5 min read
How an Event works, and how we keep it safe
Rounds, rotating tables, consent for voice and video, 18+ ID verification and moderation: a walk through a spareachair Event, safety first.
Free app · 18+ · EU
Pull up a chair with people who see the world differently.
spareachair runs scheduled online Events, such as an Evening, a Lunch break or a Morning coffee. You sit at a small table of 3–6 verified adults, talk for a round, then move to a new table. Text first. Voice and video only if you want them.
Free · 18+ and ID-verified · EU/EEA only · Not a dating app
It started at a comics premiere in a pub
Over four-plus hours, our founder ended up in real conversations with about 30 strangers. They lived differently, thought differently, and still had plenty to say to each other.
Social feeds don’t give you evenings like that any more. spareachair tries to recreate one online.
The name is the question you ask before you join a table of strangers: “Can I spare a chair?”
How an Event works
Every Event is scheduled, hosted by us and runs in rounds. Events come in different formats, such as an Evening, a Lunch break, a Morning coffee or a Weekend afternoon.
Pick an Event
Each Event has a format, a start time and a theme. RSVP to one that suits you and we’ll remind you before it starts.
Sit down at a table
We seat you at a table of 3–6 people who see things differently from you. Everyone starts in text.
Change tables each round
A round lasts 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the format. Then the tables reshuffle and you sit down with new people.
Keep in touch, if you both want to
At the end, tick “keep in touch” for anyone you’d like to talk to again. If they tick you too, you can message each other.
Round two: a nurse from Lyon, a game designer from Tallinn and you, arguing about whether cities are too loud.
Why different perspectives?
A good evening out isn’t a room full of people who already agree with you. It’s the stranger who makes you rethink something you were sure about.
Before your first Event you answer a few short perspective prompts, such as city or countryside, tech optimist or sceptic. We use your answers, together with your line of work and age band, to seat you with people who answered differently.
You don’t have to agree with anyone. You do have to listen, and disagree kindly.
Safe by design, not by luck
You’re talking with strangers, so the rules come first.
Verified adults only
Every participant is 18+ and ID-verified before joining an Event.
Your mic and camera, your call
Mic and camera are off by default. You choose if and when to turn them on, and you only see someone’s video if you choose to.
Block and report at every table
Block and report are one tap away at every table, in messages and on every profile.
Nothing is recorded
We don’t record audio or video.
Questions people ask
- Is spareachair a dating app?
- No. spareachair is for conversation, not romance. Tables are mixed for different perspectives, never for looks or attraction. There are no photo uploads, and flirting or sexual content is against our Community Guidelines.
- How much does it cost?
- Nothing. spareachair is free to join and free to use. In the future we may show ads to keep it free; if we do, we’ll update our Privacy Policy and ask for your consent where the law requires it.
- Who can join?
- Adults aged 18 or over with a valid identity or residence document issued by an EU/EEA authority. Everyone verifies their ID before joining an Event.
From the blog
5 min read
Why social networks stopped being social
Feeds now mostly show strangers’ videos, not friends. What the research says about talking with strangers, and why we built tables instead.
Your seat is waiting
Get the free app, verify your ID and RSVP to your first Event. For adults aged 18 and over with an ID from the EU/EEA.
Get the spareachair app
- Coming soonApp Store
Free, for verified adults aged 18 and over.