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Last updated: August 17, 2026

Common shows small, ordinary plans happening near you as bubbles. Tap one to join it, or start your own in three taps. That's genuinely most of it — the rest of this page is detail.

Reading the bubbles

Grey — nobody has joined yet. Be the first; grey bubbles are the ones a neighbourhood is made of.
Green — it's on. People are going.
Orange — nearly full, or nearly time. Decide soon.
Red — full, or happening right now.
A purple ring means you're hosting it. A blue dashed ring means someone you know is in it. A green check means you're going.
Bubbles grow as people join, and pop when they're over. A popped bubble is gone — there's no archive to scroll.

Joining

Tap a bubble, see who's coming, where it is, and what's worth bringing, then tap I'm in. If you're not ready to commit, Remind me sets a leave-by alert instead — Common tells you when to leave so you get there on time, based on walking distance from where you are.

Plans have a capacity set by the host. When it's full, it's full — there's no waitlist, because spontaneous plans don't need one. Something else will come up.

Starting a plan

Tap +, pick what and when, and post it. Three taps, honestly. Plans can be up to two weeks out, but Common is happiest with "this afternoon." Your bubble starts grey and colours in as neighbours join. You can pop it yourself at any time if plans change.

Locations

Common works like the weather app: each neighbourhood you care about is a page, and you swipe between them. Add or remove locations from the list button, top right. Everything is measured in walking time from the neighbourhood's heart — Common never uses or shows street addresses on the map.

Adding people

Adding someone means you'll see each other's presence in plans (the blue dashed ring). Add people in person: scan their QR code, bump phones, or enter their number. Nobody gets notified about who added whom, and there are no followers, requests, or counts.

Filtering

The sliders button (top left) filters what you see: just one kind of plan, or just the window you're free. Everything that doesn't match pops off the screen until you clear the filter.

Your account

You sign in with Apple, Google, or your phone number — no email, no password, no username. Your profile is your name, and an avatar unless you choose to add a photo. Blocking and unblocking live in your profile under Safety, and blocking is always silent. You can delete your account from the app; deleting it deletes your data.

Something else?

Ask a person: hello@getcommon.ca. If your question is about a safety concern, the Safety page covers how reporting and blocking work.