Help & Support

A Rally is your live coordination room, anchored to a real-world spot on the map. Think of it as a dedicated meeting-room for an in-person event — drop a pin, share a link, and everyone coordinates in one place instead of buried group chats.

A rally lets you:

• RSVP & track arrivals — invite participants to confirm, then see who's confirmed, arrived, or on the way as they share their status
• Share real-time messages & images — live chat and photos tied to the exact location (share where you're parked, the entrance, etc.)
• Pin map logistics — parking spots, which entrance, gate codes, floor numbers — pinned on the map so nothing gets lost
• Broadcast announcements — organizer pushes a message to all participants instantly (location change, delay, access info)
• Get smart pre-rally notifications — automatic reminders as rally time approaches, proximity alerts when you're nearby, and nudges if your status is stale
• Stay in sync throughout — organizers can move the pin, pin key messages, and nudge individuals — everyone stays informed without a separate group chat

Each rally has a custom expiration time (1 hour to 1 month). Anyone with the link can join — no friend requests needed.

You can sign up using:

• Email - Enter your email and create a password
• Phone - Sign in with your phone number via SMS verification
• Google - Use your Google account
• Apple - Sign in with Apple ID

After signing up, you'll set up your profile with a display name and optional profile photo.

Go to the Profile tab → tap "Edit Profile" to:

• Upload a profile photo
• Change your display name
• Update your account information

Location: Required to show you nearby rallies and create location-based content.
Notifications: Optional, for staying updated on rally activity and replies.
Camera/Photos: Optional, for uploading images to rallies.

You can manage these permissions in your device settings at any time.

There are four ways to start a rally:

1. Long-press anywhere on the map — drops a pin at that exact spot on the map
2. Tap a POI (Point of Interest) — select an existing place like a restaurant or park, then tap "Create Rally"
3. Drop a Pin — tap the "Drop a Pin" button to open the pin-dropping screen, where you can pan, zoom, and fine-tune the exact location before creating
4. Smart Import — tap the import icon and create a rally from a photo or screenshot (AI reads the event details), a web link, pasted text, or a calendar event. PinRally auto-fills the title, time, and location for you.

After placing your pin you'll:

• Confirm or edit the title and start time
• Optionally add briefs (parking, entrance info, photos, and more)
• Set visibility (Public or Private/Link Only)
• Share the link so participants can join

As the organizer, tap any field directly on the rally detail screen to edit it:

• Title: Tap the rally title at the top
• Description: Tap the About row in the Rally Info card
• Time: Tap the time row in the Rally Info card
• Meeting address: Tap the address row → select "Change Address". Participants are automatically notified of the change.
• Briefs (parking, entrance, photos, access codes, etc.): Tap any brief item to edit it, or tap "+ Brief" to add a new one. Briefs include typed notes (Parking, Meeting Point, Entrance, What to Bring, etc.) and photos — all visible to every participant in the Logistics & Info section.
• Settings (visibility, max participants): Tap the relevant row in the Rally Info card

Editing is only available while the rally has not ended.

As the organizer, open the rally detail screen and tap the "Cancel Rally" button. You'll be asked to confirm before the rally is cancelled.

⚠️ Important: Cancelling a rally is permanent and cannot be undone. All participants will be notified.

Default POI Rallies: Created instantly when you tap an established place (restaurant, store, landmark) and click the "Ping" button. Perfect for quick meetups at known locations—just start coordinating immediately without filling out forms. These use Google Maps data and show the place name and address.

User-Created Rallies: Created by tapping "Add Rally" either on an established place or by dropping a pin anywhere on the map. You'll fill out details like event name, description, time, and logistics (parking, entrance, access codes). Use these for organized gatherings, outdoor meetups, or anywhere not on Google Maps.

Check the following:

• Make sure location services are enabled for PinRally
• Check if you have active category filters (tap the filter button to view/clear)
• There may not be active rallies in your current area
• Check your internet connection

Tap the filter icon on the map screen to show/hide rallies by category:

• Events, Food & Drink, Shopping, and more

You can also filter by your personal collections:

• Participating: Rallies you've joined as a participant
• My Creations: Rallies you've created

Selected filters will show their markers on the map.

Each rally has a single chat room shared by all participants. Use it to coordinate in real time — share arrival updates, post images, and keep everyone informed. Organizers can pin important messages so they stay visible outside the chat.

Tap a rally marker on the map to open the coordination room, then scroll down to the Chat section. You can:

• Send text messages
• Share photos and videos
• React to messages
• Tap phone numbers or emails in messages to call or compose directly

Rally organizers can set custom expiration times (1 hour to 1 month) when creating the coordination room. After expiration, the rally is archived and no longer appears on the map. This is useful for scheduled events—set it to expire after your gathering ends. Active rallies show how much time is remaining.

As the organizer, open the rally detail screen and scroll to the Participants section. Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the participant you want to remove, then select "Remove".

Important: Only the organizer or a co-organizer can remove participants.

PinRally sends smart pre-rally notifications to help everyone arrive on time:

• Countdown reminders: Participants receive notifications as the rally time approaches (e.g., 1 hour before, 30 minutes before)
• Proximity alerts: When you're physically near the rally pin, a notification fires so you know you're close
• Stale status nudges: If a participant hasn't updated their arrival status and the rally is about to start, they receive a nudge to check in
• Organizer nudges: Organizers can manually nudge specific participants who have stale or missing statuses — useful when you need to know if someone is still coming

All pre-rally notification timing is automatic — you don't need to configure anything.

As a rally organizer, you can nudge individual participants directly:

1. Open your rally's coordination room
2. Tap Participants to see arrival statuses
3. Find a participant with a stale or missing status
4. Tap their name and select "Nudge"

The participant receives a notification prompting them to update their status. This is useful when you're trying to figure out the final headcount as everyone heads to the rally.

Quick toggle on any rally: Tap the bell icon on any rally card to instantly mute or unmute notifications for that specific rally.

Global settings: Go to Profile → Notifications to customize:

• Push Notifications: Master on/off switch
• Pre-Rally Alerts: Smart reminders and proximity nudges before your rally starts
• Nearby Activity: Alerts for new rallies near you
• My Creations: Updates on rallies you created
• Participating Rallies: Updates in rallies you've joined

Check these settings:

1. Device Settings: Make sure notifications are enabled for PinRally in your phone's settings
2. In-App Settings: Go to Profile → Notifications and ensure relevant toggles are on
3. Do Not Disturb: Check if your phone's Do Not Disturb mode is active
4. Internet Connection: Notifications require an active connection

No. PinRally does not run background location tracking and never shares your location with other users or third parties.

Location access is used only for:

• Displaying the map centered near you when you open the app
• Letting you drop a pin to create or find a rally
• Proximity alerts when you're physically near a rally pin you're participating in

What is never shared:

• Your location is never visible to other participants — only your arrival status and messages you choose to send
• No background location data is collected when the app is closed

See our Privacy Policy for full details.