Short answer
While a request is live, helpers see a rough area about 500 meters wide around you, never a pin on your door. Nobody sees a precise position unless you agree to share it after a specific neighbor says yes, and then only that one person sees it. When the request is complete, exact sharing ends.
The facts, in one place
- The default is a rough area of about 500 meters.
- Precise location needs a yes plus your consent.
- Only the neighbor who said yes ever receives it.
- Sharing stops when both people mark the request complete.
Why rough by default
A help app that pinned your exact position for a list of strangers would be a stalking tool with a friendly icon. The rough area is enough for a neighbor to judge whether they can get to you in ten minutes, and not enough to find you without your say-so.
The system works from that rounded area, not from a precise point, when it decides who should see your request.
Turning it off entirely
You can post a request without sharing any location. Suitable helpers can still see it, and you describe where to find you in your own words. Location permission lives in iOS Settings, and revoking it does not lock you out of the app.
- A rough area by default.
- Exact location only if you choose.
- Shared with one person, for the length of one request.
What this does not cover
The privacy policy is the document that describes how data is handled. Helpers can apply to be reviewed by our team. Help Me does not run background checks. You can report or block any member at any time, and delete your account from inside the app by typing DELETE.
Help Me is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number.
Questions people actually ask
The product is built around live requests, not continuous tracking. Exact location exists for an accepted request and ends with it.
Yes. A request without a location can still be seen by suitable helpers.
On the Privacy Policy page. That page governs how data is handled.
Keep going
- GlossaryApproximate locationHelp Me shows a request as a rough area about 500 meters wide, not a pin on you. Precise location is opt-in after a yes and ends at completion.
- GuideHow location works, and how it does notHelp Me shows a rough area about 500 meters wide, not a pin on you. Exact location is shared only after a yes and your consent. Here is how it works.
- AnswerDo I have to share my exact location?No. Requests show a rough area about 500 meters wide. Exact location is optional, shared only after someone says yes, and only with that one person.
- legalPrivacy PolicyHow Help Me handles accounts, approximate location, and safety reports.
- Ground rulesThe ground rules, said plainlyHow Help Me handles your location, who can help, private chat, and meeting in public. Plus how to report or block anyone. Help Me is not an emergency service.
Help Me is a community app for adults in Fargo–Moorhead. It is not a K–12 student program, not a youth chat, and not campus police.