a policy nobody reads.
Everyone takes a selfie in the app itself, front camera, right there and then. You cannot upload an old one. It runs out after two weeks and you take a new one, so the photo is recent.
Your phone checks that you got there. You have to be within 150 metres of the spot or it does not count as showing up.
Leave someone waiting and it's on your record. Do it three times and your account is suspended.
StepOut is 18+, enforced on our server rather than only in the app, and age can't be edited after sign-up. Anyone can be reported or blocked from anywhere in the app, including a dedicated reason for a profile that looks under 18. Our child safety standards set out how those reports are handled.
One photo of the evening. Keep it, or let it go.
Afterwards you get one small private card: where you were, who was there, how long it lasted. You have seven days to save it before it goes.
No feed. No likes. Nobody else sees it. At the end of the year you get a recap of the people you actually spent time with, not the hours you spent on your phone.
The things people ask first.
Is StepOut a dating app?
No. It is a plans app. You say what you are doing and someone near you comes along. Romance is a toggle, off unless you turn it on, and it only ever resolves if both people turned it on. Leave yours off and you won't see plans from people looking for a date, and they won't see yours.
What does it cost?
It is free to download, and free to use when you start. After that it is one price a month, with no levels or add-ons. Your app store shows that price in your own money, which is why we don't print a number here.
Every three friends you invite who stay past their first week earns you another month free, with no limit. There are no ads, and the free tier sees the same app.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not yet. StepOut is Android only today. Leave your email and you'll get one message when that changes. Same for a city we haven't opened yet.
Do people actually turn up?
That's the part the whole app is built around. When someone joins your plan a countdown starts for both of you, and arriving is confirmed by GPS: you have to be within 150 metres of the place for it to count. Leave someone waiting and it goes on your record; three times and the account is suspended.
We're new, so we're not going to quote you a show-up rate we haven't measured yet.
Who can see where I am?
Your plan is only shown to people close to you, and you choose how close. Five kilometres to start with. It shows the area and the spot you chose, not your address.
Sharing your live position during a plan is a switch you turn on yourself, and it stays off until you do.
Who is allowed on StepOut?
Adults only. The 18 minimum is enforced on our server rather than only in the app, and your age can't be changed afterwards. Everyone takes a live selfie through the app's own camera, with no uploads from your gallery, and it expires every two weeks.
Anyone can be reported or blocked from anywhere in the app. Our child safety standards set out how reports are handled.
What happens to the chat afterwards?
It ends when the plan ends. No history, no inbox filling up, unless you both choose to keep it.
Can I meet a group instead of one person?
Yes, and it's the more common way to use it. When you post a plan you open as many seats as you want and you aren't one of them, so a plan with three seats is four people at the table.
What if there's nobody out near me?
Then it tells you so, instead of filling the screen with plans that are already over. We're opening one place at a time instead of everywhere at once, starting in Lisbon. An empty feed is a real answer, not a bug.
I run a café or bar. How does this work for me?
Your venue goes on the map free and stays free: photos, hours, and one standing offer that people redeem by scanning a QR code at your bar. That scan is also how you count who came from us.
We're looking for one venue in Lisbon to host our first weekly table. The details are here.
Your quiet Tuesday is worth more than you think.
We're starting in Lisbon, and we're looking for one venue to host our first weekly table: four to eight people, same time every week, on the night you're slowest. It costs you nothing and we'll be there ourselves.
Free, permanently
Your place on the map with your photos and hours, plus one standing offer: a free coffee, ten percent off the first drink, whatever suits you.
Counted, not estimated
People redeem your offer by scanning a QR at the bar. That scan is the count, so you can see exactly who came from us.