Orbit

Find someone studying the same thing, at the same time.

Staying Safe on Orbit

Orbit connects you with people you don't know yet. Almost everyone here just wants a study partner. A small number won't. These are the habits that keep the second group from ruining it.

Two minutes to read. Worth it.

First, the thing we can't do

We don't verify anyone.

No background checks. No ID checks. No confirming anyone actually goes to your school.

Signing up needs a UBC email address, and that's the only check there is. It means the person could receive an email at a UBC address — nothing more. Not an identity check, not proof they're enrolled, not a promise about who they are.

Until you've met someone in person, treat them like what they are — a stranger on the internet who says they're studying the same thing as you.

We also don't check anyone's age. Orbit is open from age 17, and all we do is ask you to tick a box. Two things follow:

Anyone behaving sexually or romantically toward someone they know or suspect is a minor gets banned permanently, and reported to the police where it warrants it. Report it and we'll act — reports involving a minor go to the front of the queue.

Meeting someone for the first time

Meet in public, on campus

Libraries. Study commons. Busy cafés. IKB, Koerner, the Nest — places with people around and staff nearby.

Never a first session at someone's home, in a private room, in a car, or in an empty building late at night. If someone pushes for that, that's your answer about them.

Tell someone where you're going

Text a friend or a roommate: who you're meeting, where, and when you'll be done. Send a message when you're finished.

Nobody thinks this is dramatic. Everyone does it.

Keep the first one short

An hour is plenty. It's a trial run — enough to find out whether you actually study well together, short enough that leaving isn't awkward.

If it goes well, book a longer one. If it doesn't, you're already done.

Get yourself there and back

Arrive on your own and leave on your own. Don't accept a ride from someone you just met, and don't offer one.

What to keep to yourself

Some things don't need to be shared with a study partner, at least not yet:

Keep it in Orbit messages at first. If someone wants to move to another app immediately and won't say why, notice that.

One thing worth knowing: anyone who can see your profile sees your whole availability grid — all 35 blocks, not just the ones you share with them. Over a week that sketches your routine fairly clearly: when you're in class, when you work, which nights you're out.

Mark the blocks you actually want to be contacted about and leave the rest empty, including times you're free but would rather not be asked. Nobody can tell "busy" from "don't ask".

Trust your gut

If something feels off, it probably is. You don't need proof and you don't need to be able to explain it.

Some things worth noticing:

You can leave any time. Mid-sentence, mid-session, no explanation. "I have to go" is a complete sentence. You don't owe anyone politeness at the cost of your own safety.

Blocking and reporting

Block

Tap the profile → Block.

Block first, sort out how you feel later. It's not a big deal and it's not rude.

Report

Tap the profile or the conversation → Report.

Report anyone who:

Reporting is confidential. The person you reported is never told who reported them.

You will never get in trouble for reporting someone. If you're not sure whether it's worth reporting, report it. Sorting that out is our job, not yours.

What happens when you report

  1. Your report goes to a human. Not a bot.
  2. We review it and act within 24 hours. That's a commitment, not an estimate.
  3. We may read the reported messages. Orbit messages aren't end-to-end encrypted. If you report a conversation, we'll read the reported message and enough around it to understand what happened. We only do this for reports.
  4. We do something. Depending on what we find: a warning, content removed, profile hidden, account suspended, or a permanent ban.
  5. We don't tell them it was you. Ever.

If you also blocked the person, the block stays either way.

If you feel unsafe right now

Emergency — you're in danger:

911

On UBC Vancouver campus:

Support, not an emergency:

These numbers are for UBC's Vancouver (Point Grey) campus. If you're somewhere else, look up your own campus security and safe-walk numbers now and save them in your phone, before you need them. As Orbit expands to other campuses we'll add their numbers here.

The short version

Now go get some work done.

Questions about safety on Orbit? Email orbitstudyapp@gmail.com. Orbit is not affiliated with the University of British Columbia.