FAQ
Questions people ask about Dibs
Straight answers, no fine print. If yours isn’t here, email support@icalldibs.co and we’ll answer it and add it.
Getting started
Do I need to download anything?
No. Dibs is a website. Open icalldibs.co in your phone's browser and it works. If you want it to feel like an app, tap "Get the Dibs app" on the home screen and it walks you through adding it to your home screen in three taps.
Do my friends need an account to vote?
No. You share one link and anyone who opens it can vote from their own phone with no sign-up. Only the person who starts the decision benefits from an account, because it remembers your taste and your past decisions.
Is Dibs free?
Yes. Starting a decision, sharing the link, voting, rating, and saving spots are all free. There are no ads.
What does "Add to Home Screen" actually do?
It puts a Dibs icon on your phone next to your other apps. Tapping it opens Dibs full-screen without the browser bar, and it keeps you signed in. On iPhone, only Safari can do this, which is why the button shows you the Share-sheet steps. On Android it installs with one tap.
Does it work outside Raleigh?
It works anywhere that has restaurants on Google, but it is built for and focused on the North Carolina Triangle: Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Morrisville and the surrounding towns. That is where we test it and where the local touches are tuned.
Deciding and voting
How does Dibs choose the four spots?
It searches real restaurants near you that are open when you plan to eat, filtered by your budget, distance, and cuisine, then picks four that fit the group. National fast-food chains are hidden by default so you find real local places. The picks are suggestions, not reviews.
How does the voting work?
Everyone ranks the four picks from favorite to least favorite. Rank-choice voting means the winner is the spot the whole group is happiest with overall, not whoever answered first. The host can reveal the result whenever they like.
I shared the link and switched apps. How do I get back to my vote?
Open Dibs again. A "Vote in progress" card at the top of the home screen takes you straight back to it, and your own ranking is saved. The card stays for 24 hours, and your friends' link keeps working until you lock in a winner.
Can I change the picks before the group votes?
Yes. On the picks screen, tap "Show different spots" to swap any you don't like. The group can't vote until you press "Put it to a vote," so nobody sees a half-finished list.
It said "No spots matched." What happened?
Your filters were tighter than what's open nearby right now. Widen the distance, loosen the budget, or drop a cuisine and try again. If instead you see "Couldn't load spots" with a Try again button, the search itself didn't complete and trying again in a moment usually works.
Can I decide alone?
Yes. Tap "Just deciding for myself" on the home screen and Dibs skips the invite step and gives you the picks to rank on your own.
Dietary needs and allergies
Can Dibs handle vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher, or gluten-free?
It searches for places that mention those options, so they show up more. But Dibs cannot verify what any restaurant actually serves or how it's prepared. Treat the picks as a starting point, not a guarantee.
What about food allergies?
Please confirm directly with the restaurant before you go. Allergies are too important to trust to any app, ours included. Dibs deliberately does not offer an allergy filter, because there is no reliable data to check it against.
Ratings, photos, and friends
Who sees what I post?
You choose per post: public, friends only, or just you. Your name shows to the group when you host or vote, and your profile shows to people who look you up. Nothing else is shared.
My photo didn't show up on my post.
Two things can cause it. If the upload failed, the post shows the restaurant's own photo instead and you'll see a warning when posting. If the post never saved to your account, it shows a "Not saved" badge on your profile with a button to post it again. Photos that did save are never lost.
What is "Run it back"?
It starts a new decision with the same filters as your last one, and if you invited friends last time, it pre-selects the same crew so you can send the invite in one tap.
Privacy and your account
What does Dibs store about me?
If you have an account: your email, name, taste profile, and what you post. If you don't: only the name you type when you vote and your ranking. Your location is used for a search and is not stored in our database. The full list is in our Privacy Policy.
Does Dibs sell my data or show ads?
No, and no.
How do I delete my account?
Open the You tab and choose Delete account. It removes your profile, posts, photos, comments, likes, follows, lists, and sign-in, permanently. It takes effect immediately.
Why do I sometimes get signed out on iPhone?
Safari clears a website's saved data after about a week without use. Adding Dibs to your home screen stops that, which is the other reason the "Get the Dibs app" button exists.
About Dibs
Who made this?
Noah Kleckner and Matt Stacy, two NC State students, because our own friend group could never decide. CBS 17 ran a segment on it in September 2026.
I own a restaurant. Can I get on Dibs?
If you're on Google Maps and open, you're already in it. We don't take payment for placement and we don't trade reviews for promotion. If you'd like to talk about anything else, email support@icalldibs.co.
Something's broken. Who do I tell?
Email support@icalldibs.co, or use the feedback button inside the app. We read every one.
New here? See how it works. The legal versions of the privacy answers are in the Privacy Policy and Terms.
Stop debating. Call Dibs.
Set the vibe, share one link, let the group vote. One tap settles it — no account needed to try.