Connect with people nearby to study, work from a cafe, or play sports today.
Have some free time while your friends are busy? Nowby connects you with people in your area who are ready to meet up today — without endless swiping or days of waiting for replies.
iOS users can access Nowby directly in Safari on iPhone/iPad without App Store.
Real-Time Presence Radar
See who is available nearby right now. Users are only visible when they actively start a session today.
From Community Schedules to Instant Meetups
Join weekly community sports and hobby sessions, or post an instant meetup when you want company right now.
Court 3 booked until 6 PM. Anyone nearby is welcome to join!
How It Works
Three simple steps to connect and meet up in the real world:
Start a Session & Set Your Intent
Choose how long you want to be visible (from 30 minutes up to 12 hours) and what you feel like doing (coffee, work, study, sports). Once time expires, you go offline automatically.
Check the Radar or Post a Meetup
Scan people active within a 1–20 km radius, or publish a time-limited spontaneous meetup at a nearby public venue.
Connect & Meet in Public Spaces
Send a short greeting or coordinate in the meetup chat. If you hit it off, keep each other as a permanent Connection for future activities.
Built for Real-World Comfort & Privacy
Every feature in Nowby is grounded in personal safety, time efficiency, and clear social purpose.
📍 Privacy-First Fuzzy Distance
Your exact GPS coordinates are never exposed. The Radar only shows safe approximate distance buckets (e.g. 500m–1km).
⏱️ Real Presence, No Stale Profiles
Only people with an active session today appear on the Radar. You will never waste time messaging dormant accounts.
☕ Public Venues as Default
Meetups and activities are centered around established public venues: cafes, libraries, sports halls, or coworking hubs.
🛡️ Trust Tiers & Safe Community
Featuring community reputation tiers, strict 18+ policy, and instant report/block tools to keep your experience respectful and safe.
Choose Your Daily Context
Filter the radar by your daily routine to connect with like-minded peers faster:
🎓 Student & Campus
For library study sessions, campus lunches, or spending gap hours between classes.
💼 Professional & WFC
For working from coffee shops, coworking sessions, or unwinding after office hours.
🌐 Hobbies & Lifestyle
For morning jogs, badminton sparring, board games, food hunting, or weekend relaxation.
How Nowby Takes a Different Approach
A thoughtful look at conventional social apps versus Nowby's real-time presence:
Frequently Asked Questions
Key things to know about how Nowby works, privacy, and safety.
Is Nowby a dating app?↓
No. Nowby is a real-world social discovery platform focused on daily activities: finding study buddies, WFC companions, sports sparring partners, or someone to grab coffee with when you're free. There is no endless swiping or romantic matching algorithms.
How does Nowby protect my location and privacy on Radar?↓
Nowby applies safe approximate distance buckets (such as 500m–1km or 1–2km) and never exposes your exact GPS coordinates to anyone. Once your session ends, you automatically go offline and your location is cleared.
How do I use Nowby on an iPhone or iPad?↓
Nowby Web App runs directly in Safari on iPhone and iPad without needing the App Store. You can tap the Share button in Safari and select 'Add to Home Screen' for a full native app experience.
What is the difference between Regular Events and Spontaneous Meetups?↓
Regular Events are scheduled community gatherings (like weekly badminton sparring every Saturday morning). Spontaneous Meetups (Instant Match) are immediate, time-limited gatherings (like needing 1 more badminton player this evening).
Is Nowby free to use?↓
Yes, all core features of Nowby — Radar, Spontaneous Meetups, Community Events, and Chat — are completely free on both the Web App and Android app.
Start Connecting with People Nearby Today.
Open directly in your mobile browser or get the official Android app on Google Play. Free, secure, and ready in seconds.
iOS users can access Nowby directly in Safari on iPhone/iPad without App Store.