Need help? Email me at jamestumino2@gmail.com. It's just me, so include your room name, device and roughly when it happened.
Getting started
- Everyone signs in or creates an account. One person taps Create A Game and shares the invite link.
- Everyone else opens that link, signs in, and picks a team in the lobby.
- The host taps Start Game. Teams lock, the hiding countdown begins, and seekers can start asking questions when it ends.
- Between rounds the lobby unlocks so you can switch teams without creating a new room.
Common problems
The map is blank
Near draws its map with Apple Maps. A slow connection or a temporary Apple Maps problem can delay the map and game overlays. Check your connection, tap Retry Map if it appears, then reopen the room if the map remains blank.
Where the rail lines come from
Rail lines are © OpenStreetMap contributors under the Open Database License, with tiles from OpenStreetMap US. The base map is Apple Maps.
My location is not updating
Near only asks for location after you join a game: it never requests it just for opening the app. Check that location permission is granted in your device settings, then tap the location button (the arrow in the map corner). If it says location is blocked, allow it for Near and tap again.
A question says nobody has a current location
Questions need a live position on both sides, and a position that stops updating for about two minutes is cleared. Have the other team open Near and check that location sharing is on.
I cannot ask another question
An unanswered question blocks the next one until its answer timer expires. Wait for the answer or the timer, and finish any Thermometer trip you started.
The invite link does not work
During a round an invite link lets newcomers join as spectators, and anyone already in the room can rejoin; new players can join as soon as the round ends. Rooms expire after seven days, so for an expired room the host creates a new one.
Privacy and your data
- Leave a game: sidebar → Settings → Leave game. Clears your session and your location.
- Delete a room for everyone: before a match starts, the room owner can tap Delete Room in Settings. After it starts, End Match stops play and shows the final recap; it does not delete the room. Rooms expire after seven days.
- Delete your account: Settings → Personal Settings → Delete Account, or use the web deletion page. Immediate and irreversible.
- Request a copy of your data: email the address above. Rooms expire after seven days, so ask promptly.
Full detail is in the Privacy Policy.
Tip the developer
Tips are optional and change nothing about the game. In supported app releases, open Settings → Personal Settings to tip through Apple or Google Play. The purchase screen shows the price and included Scout Points, which unlock only cosmetic markers and colors.
Report a bug
Go to Settings → Feedback → Report A Bug, or email me. Helpful details: what you were doing, what you expected, what happened instead, your device and OS version, and roughly when it occurred.