FAQ
Everything people ask about Kismet: how the draw works, whether hidden really means hidden, what guests can do, and what happens when fate speaks.
The draw
Is the draw really random?
Yes. The draw runs once, on our servers, choosing uniformly at random among the sealed submissions. The random seed and the result are persisted for audit. No client — not even the owner’s — participates in the pick.
Can the owner see picks before the draw?
No. Hidden means hidden for everyone, including the activity owner and including us at the admin level. Submissions stay invisible through the open and sealed states; only the winning pick unseals at the draw.
Can somebody re-roll a result they don’t like?
No. One draw per activity, no previews, no vetoes, no second draws. That finality is the entire product.
What happens if nobody submits anything?
If the draw arrives and the pool is empty, fate has nothing to pick — the activity ends without a winner and the crew hears about it in the app. Fate needs material.
Picks & sealing
Can I change my pick?
Until the lock, yes — edit freely. At lock time everything seals: no edits, no new joins, no exceptions.
What if I miss the lock?
Sealed is sealed. You can still watch the reveal and accept the fate — your pick just wasn’t in the pool. Set a reminder next time; the app nudges you before locks for exactly this reason.
Do losing picks ever get revealed?
No. Losing submissions stay sealed forever. The almost-chosen remain a mystery — it keeps the next draw honest and the drama intact.
Guests
Do my friends need the app to join?
No. Anyone can join from the share link in a browser with just a name and phone number — no account, no password. They submit hidden picks and watch the same live reveal. Full guest details here.
Will Kismet text my guests?
Only if they ask. Guests can opt into exactly one text — the result, when fate decides — and we verify their number with a code first. No reminders, no marketing, ever.
What happens to a guest’s history if they sign up later?
When someone signs up and verifies the same phone number, their guest history attaches to the new account. Verification is what makes the merge safe — an unverified number never claims anything.
Accounts & privacy
How do I sign in?
Sign in with Apple (iOS), Google, or your phone number with a one-time code. No passwords anywhere.
What do you do with my phone number?
It identifies you to your crew and powers guest-history merging. It’s never sold, never used for marketing, and other members only ever see a masked version.
Can I delete my account?
Yes, in the app — Profile → Delete account. There’s a short grace window (sign back in to undo), then the purge is real.
The pact
What if the crew hates the result?
The pact is the point: everyone accepts, nobody relitigates. In practice the “bad” result is usually the best night — commitment beats optimization when the alternative was arguing until midnight. That said, fate only picks from what the crew submitted. Don’t put anything in the pool you can’t live with.