Help Centre / Pulse & Beacons

Pulse & Beacons

Pulse and Beacons are CruiseCtrl's real-time social layer — a way to broadcast what you're up for right now, discover what's happening near you, and organise or join spontaneous meet-ups. This guide explains how to use both features effectively.

1. What is Pulse?

Pulse is CruiseCtrl's live, ephemeral status feed. Think of it as an answer to the question "what's happening near me right now?" — a stream of short posts from nearby users sharing their mood, intention, or what they're up for at this moment.

Key facts about how Pulse works:

• Posts last 1 hour from the moment they are published, then disappear automatically. There is no archive.
• Pulse resets at 6am each day. Any posts still active at 6am are removed and the feed starts fresh. This prevents the feed feeling stale from the night before.
• Posts are location-aware — the feed shows posts from users near you, sorted by distance.
• Pulse is designed to be honest and direct. It's for communicating what you actually want right now, not polished self-promotion.
• You do not need to be checked in to read the Pulse feed — but you do need to be checked in to have your post reach its full audience on the Radar.

2. Writing a Pulse post

To post on Pulse:

1. Tap the Pulse tab in the bottom navigation bar.
2. Tap the compose button (pencil icon or the "What are you up for?" prompt at the top of the feed).
3. Write your post. Keep it clear and direct — other users are scanning fast. A post like "at the sauna on Thomas Street, up for company" or "free for the next hour, NSA, can host" tells people exactly what they need to know.
4. Tap Post. Your Pulse post goes live immediately.

You can edit a post within 5 minutes of posting it if you notice a typo or want to adjust the wording. After 5 minutes, posts become read-only until they expire. To remove a post early, open it and tap Delete post.

Pulse posts are subject to the same Community Guidelines as the rest of the app. Do not post personal contact details (phone numbers, external social handles, WhatsApp links) in a Pulse post — this violates our guidelines and can attract spam. Keep it to what you're up for, and move any further details into a private message.

3. Free vs CruiseCtrl+ post limits

Pulse post limits depend on your subscription tier:

• Free users — 5 Pulse posts per rolling 7-day period. The limit resets exactly 7 days after each post. If you've reached your limit, you'll see a counter showing when your next slot becomes available.
• CruiseCtrl+ subscribers — unlimited Pulse posts. There is no weekly cap.

Note that the 5-post weekly limit is per post, not per day — so spreading them out thoughtfully will serve you well if you're on the free tier. Since posts only last an hour, you rarely need more than one or two per session anyway.

If you run out of posts and want to upgrade, go to Settings → CruiseCtrl+. Subscriptions are billed through the Apple App Store or Google Play and renew monthly or annually until you cancel.

4. Your Pulse indicator

When you have an active Pulse post, other users can see this at a glance without having to visit the Pulse feed directly. A flame icon appears on your profile card on the Discover grid and map, and on your entry in other users' Signals chat list.

The flame indicates "this person has something live on Pulse right now — tap to see what they're up for." It creates a direct connection between the grid and the feed, so that posting on Pulse makes you more visible and discoverable even to users who are browsing the Radar rather than the Pulse feed.

The flame icon disappears automatically when your post expires (after 1 hour) or if you delete it early.

5. Reading the Pulse feed

The Pulse feed shows a chronological, distance-sorted list of active posts from users near you. Posts closest to you appear first.

From the feed you can:

• Tap a post to open the author's full profile. From there you can message them, send a Tap, or send a Ping (see below).
• Tap the Ping button directly on the post card to send an anonymous signal of interest without opening their profile (see section 7).
• Tap the Message button on a post to open a new conversation directly.
• Filter the feed by distance using the distance slider at the top of the Pulse screen.

The feed refreshes in real time as new posts are published and old ones expire. Pull down to refresh if you want to force an immediate update.

6. Spike alerts

If there is a significant increase in Pulse activity near your location — for example, at a particular venue or event — CruiseCtrl may send you a Spike notification. This is a push notification that lets you know things are heating up nearby and it might be a good moment to check in or post on Pulse yourself.

Spike alerts are generated automatically when the number of new Pulse posts from a nearby cluster exceeds a threshold relative to the baseline for that area and time of day. You won't get them constantly — only when there's genuinely something worth flagging.

You can manage Spike notifications (and all other CruiseCtrl notifications) under Settings → Notifications. Spike alerts can be turned off independently if you find them disruptive.

7. Pinging someone

A Ping is a lightweight, anonymous signal of interest you can send to another user directly from their Pulse post. It's quicker and lower-stakes than sending a message, and it's anonymous — the recipient sees "Someone pinged you" without knowing who it was.

To Ping someone:

• From the Pulse feed, tap the Ping button on any post card, or
• Open a user's profile from a Pulse post and tap Ping.

What the recipient sees:

• A notification: "Someone pinged you on Pulse."
• A Ping indicator in the Signals screen and on their Pulse post view.
• They cannot see who sent the Ping unless they already have an active conversation with you.

Ping rules:

• You can only Ping the same person once per 6-hour window. After 6 hours, you can Ping them again if they have a new active Pulse post.
• Pings are tied to a specific Pulse post. If the post expires, the Ping notification is still delivered but will reference an expired post.
• Pinging is free and unlimited for all users.

8. What is a Beacon?

A Beacon is a public, location-based event or meet-up announcement. Unlike a Pulse post (which is about you and what you personally want right now), a Beacon is about a place and a time — it invites other users to show up there and connect.

Good uses for Beacons:

• Announcing you're at a particular bar, sauna, or cruising spot and keen for company.
• Organising a spontaneous group gathering at a venue.
• Flagging that a regular LGBTQ+ night is on and you'll be there.

Beacons appear as pins on the Discover map and in a dedicated Beacons section within the Pulse screen. Users nearby can see them, join them, and the host can message all attendees.

9. Hosting a Beacon

To create a Beacon:

1. Open the Pulse tab and tap the + button in the Beacons section (or tap the Beacons map pin icon on the Discover map).
2. Fill in the Beacon details:
   • Title — a short name for the event (e.g. "Friday night at The George", "Sauna session — who's around?").
   • Venue — search for a venue name or address, or drop a pin on the map. Choosing a real venue means the pin appears in the right place for others.
   • Start time — when the event begins. You can set a time in the future (useful for planning ahead).
   • End time (optional) — when you expect to leave or the event to end. If not set, the Beacon remains active for up to 4 hours from the start time.
   • Note (optional) — add a brief description or anything attendees should know. Keep it to logistics and vibe; do not include personal contact details.
3. Tap Create Beacon. Your Beacon appears on the map and in the Beacons section immediately.

As the host you can:

• Edit the Beacon details at any time before it expires.
• Cancel the Beacon early — this sends a notification to anyone who has joined, so use it if plans genuinely change.
• Message all current attendees at once using the Message Attendees button in the Beacon management screen.
• See a count of how many people have joined your Beacon.

10. Joining a Beacon

To join a Beacon:

1. Find it on the Discover map (look for the Beacon pin icon) or in the Beacons section of the Pulse tab.
2. Tap the Beacon to view its details — title, venue, time, note, and current attendee count.
3. Tap Join. You appear in the attendee list visible to the host and other attendees.

When you join a Beacon:

• The host can see your profile in the attendee list and can send you a message.
• Other attendees can see that you've joined (they see your name and main photo in the attendee list).
• You receive a notification if the Beacon is updated or cancelled.
• You can leave a Beacon at any time by tapping Leave in the Beacon detail screen.

Joining a Beacon does not automatically check you in to the Discover Radar. If you want to also appear on the grid or map for the duration, check in separately with an appropriate intent.

11. Beacon etiquette and rules

Beacons are a public-facing feature and carry specific rules in addition to our Community Guidelines:

• Keep descriptions honest. Don't advertise a meet at a venue you're not going to, or describe an event misleadingly. People may travel to attend — respect their time.
• No personal contact details in the description. Do not post phone numbers, WhatsApp links, Telegram handles, or external social media URLs in the Beacon title or note. Move those conversations into private messages.
• No commercial promotion. Beacons are for community connection, not advertising businesses or charging for entry. Venue operators should contact us separately if they want a partnership listing.
• No misleading locations. Placing a Beacon pin at a random location rather than the real venue is deceptive and may lead to account action.
• Report inappropriate Beacons. If you see a Beacon that violates these rules, tap the three-dot menu on the Beacon and choose Report. Our safety team reviews reports typically within 24 hours.

Repeated Beacon violations can result in the feature being restricted on your account or, in serious cases, account suspension. See the Notice & Action policy for how we handle reports and appeals.

Still stuck? Email support@cruisectrl.eu · Back to Help Centre