Question 1

How do I create an account?

Accepted Answer

Tap "Sign Up" on the home page and enter your email address or sign in with Google or Apple. You will receive a verification email — click the link to activate your account. You can then set your display name, preferred language, and home location.

Question 2

How do I create a business account?

Accepted Answer

Sign up as a regular user first, then navigate to your profile settings and select "Register as Business". You will need to provide your business name, address, category, business hours, and optionally upload a logo and photos.

Question 3

How do I reset my password?

Accepted Answer

On the sign-in screen, tap "Forgot password?" and enter your email address. You will receive a password-reset link valid for 60 minutes. If you signed up with Google or Apple, use those providers to sign in instead.

Question 4

Can I use NearbyAssist without creating an account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can browse businesses, view ratings, and use the search without an account. However, booking appointments, leaving reviews, messaging businesses, and saving favorites all require a free account.

Question 5

How do I search for businesses near me?

Accepted Answer

Use the search bar on the home page or the Discover tab. You can search by business name, category, or keyword. Enable location services to see results sorted by distance, or enter a specific address to search a different area.

Question 6

How does the AI chat assistant work?

Accepted Answer

The AI assistant helps you find the right service by asking about your needs in natural language. For example, you can say "I need a plumber this weekend" and the assistant will suggest matching businesses, show availability, and help you book directly from the chat.

Question 7

How does the AR feature work?

Accepted Answer

The augmented reality feature lets you point your camera at your surroundings and see nearby businesses overlaid on the screen with their ratings, distance, and open/closed status. It requires camera and location permissions and works best in well-lit outdoor areas.

Question 8

Can I search in my own language?

Accepted Answer

Yes. NearbyAssist supports 10 languages: English, Slovak, Czech, German, Polish, Hungarian, French, Italian, Spanish, and Slovenian. Search is diacritics-insensitive, so searching "kaviaren" will match "kaviareň". Set your preferred language in Settings.

Question 9

How does search ranking work?

Accepted Answer

Results are ranked by relevance to your query, distance from your location, business rating, and number of reviews. Promoted or boosted businesses may appear at the top and are labeled accordingly. You can also sort by rating, distance, newest, or most reviewed.

Question 10

How do I book an appointment?

Accepted Answer

Find a business and tap "Book Now". Select a service, choose an available date and time slot, and confirm your booking. You will receive a confirmation notification and email. Some businesses accept instant bookings; others may need to confirm manually.

Question 11

Can I cancel or reschedule a booking?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Go to "My Bookings" in your profile and select the booking you want to change. You can reschedule to a different time slot or cancel. Each business sets its own cancellation policy — check the policy details before cancelling to avoid any fees.

Question 12

What happens if a business does not confirm my booking?

Accepted Answer

If a business has not confirmed within 24 hours, you will receive a notification and can choose to wait, cancel, or book with an alternative business. Unconfirmed bookings are automatically cancelled after 48 hours.

Question 13

How do I receive booking reminders?

Accepted Answer

You will receive push notifications and email reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before your appointment. You can customize reminder preferences in Settings > Notifications.

Question 14

How do I leave a review?

Accepted Answer

After visiting a business or completing a booking, go to the business page and tap "Write a Review". Rate the business from 1 to 5 stars and write about your experience. You can also add photos. Reviews are public and help other users make informed decisions.

Question 15

Can I edit or delete my review?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Go to your profile, select "My Reviews", and choose the review you want to edit or delete. Edited reviews show a "modified" badge. Please note that businesses can respond to your review publicly.

Question 16

How are business ratings calculated?

Accepted Answer

The overall rating is a weighted average of all customer reviews. Recent reviews carry slightly more weight than older ones. The rating updates in real time as new reviews are submitted.

Question 17

How can I improve my business ranking?

Accepted Answer

Business rankings depend on review ratings, review count, profile completeness, and user engagement. Complete your profile with high-quality photos, accurate hours, and a detailed description. Respond to reviews professionally and encourage satisfied customers to share their experience.

Question 18

What payment methods are accepted?

Accepted Answer

NearbyAssist supports credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), Apple Pay, Google Pay, and bank transfers in supported regions. All payments are processed securely through Stripe.

Question 19

How do refunds work?

Accepted Answer

Refund policies are set by each business. If you are eligible for a refund, it will be processed to your original payment method within 5-10 business days. Contact the business directly or reach out to our support team if you have a dispute.

Question 20

How does billing work for business owners?

Accepted Answer

NearbyAssist uses a lead-based billing model. You pay only when a customer takes a qualifying action such as booking an appointment or sending a message through the platform. You can set a monthly budget cap and view all charges in your Business Dashboard.

Question 21

How do I claim my business listing?

Accepted Answer

Search for your business on NearbyAssist and tap "Claim this business". You will need to verify ownership by confirming your business email, phone number, or uploading an official document. Once verified, you gain full control of the listing.

Question 22

How do I update my business hours and information?

Accepted Answer

Go to your Business Dashboard and select "Edit Profile". You can update hours, address, description, photos, services offered, and contact information. Changes are published immediately.

Question 23

How do promotions and boosting work?

Accepted Answer

Promoted listings appear at the top of search results and are labeled "Promoted". You can set a daily or weekly budget, target specific categories or locations, and track impressions and clicks in your Business Dashboard. Boosting increases your visibility multiplier temporarily.

Question 24

What messaging channels can I connect?

Accepted Answer

You can receive and respond to customer messages through the NearbyAssist dashboard. Additionally, you can connect WhatsApp Business, Facebook Messenger, and Viber to manage all conversations in one place. Set up integrations in Dashboard > Settings > Channels.

Question 25

What analytics are available for my business?

Accepted Answer

Your Business Dashboard shows profile views, search impressions, booking requests, messages received, review trends, and customer demographics. You can filter by date range and export reports as CSV.

Question 26

How is my personal data protected?

Accepted Answer

We use industry-standard encryption for all data in transit and at rest. Your personal information is never sold to third parties. We comply with GDPR and local data protection regulations. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Question 27

Can I delete my account and data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Go to Settings > Account > Delete Account. This permanently removes your profile, reviews, bookings, and message history within 30 days. You can also request a data export before deletion.

Question 28

How does location sharing work?

Accepted Answer

Location is used only to show nearby businesses and calculate distances. You can grant or revoke location permissions at any time in your device settings. We do not track or store your location history. You can also search by entering an address manually instead.

How can we help you?

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Search & Discovery

Booking & Appointments

Reviews & Ratings

Payments & Billing

For Business Owners

Privacy & Security

Need more help?

Tutorials and guides

Community and support