FAQ & troubleshooting

Getting in

Do I need an account? No. Opening Planet4 signs you in on that device and asks only for a name. Linking Google or an email is optional — it keeps your hangouts if you switch devices or clear your browser. See Getting started.

I got a new phone / cleared my browser and my hangouts are gone. If you'd linked Google or an email, tap Continue with Google (or Email me a link to sync in Settings → You → Account) and everything comes back. If your account was device-only, it lived only in that browser's storage and can't be recovered — but you can rejoin any hangout with its invite link, and you'll be in as a new member.

"That invite link is invalid or expired." Check for a typo (codes never contain i, l, o, 0 or 1), and check with the organizer that the hangout still exists. If the organizer removed you from that hangout, the link won't work for you again.

The invite link opened planet4.us but didn't put me in the hangout. Copy the link and paste it into Paste an invite link or code at the bottom of the home screen, then tap Join.

The chat

Nova isn't answering me. Nova only replies when addressed: write Nova in the message or tap the ✦ button before sending. It also won't reply to acknowledgements or to things a widget already shows, and after one answer it waits to be asked again. See Nova.

Nova changed the plan and didn't say anything. That's by design — it updates the itinerary quietly. Open the plan status banner or the itinerary to see what it picked and why.

The plan has the wrong date / venue. Say so in the chat or vote on the right option, then have the organizer tap ↻ Update plan. Only the to-do list is edited by hand; everything else follows the conversation.

I can't add a second date survey. Date survey, calendar, time survey, food spot, activity spot and ready-up widgets are one-per-chat so votes don't get split. Delete the existing one first (if you added it, or you're the organizer), or add options to it instead.

I can't remove an option from a poll. You can only remove options you added yourself. Ask the person who added it, or the organizer can delete the whole widget.

My message didn't send. Check your connection. If the notice says you may have left this hangout, you've been removed or the hangout was deleted — go back to the home screen.

Venues and the map

Search says "Too many venue searches for now". Wait a few seconds and try again.

The map won't load. Some browsers or networks block map tiles. Switch the widget to List to keep picking places; everything else works.

Suggest found nothing. Set or widen the search area (the Searching near… line), and make sure people have cuisines or interests set in Settings → Activity — that's what Suggest uses.

The plan

Who can lock the plan? Only the organizer, from the itinerary. Nova never locks anything.

Can we unlock it? Not from the app. The chat stays open, so day-of changes can still be discussed there.

Everyone readied up but the pill still says ALMOST. The ready tally (✋ n/n) is the crew's sign-off; the status pill is Nova's opinion of completeness. They're independent, and the organizer can lock regardless.

Notifications

I turned notifications on and nothing arrives. Use Send a test notification in Settings → App behavior. If it reports No registered devices, flip the toggle off and on. Remember you don't get pushes for your own messages or while the app is open in front of you.

No notifications on iPhone. Add Planet4 to your Home Screen (Safari → Share → Add to Home Screen) and turn notifications on from the installed app. iOS doesn't allow web push otherwise.

I get pushes on my laptop but not my phone. Notifications are per device. Turn them on on each device you want them on.

The email digest never comes. It needs a linked email (Settings → You → Account), the toggle on, and something to have happened in your hangouts that day. There's also at most one digest every 20 hours.

Account and data

How do I delete my account? Contact the team running Planet4; they'll remove your account and everything tied to it. In the meantime you can leave hangouts, clear your profile and delete Nova's memory notes yourself.

How long are hangouts kept? Confirmed hangouts are deleted after 30 quiet days, unconfirmed ones after 90. See Privacy.

Where's the privacy policy? At the bottom of the home screen and the sign-in page, or planet4.us/#/privacy.