FAQ
Questions people ask about ’bout. Anything else: hello@bout.chat.
The basics
What is ’bout?
Live chat for live games and shows. Everyone in a room is watching the same broadcast on their own screen, and ’bout holds each message until your screen reaches the moment it’s about, so the room reacts with you instead of ahead of you.
’bout doesn’t stream video. Watch the way you always do, on TV or a streaming service, and chat on your phone or computer.
What can I watch with ’bout?
Early access starts with the NFL, the NBA, college football, college basketball and reality TV like The Traitors and Survivor. Each big game and episode gets its own room, which opens about an hour before it starts.
Where can I use it?
In the web browser on your phone or computer, at app.bout.chat. Apps for iPhone and Android are on the way.
Does ’bout cost anything?
No. ’bout is free.
How do I get in?
’bout is invite only during early access. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you when your invite is ready. Once you’re on the list you get your own link to share, so your friends can get on it too.
Spoilers and sync
How does ’bout keep chat from spoiling me?
Every TV feed runs a little behind the live game, and by different amounts. Over an antenna you might be 20 seconds behind; on a streaming service, closer to a minute. Someone on a faster feed would normally spoil the play before you see it.
’bout knows about how far behind each provider runs, and holds every message until it expects your own screen to have reached the moment it was sent. When it isn’t sure, it holds a little longer, so chat errs late rather than early. Someone ahead of you can yell “touchdown!” the second it happens, and it waits for your screen to catch up.
What does “Sync” mean? Do I have to tap anything?
You don’t have to do anything. Chat starts matched to your provider. For a closer match, the room may ask you for a single tap: in a game, when the game clock on your screen hits a whole minute, like 12:00; in a show, when its title card appears. ’bout lines your tap up with other viewers’ taps, and the pill at the top of the room changes from Sync to Synced.
The buttons next to the reactions help too, if you like: in a game, Ads start at the first ad and Ads over when the game comes back; in a show, Ads now when it cuts to a break.
Chat seems ahead of my TV, or behind it. What do I do?
Tap Sync at the top of the room. Under Chat ahead of your TV? you can move chat later, and under Chat behind your TV? sooner. Sync to your screen asks for a tap at the next moment instead, and Change provider is there if you picked the wrong one.
If you pause or rewind live TV, your screen falls further behind. Move chat later by the same amount, or sync again. For more than a few minutes behind, Replay chat follows your recording instead.
Can I chat along with a recording?
Yes. Replay chat plays a room’s chat along with your recording, wherever you are in it. Press Start when your screen shows kickoff (or the show’s title card), then pause, skip back or skip ahead, and chat follows. Find it on the game’s or episode’s page once it has started, or in the Sync sheet in the live room. Replay chat is read only for now.
Can ’bout stop every spoiler?
No, though it tries hard in the room. Chat is held to ’bout’s best estimate of your feed, and if it ever seems early, tap Sync and move it later. ’bout can’t hold back anything outside the room: a push alert, a score from another app or a friend’s text. Posting a result from outside the broadcast is against the guidelines.
Accounts and safety
Do I need an account?
Yes. There’s no anonymous chat on ’bout. You sign in, pick a handle and confirm you’re 13 or older. You can delete your account from the account panel at any time.
Can teens use ’bout?
Yes, from 13. Accounts for people 13 to 17 get stricter rules: no private messaging ever, no 18+ rooms, messages flagged for harassment, violence, self-harm or illegal activity hidden from them, and phone numbers, social handles and “DM me” refused when they send them and hidden when others do. The guidelines have the details.
What if someone is being a jerk?
Every message is checked before the room sees it. If something gets through, tap the message to Report it, Block the person everywhere in ’bout, or Mute them while you’re in the room. Report a child safety concern goes to the top of our queue. Moderators can remove messages and remove people from a room, and ’bout staff can ban accounts. The community guidelines say what’s allowed.
What do you do with my information?
We collect as little as we can to run ’bout, and we don’t sell your account information. The privacy policy lists everything we keep, why, and for how long.
Everything else
I’m writing about ’bout.
The press kit has logos, screenshots, the brand colors and a short description. Email hello@bout.chat with questions or to talk to the founder.
See also the terms of service, the community guidelines and the privacy policy. bout llc, Texas, United States.