Question 1

What is a 'third place'?

Accepted Answer

Your first place is home and your second is work. Your third place is everywhere community actually happens in between — the cafe, the pub, the park, the barbershop — where you show up with no agenda and slowly come to belong. As those spaces have thinned out, so have easy local friendships. Vicinity is a digital third place: the same low-stakes, drop-in feeling, tied to the people physically around you.

Question 2

How do I meet people near me?

Accepted Answer

The way people always did before everyone moved online — by having somewhere to just show up. Vicinity is that somewhere: open it and you're in a live conversation with people in your radius, anywhere from 1 to 50 miles. No swiping, no cold DMs — you're simply present in your local world, and connection follows from there.

Question 3

What's the best way to make friends in a new city?

Accepted Answer

Find your third place fast. In a new city the hard part isn't people, it's having a spot where you can turn up without a plan and start belonging. Vicinity gives you that on day one — a live local conversation, meetups, and Nearby Rooms at the places you already go — so a city of strangers grows familiar within your first week.

Question 4

Can playing games help me make friends?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely — a shared game is the oldest third-place icebreaker there is, from bar trivia to the chess tables in the park. Vicinity's Live Games let you host or join a real-time lobby with people nearby: trivia, chess, poker, and more. Instead of a cold hello, you're playing together in seconds — and a good game is often exactly how a stranger turns into someone you plan to see again.

Question 5

How is Vicinity different from a dating app?

Accepted Answer

A dating app matches you with one person for one purpose. A third place is the opposite — a whole local community you drop into at once. On Vicinity you talk to everyone nearby, make friends, and join games and meetups, with nothing to swipe and no romantic framing required.

Question 6

How is Vicinity different from Meetup or Facebook groups?

Accepted Answer

Meetup and Facebook groups make you schedule days ahead or get approved into a group. A third place has no calendar and no door policy — you just show up. Vicinity's conversation is live and tied to where you physically are, so you can go from wondering who's around to an actual hangout the same afternoon.

Question 7

Is Vicinity a healthier alternative to AI companion apps?

Accepted Answer

An AI companion can talk back, but it can't be your third place — it can't hand you a coffee or show up on Saturday. Vicinity is built for the opposite: real people in your actual neighborhood, a shared space you can return to, and friendships you can keep.

Question 8

Is Vicinity free?

Accepted Answer

Yes — local chat, Nearby Rooms, text DMs, and joining events nearby are free forever. Premium is optional and adds voice and video calls, photo sharing, group chats, and hosting your own events.

Question 9

Do I have to share my location or real name?

Accepted Answer

No real name and no phone number are ever shown — just a username you choose. Your exact location stays private too: the closest anyone ever sees is within 0.1 mile, and you can hide your distance entirely.

Chat with everyone
around you

Simple by design.

Open the app

Join the conversation

Connect directly

Your neighbor is a stranger

Location as social layer

Fully moderated spaces

Vicinity speaks the Model Context Protocol.

Chat with everyonearound you