Help & Support

Locali is a local business discovery platform. It helps you find nearby businesses, browse active promotions and deals, discover events and recommendations, and collect digital stamps when you visit in person. Think of it as your personal guide to what is happening around you.

Tap the menu button (the three-line icon) in the top-left corner of the navigation bar. The menu contains a link to "About Locali" and this "Help & Support" guide. On first visit, a small pulsing dot highlights the menu so new users can find it easily. You can also open About Locali by tapping the Locali logo.

No. You can browse the full directory, view business details, search, filter, and explore the map without creating an account. However, you will need a free account to collect stamps, save your eligibility preferences for personalized deals, and access your profile settings.

Tap "Join Now" in the top-right corner (on smaller screens this may appear as "Sign In" which leads into the same flow). You can sign up with your email address and a password (minimum 8 characters), or use the "Continue with Google" button for one-tap registration. If you sign up with email, you will receive a 6-digit verification code to confirm your address.

Check your spam or junk folder first. The code may take up to a minute to arrive. If it still has not appeared, tap "Resend Code" on the verification screen (available after a 60-second cooldown). You can also paste a code directly from your email app into the input field.

Tap "Sign In" in the top-right corner, enter your email and password, and you are in. If you signed up with Google, tap "Continue with Google" instead. Your session is saved, so you will stay signed in across page refreshes until you sign out.

The search bar at the top of the page looks across business names, descriptions, categories, promotion titles, and event titles. For example, searching "coffee" will show coffee shops, but also any business running a coffee-related promotion or event.

On desktop, the map appears on the right side and the business list on the left. On mobile, the map fills the screen and you can swipe up from the bottom to reveal the business list. Tapping a business in the list highlights it on the map, and tapping a map marker opens a quick preview of that business.

When you first visit, a banner asks for location permission. If you allow it, your GPS coordinates are used to show nearby businesses and calculate distances. If you prefer not to share GPS, you can enter an address manually using the location control in the search area. You can also save a zip code in your profile to help match local deals.

Recommended (default) balances distance and business activity. Best Matches ranks businesses by how many promotions match your profile (appears when Profile Match is on). Distance shows the nearest businesses first (requires your location to be set). Recently Added shows the newest listings at the top.

Distance sorting requires your location to be set. Make sure you have either allowed GPS access or entered a location manually. Check Account Settings to confirm your location is saved and that the Location Access toggle is turned on under Privacy & Consent.

The Discovery reel is a full-screen, swipeable feed that shows active promotions and events from local businesses near you. Each card fills the entire screen with a photo or business logo, the promotion or event title, the business name, and a short description. It is a quick, visual way to browse what is happening around you without scrolling through a list or map.

You can open the Discovery reel by clicking the blue Discover button in the top right corner. The reel loads as a full-screen experience on top of the normal directory view.

On mobile, swipe up or down to move to the next or previous card. On desktop, use the up and down arrow buttons on the left side of the screen, or press the arrow keys on your keyboard (up/down or left/right). Each card snaps into place so you always see one card at a time. The feed continues loading more cards as you scroll, so you will not run out of content.

Cards are ordered by distance from your location, starting with businesses within the nearest 5-mile band and working outward. Within each distance band, the order is shuffled for variety. If you have not set your location, the feed shows a fully shuffled order instead. A small badge in the top-right corner shows your current distance range, such as "Within 5 mi" or "Within 10 mi."

The Discover feed shows promotions and events from all nearby businesses. The Following feed shows only promotions and events from businesses you follow. The toggle between Discover and Following appears in the top bar when you are signed in. If you are not signed in, only the Discover feed is available.

Tap the bell icon on the right side of a card to follow that business. Following a business means its promotions and events will appear in your personalized Following feed. Tap the bell again to unfollow. You must be signed in to follow a business; if you are not, you will be prompted to sign in or create an account.

Tap the bookmark icon to save the current promotion or event to your saved items. You can find everything you have saved on the Saved page, accessible from your profile menu. Tap the bookmark again to remove it from your saved items. You must be signed in to save items; if you are not, you will be prompted to sign in or create an account.

Tap the share icon to share a link to the business with friends. On mobile devices that support it, this opens your device's native share sheet so you can send the link via text, email, or any other app. On desktop or unsupported browsers, the link is copied to your clipboard so you can paste it anywhere.

Tapping the Info button (the "i" icon) or tapping anywhere on the card itself opens the full business detail page. From there you can see the business's complete information, including contact details, operating hours, all promotions, events, recommendations, and more. When you return to the reel from the detail page, you will land on the same card you left.

Yes. As you scroll through the reel, your current position is saved automatically. If you tap a card to open the business detail page and then come back to the reel, you will return to the exact card you were viewing. Closing the reel entirely (using the close button) clears your position so you get a fresh shuffle next time.

On desktop, the filter panel is on the left side of the screen. You can toggle it with the filter button in the navigation bar or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+/ (Cmd+/ on Mac). On mobile, tap the Filters button below the search bar to open a full-screen drawer. On tablets, filters appear in a modal dialog.

You can filter by business category (Restaurant, Coffee, Shopping, etc.), promotion audience (Locals, Seniors, Students, Military, and more), event type (Grand Opening, Pop-up Shop, Farmers Market, etc.), and promotion type (Local Discount, Daily Special, Holiday Promotion, etc.). A badge on the Filters button shows how many active filters you have.

When turned on, this shows only businesses with promotions that match your eligibility preferences. For example, if you have marked yourself as a student in your profile, enabling Profile Match will prioritize businesses offering student discounts. You must be signed in and have your profile preferences set for this to work.

Look for the "Clear" or "Reset" option within the filter panel. On mobile, after opening the filter drawer, you can tap "Clear All" before applying. The active filter count badge on the Filters button will disappear once all filters are removed.

Each business page shows the business name, category, contact information (address, phone, email, website), operating hours, a description, and any active promotions, events, and recommendations. You will also find service options (dine-in, takeout, delivery), accessibility features, amenities, social media links, and online review platform links when available.

Tap the business address on its detail page. This opens Google Maps with directions from your current location to the business. On mobile, this will launch your default maps application.

Blue cards labeled "Your Eligible Discounts" are promotions that match your profile preferences, such as student discounts if you identified as a student. Gold cards are general promotions available to everyone or to audiences that do not match your current profile. Tap any promotion card to see the full details, including any promo code.

A "Mobile" badge indicates the business operates from a mobile location, such as a food truck or pop-up vendor. These businesses move around, so instead of a fixed address you will see their current or scheduled locations and a mobile schedule showing when and where they will be.

Recommendations are curated suggestions a business shares with its visitors - for example, a restaurant might recommend a nearby bookstore or a favorite dessert spot. They appear in a dedicated section on the business detail page and can be tapped to view more information.

When you fill out your eligibility preferences in your profile (such as Senior, Military Veteran, Student, Local Resident, etc.), Locali matches those preferences against each business's active promotions. Matching deals appear in a highlighted "Your Eligible Discounts" section at the top of each business page.

Tap a promotion card to open the full detail view. If the promotion includes a promo code, it will be displayed prominently. You can copy the code and present it at the business, or show the promotion detail screen directly on your phone when you visit.

This usually has one of three causes: (1) You are not signed in - sign in to access personalized matching. (2) Your profile preferences are not set - go to My Profile and check the boxes that apply to you under Eligibility Preferences. (3) No businesses in the current view have promotions matching your preferences.

Events are shown on individual business detail pages in an orange-colored section. You can also use the filters on the main directory to narrow results by event type, such as Grand Opening, Farmers Market, Pop-up Shop, or Seasonal Sale. Search also picks up event titles.

Each event shows a title, description, schedule, and a link to the event website when available. Tap an event card to open the full detail modal with all information. Events associated with mobile businesses will also show their schedule and locations.

Stamps are digital records of your in-person visits to local businesses. Think of it as a digital passport for supporting local. Each stamp records the business you visited, the date and time, and a unique verification code.

Scan the business's QR code (usually displayed at the register) with your phone's camera. If you are signed in, your stamp is collected automatically - no button tap needed. If you have location sharing turned off, the stamp is still collected but marked "location not verified." You must be a registered user to collect stamps; if you are not signed in when scanning, you will be prompted to do so.

The most common reasons are: (1) You are not signed in - stamps require a registered Locali account. (2) You already collected a stamp at this location within the last 12 hours. (3) The QR code link did not open the business page. Try signing in, then rescanning the QR code.

Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner and select "My Stamps" from the dropdown menu. The stamp collection page shows your total stamps, unique businesses visited, unique locations visited, and stamps collected this month and week. Each stamp card shows the business name, location, date, and verification code.

Each stamp is assigned a unique verification code when collected. This code serves as proof of your visit and can be used to verify the authenticity of a stamp if needed.

Tap your avatar (the circle with your initial) in the top-right corner of the navigation bar. From the dropdown menu, select "My Profile." If you do not see an avatar, you may need to sign in first.

These are optional checkboxes on your profile that tell Locali about you, such as Senior Citizen, Military Veteran, Student, First Responder, Healthcare Worker, Teacher, Local Resident, Family, Business Traveler, or Tourist. Checking these helps the app highlight promotions you qualify for, such as military discounts or student deals.

Your zip code helps Locali match you with local-specific promotions and deals in your area. Businesses that offer "locals only" discounts use this to verify eligibility. The zip code field is optional and is found under Contact Information in your profile.

You can indicate membership in airline loyalty programs (United MileagePlus, American AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, Southwest Rapid Rewards, JetBlue TrueBlue) and hotel loyalty programs (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt). This information will be used for future features connecting loyalty benefits with local businesses.

After making any changes, scroll to the bottom of the profile page and tap "Save Changes." A green confirmation message will appear briefly when your profile is updated successfully. If there is an error, a red message will explain what went wrong.

Go to Account Settings (tap your avatar, then "Account Settings"). If you signed up with email and password, you will see a "Change Password" section. Enter your new password (minimum 8 characters), confirm it, and tap "Update Password." If you signed up with Google, your password is managed through your Google account and cannot be changed here.

Your email address is tied to your account and cannot be changed from the profile page. If you need to use a different email, you would need to create a new account with that email address.

Location Access controls whether the app can use your GPS location to show nearby businesses and calculate distances. Analytics controls whether anonymous usage data is collected to help improve the app. Both are off by default and can be changed at any time. Your consent preferences expire after one year, at which point you will be asked to confirm them again.

The Cache Management section shows your current connection quality, which cache strategy the app is using, and how much space your cached business data and images are using on this device. You can Clear Images, Clear Business Data, or Clear All Cache if storage gets low, and you can Pre-load Data to warm the cache for faster browsing and offline use when you are online. A warning appears if cache storage is running low.

This removes the location data currently stored on your device, including any manually entered addresses and your location history. After clearing, the app will no longer show distance information until you set a new location or allow GPS access again. The page will refresh automatically.

This removes all locally stored data from your device, including saved locations, privacy preferences, and cached information. It does not delete your account or any stamps you have collected (those are stored securely on the server). A confirmation dialog will appear before the action is taken, since it cannot be undone.

On any business detail page, tap the share button (the icon with an arrow pointing outward). On mobile devices that support it, this opens your device's native share sheet so you can send the link via text, email, or any other app. On desktop or unsupported browsers, a modal appears with the link ready to copy to your clipboard.

The shared link goes directly to that business's detail page on Locali. Anyone who opens the link can view the business information, promotions, and events without needing an account.

Make sure your location is set. Check that you have allowed location access when prompted, or set a location manually using the location control in the search area. You can also verify your location is saved by going to Account Settings and looking under Location Settings. If your location shows as saved but businesses still appear far away, try clearing your location and setting it again.

This is typically caused by browser extensions (especially ad blockers) that block Google Maps. Try disabling extensions temporarily, or open Locali in a private/incognito window. Also ensure your browser is up to date and that JavaScript is enabled.

On the sign-in screen, tap "Forgot password?" and enter the email address associated with your account. You will receive an email with instructions to reset your password. Check your spam folder if the email does not arrive within a few minutes.

When you use Google sign-in, your password is managed by Google, not Locali. To change your password, visit your Google Account settings at myaccount.google.com. The password section in Locali's Account Settings will show a notice explaining this.

Confirm the following: (1) You are signed into your Locali account - only registered users can collect stamps. (2) You are opening the business QR code with your phone camera. (3) You have not already collected a stamp at this location within the last 12 hours. Location sharing is optional - if it is off, your stamp is still collected but marked "location not verified."

Try refreshing the page. If the issue persists, clear your browser cache, or visit Account Settings and tap Clear All Cache under Cache Management. When your connection is weak or offline, the app serves cached business data; tap Pre-load Data in Cache Management while online to warm the cache for smoother browsing later. On mobile, closing and reopening the browser tab can also help.

Business details, promotions, and events are updated by the business owners. If you notice outdated information, the business may not have updated their listing recently. You can also try clearing Business Data in Account Settings > Cache Management to force a fresh fetch. Contact us through the Contact page to report any issues with specific listings.

Visit the Contact Us page (linked in the footer of every page, or navigate to /contact). You can fill out the contact form with your question, or email us directly at support@locali.com for general help and business@locali.com for business-related inquiries. We aim to respond within 24-48 hours.

Visit our business signup page at https://bus.locali.com/signup (linked in the footer) to register your business. Fill out the registration form with your business details, and our team will review your submission. You can also reach out to business@locali.com for questions about getting listed.

Locali reps help local businesses join our platform, guide them through onboarding, and serve as their main point of contact. If you are interested in this contractor opportunity, visit the Contact Us page and click "Become a Locali Rep" (found in the footer and About sections), or email business@locali.com with your interest and location. We will provide details about the role, compensation, and next steps.

Use the Contact Us page and select "General Inquiry" or "Feedback or Suggestion" as the subject. Include the business name and what information appears to be incorrect. Our team will review and work with the business owner to correct it.