Help & FAQ
Last updated: 16 August 2026
Keen helps you and your mates find the nights you're all free, and something on near you worth heading out for. Here's how it works, plus answers to the questions we get asked most.
The basics
What is Keen?
Keen turns "we should catch up sometime" into an actual plan. You mark the nights you're free, Keen looks at when you and your mates overlap, then suggests something on that suits your taste. The whole app is really built around one good notification: "You, Sam & Kate are free Friday. Ball Park Music at the Corner Hotel."
Is it free?
Yes, and it always will be for you. Keen is free to use and that's not going to change. Charging people to see their mates isn't how we plan to make money.
Where does Keen work?
Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane (including the Gold Coast), Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin. You pick your city when you set up your suburb, and the events and matching are tuned to that city, right down to the local clock, so a Perth night is a Perth night.
What can I use Keen on?
iPhone, Android, and the web. There's a web version at app.keen.social if you'd rather use it in a browser. Same account, same plans, wherever you sign in.
Who can use Keen?
Anyone 16 or over. We ask your date of birth once to confirm that. It's never shown to anyone, and we don't display your age.
Getting started
How do I sign in?
With your mobile number. We text you a one-time code to verify it, so there's no password to remember. Then you pick a @username, confirm you're 16+, choose your suburb, and tap a few interests so we know what to suggest.
How do I add mates?
A couple of ways, both from the Mates tab:
- By @username: search a mate's exact handle and send a request. They approve it, and you're connected.
- From your contacts: tap Contacts to see which of the people in your phone are already on Keen and add them in a tap. Anyone who isn't can get a quick invite text.
You can also share your own invite link so a mate can add you straight back. Keen doesn't let you browse strangers. It's for making plans with people you already know.
Why can't I find someone by name?
By design. To keep things private, people are only findable by their exact @username, so there's no directory to scroll. Ask your mate for their handle (it's on their Me tab), or find them through your contacts.
Is matching my contacts private?
Yes. Your phone numbers are scrambled on your device before anything is checked, and we only ever see the scrambled version, never names, never the numbers themselves. Keen keeps just those scrambled numbers so it can spot which of your contacts are already here and give you a heads-up when one of them joins.
Can I organise my mates into groups?
Yes. You can label mates with private groups like "Inner circle" or "Weekend crew", to filter them or invite a whole group to a plan at once. Groups are only for you: mates never see the groups they're in, or even that groups exist.
Availability & matches
How does availability work?
On the Me tab, mark how free you are for each part of a day (morning, arvo, evening or night) up to four weeks ahead. There are quick presets like weekends or after-work, so it takes seconds. This is the heart of Keen: the more mates who set their availability, the better everyone's suggestions get.
What's the difference between Keen, Maybe and Out?
Each slot can be one of three:
- Keen: you're up for it.
- Maybe: you might be, but it's not a promise.
- Out: you're not free. That's the default, so there's nothing to set.
Maybes help Keen spot potential overlaps, but we only send you a match when everyone involved is actually Keen, so a match push always means a real window, not a maybe.
How do matches happen?
When you and at least a couple of your mates are all Keen the same night, Keen looks for something on that fits your shared taste, and sends one suggestion with the night, the crew and the event. It's the overlap of four things: who's free, who you know, what's on, and what you're into.
How does Keen know what I'm into?
From the interests you pick when you sign up, and you can sharpen it any time with the Keen-o-Meter: swipe through things that are on with a quick yes or no. The more you rate, the better your suggestions get.
Why do I get so few notifications?
On purpose, and it's one of the things we care about most. Keen only nudges you when something's genuinely worth your time, and every event is vetted by a human before it lands on Keen. We'd rather send you one great idea than ten you'll ignore.
Plans & catching up
How do I make a plan?
Two ways. Tap "Who's keen?" on a suggestion or event to spin up a plan around it, or create a free-form one from scratch (like "dinner at the local"). Either way you invite your mates, they RSVP Keen / Maybe / Can't make it, and everyone can chat in the plan.
Can I plan something that isn't a ticketed event?
Absolutely. Free-form plans are for anything: a pub feed, a picnic, someone's place. You don't need an event to make a plan.
How do I reply to an invite?
Open the plan and tap your RSVP. You can change it any time, and there's a chat on every plan to sort out the details.
Can I invite someone who isn't on Keen?
Yes. Share a plan's invite link with anyone. They can see the plan and RSVP straight from the web, no account needed. If they join Keen later with the same number or email, their reply comes across with them.
Can we split the cost?
Yes. On a plan you can add a payment request, split it evenly or by exact amounts, and everyone can see who's paid and who still owes. Keen just keeps track. The actual money moves through your own banking app, paid to the requester's PayID, and Keen never touches your money or bank details.
Can I ask my guests things, like +1s or dietaries?
Yes. When you set up a plan you can ask your guests questions as part of their RSVP: whether they're bringing a +1, any dietaries, whatever you need to know. The answers land in one tidy list for you instead of being scattered through a chat.
Find a time
What's Find a time?
It's for when the group chat can't land on a date. Pick a few dates that could work and, if you like, a few ideas for what to do, then share one link. Everyone taps the times they can do, votes on the ideas, and you all watch the answers roll in live.
Do my mates need Keen to answer?
No. The link opens in any browser: they pop in their name, tap their times, done. No account, no download. If they join Keen later with the same number or email, their answers come across with them.
What happens when we pick a time?
Tap Lock it in, choose the winning date and idea, and Keen turns the whole thing into a plan. Everyone who answered comes across as the crew, with RSVPs and the group chat ready to go.
Messages
Can I message a mate directly?
Yes. Open a mate's profile and tap Message to start a one-on-one chat, or find all your conversations under the chat icon on the Home screen. You can only DM mates you're connected with; plans keep their own separate group chat.
Notifications & privacy
Can I control what Keen notifies me about?
Yes. Go to Me → Notifications to switch match suggestions, plan activity, friend requests and direct messages on or off independently. You can also turn Keen's notifications off entirely in your phone's settings.
Can I control who sees when I'm free?
Yes. Your keen times are shown to all your mates by default, but on the availability screen you can switch that to only the groups you choose. You can also hide your availability from one particular mate, from their profile. It's quiet, and they're never told. Once you're hidden from someone you just won't turn up in their who's-free lists, and Keen won't match the two of you.
What can other people see about me?
Only your @username, your profile photo, the availability you've chosen to share with them, and the plans and messages you share with them. They never see your phone number, date of birth or age. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.
What if someone's bothering me?
You can block or report anyone from their profile. Blocking stops them messaging you and hides the two of you from each other; reporting flags it to us to look into. Neither one tells the other person.
How do I delete my account?
On the Me tab, open your account settings and choose delete account. That removes your profile, availability and the plans you created. See the Privacy Policy for exactly what's removed and retained.
Competitions
How do competitions work?
Every so often we give something away, usually tickets to something great. When one's running you'll see it on your Home screen. Entering is one tap and always free, and you earn bonus entries for each mate who joins Keen from your invite link while entries are open. The full rules are in our competition terms.
How do I know if I've won?
The winner gets a notification and the prize turns up as a plan in their app, ready to invite a mate along. We announce the result to everyone who entered, so you'll know either way.
Troubleshooting
I'm not getting notifications
Check two things: that Keen is allowed to send notifications in your phone's settings, and that the categories are on under Me → Notifications. Match suggestions also depend on you and your mates having set your availability. If the crew's slots are empty, there's nothing to match.
The app is doing something weird
First, force-close Keen and reopen it. That clears most glitches. If it persists, email us (below) with what you were doing and your phone model, and we'll sort it.
I've got feedback or an idea
Send it our way, beta is exactly when it counts. We read everything.
Still need a hand?
Email us and we'll get back to you. A screenshot and your phone model make it much quicker to help.
Keen. Made in Melbourne, live across Australia.