Help & Support
Find an answer or contact a real person
Find an answer
Ask in your own words or browse common topics.
Contact support
Send a problem to a real person. We usually reply within one business day.
What can we help with?
Type it however you'd say it — “how do I hand the group to someone else” works as well as the official wording.
Ask me how something works — creating a group, handing one over, turning texts off. I answer from Hey Neighbor's help pages, and I'll say so when I don't know.
Answered on your own device from our help pages. Nothing you type is sent to us or kept unless you choose Send this to a person and press Send.
Browse common topics
Getting started
Does Hey Neighbor cost anything?
Hey Neighbor is free for members. Groups can use the sponsor-supported plan at no charge, or the person running the group can make it ad-free for a flat monthly price per member; see the Pricing page for the current rate and how the monthly bill works. Members are never charged individually, and pricing is not based on the number of messages sent.
See all pricingCan I use it for my bus group or carpool?
Yes. Hey Neighbor supports street, school bus, and carpool groups. The same rules apply to every chat: it's private and invite-only, phone numbers are never shown, and it's free for personal use.
How do I join a group?
Groups are invite-only. Your moderator — someone in the group who volunteers to look after it — texts you an invitation, and you reply JOIN to accept. There is nothing else to do: no app to download, no account to create. If someone sends you an invite link instead, open it and follow the steps. If the chat you're asking for is already running and nobody has invited you yet, the sign-up page takes your details as a request to join: the person who runs it confirms you belong there, then sends the invitation.
Groups, privacy and texts
What is a moderator?
A moderator is someone in the group — not staff — who volunteers to look after it: they invite new people, keep posts on topic, and handle reports. In practice that means: invites new people and approves who joins; reviews reported posts and can hide a message or remove someone; pins important announcements to the top of the conversation. Moderators can never see anyone's phone number, and they cannot read private messages.
Which number do the texts come from?
Each group texts from a number of its own — the one your invitation came from. Reply in that thread to post or to send a command, and save it under the group's name so the thread on your phone carries the name. Text #LIST to it to see who is in the group.
Can other people see my phone number?
No. Your number is used only for sign-in codes and the texts you opt into. It is never shown to other members, to moderators, or to sponsors.
How do I stop the text notifications?
Turn "Group notifications" off in Settings, or reply STOP to any Hey Neighbor text. STOP also takes you out of every group; START turns texts back on but does not rejoin you, so reply JOIN to a new invitation. Sign-in codes still arrive when you request one. To quiet one group and keep the rest, reply MUTE in that group's thread; UNMUTE brings it back.
Safety, sponsors and support
Something in the conversation isn't right.
Use Report on the message. Your group moderator — someone in the group who volunteers to look after it — reviews reports. You can also block someone from the group information panel.
What are the yellow sponsor cards?
Paid placements from local businesses, never mixed in with members' messages. Sponsors cannot message you. Sponsor messages come from the group's Hey Neighbor number and appear in the conversation as Hey Neighbor Offers - never as a neighbor or the sponsor directly. Each one is labeled, never rides on a neighbor's post or an emergency alert, arrives only between 9am and 8pm, and is capped by a policy for that kind of chat. Offers are part of the free group program, and there is no switch for them alone: STOP ends all texts, and the person who runs a group can put the whole group on the ad-free plan.
How do I reach a real person?
Ask the question box above and press "Send this to a person" under any answer — it files a support ticket with what you typed, and only when you press Send. If you are in a group, reply #SUPPORT and what happened to any text from your group; it is never posted to the chat. Or email support@hey-neighbor.com. A real person reads every one and replies within one business day.
Still need a hand?
Contact support and a real person will read it. If you are in a group, reply #SUPPORT and what happened to any text from your group. You can also email support@hey-neighbor.com. Not in a group yet? Text SUPPORT and what happened to (619) 314-5148. You can also read the SMS terms, privacy policy and terms of service.