There are over 3 dozen app settings for customizing your Places.com experience. Tap Settings at the bottom of the screen displays the screen for updating your settings.

Settings are divided between 4 screens accessible by tapping the gray buttons at the top: Check-In Settings, Application Settings, Personal Settings and Personal Photo.

Check-In and Visibility parameters include under what circumstances (if any) others can see your personal information.

Application settings include Google Places and Yelp search parameters, distance thresholds for people and places nearby, whether travel directions are for driving, walking or bicycling, and other device parameters.

The Personal identity parameters include your screen name, phone, real name, birthday, gender and photo.

Note that if you are on the Places screen or a Map screen, you can tap Settings, change your settings, tap Settings again, and you will return to the same screen you left off of. This is useful when doing places nearby searches.

Check-In Visibility Settings

The Check-In parameters on this form specify only whether Google Places are included in the check-in place selection list, the radius of the search from your location, and the default check-in period (check-in time to anticipated check-out time). All other check-in parameters are specified on the Check-In form when checking in.

Visibilty Settings specify under what conditions others can view personal data, such as check-ins, email address, user name, gender, relationship status and political preference.

Tap Check-In Settings at the top left to display the Check-In Settings form. Tap the Enable Google Check-Ins button OFF to exclude Google Places from choices when checking in. “Check-In places are within” specifies the search radius from your current location for place choices when checking in. This parameter applies only to places in your personal database. (See Google Places Check-In to modify search radius for Google Places). The Default Check-In Period can be overridden on the Check-In screen when checking in. When checked in, you can also check-out any time by tapping the blue Check Out button at the top right corner of the screen. The Check-In “I am visible to” setting specifies who can view your check-in when you are checked in. If you are checked in and you change this setting, the change takes effect immediately. Only My Check-In Audience selects a subset of your Contacts, and described under Check-In Audience. When “I am visible to” is set to “Everyone,” anyone using Places.com, whether registered or not, can see your check-in by tapping People Nearby on any map screen for a place within the People Nearby radius threshold. The Email, Name, Phone, Photo, Gender, Relationship Status and Political Preference can be selectively visible to only your Check-In Audience, only to your Contacts, or Everyone, and either only When Checked In or Always. For example, if you only want your phone number available when you are checked in, then check one of the checkboxes in the “When Checked In” column for Phone. If still you want only other contacts to see your phone number, then check the “Contacts” checkbox.

Application Settings

Application settings include the search parameters for Google and Yelp, as well as distance thresholds for places and people nearby.

Application settings also specify the mode of travel for travel directions (driving, walking or bicycling), as well as how measurements are displayed (metric or imperial).

Other Application parameters include screen tapping and swiping as well as how the GPS location services are used.

Tap Applications Settings to display the update form. The Places Nearby Button parameters in gray define the places are listed with the Places Nearby button on a Map screen. Tap Show _ Places buttons ON to include or OFF to exclude in the nearby list. Google or Yelp searches results over 20 places return only the top ranked places. Narrow searches using a Google Place Type or Yelp Category. Enter part of name in Google Name Search or Yelp Search Term text box if unable to find exact place. Remember to clear search text boxes before your next nearby search. Set Distance Thresholds for places displayed from (1) a personal places database list, (2) a Places Nearby search and (3) a People Nearby search. Choose Driving, Walking or Bicycling for Directions From Here button on Map screen. Select to display either metric or imperial units. The ‘?’ URL data prefix will cause to the device web browser of your email recipients to reload the Places.com app. The ‘#’ data prefix will not cause the app to reload for your email recipients who are already Places.com users. The login form on mobile devices will remember your email address and/or your password. Tap what you would like remembered.

For Screen settings, the Places.com Button function reminder message is displayed at the top of the screen when enabled. (Currently “TAP PLACES.COM TO REWRITE SCREEN”)

Edge Swipe Scroll or Center Swipe Scroll sets whether to scroll the Places screen by vertically swiping the edge or center of the screen.

The When GPS Location Services on device are available and not available settings specify whether to use the device’s GPS reading as the current location, or use the Default Home location, or treat the current location as unknown.

The Check-In function is only available when the GPS reading is used as the current location.

The Default Home is specified in the place record of a place in your personal database. The Default Home listing is indicated on the Places screen is in bold font, and with an asterisk on the place’s Map screen.

If the current location is unknown, then the Check-In function is not available, and the Map From Here and Directions From Here functions will be unavailable from the Map screen.

Personal Settings

Personal settings include your screen name, real name, phone number, birthdate, and other personal information. The birthdate is necessary because for legal and safety reasons, you must be at least 13 years old to use Places.com. All other information is optional and only necessary if you choose to make that information available to other Places.com users.

Information about you can become available to others either when you check in or when others enter your email address as one of their contacts. You can determine what they see on their Contact Record for you. See Check-In Settings for more information.

You can also change your password or delete your account from the Personal Settings screen.

Tap Personal Settings for the update form. The screen name identifies you to others when you are checked in. If you do not have a screen name, you are identified by your email address. Your full name, phone number, gender, relationship status and political preference can individually be made available to others under Check-In Settings. Your birthdate is kept private. To delete your account, you must first Enable the Delete Account function. See Delete Registration for more information. To change your password, enter the new password twice.

When making changes, only if you are deleting the account or changing your password must you enter the current password.

Tap the Save Changes button to submit your changes. An alert box confirming the changes have been made will display.

Personal Photo

You can upload a photo of yourself and make it available to others when you check in or when they enter you as a contact.

Note that you can upload photos by logging in from your desktop or from most Android devices. The iPhone does not allow file uploads from the browser without a special app. To upload photos using Safari on your iPhone, download and install Picup, free from the

To upload a new picture of yourself, 1. Tap Personal Photo for the upload form. 2. Tap Choose File, 3. Select the photo from the file manager, or select or take a photo from your device, 4. A confirmation dialog box will display. Tap OK to confirm the upload.

When you return to the Personal Photo screen, you may have to tap to refresh the screen to see the new picture. The new picture should also appear updated on the Check-In Settings screen.

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