Enjoy focusing with a partner? Come across someone with similar interests and would like to focus with them? With just one tap on the ☆, you can Favorite anyone and curate a list of people you like focusing with.
Let’s explore some key questions about Favorites:
What does ‘Favoriting’ someone mean?
Favoriting someone is a way to curate a list of people you like focusing with. When you Favorite someone, they’ll be added to your ‘Favorites’ list (accessed through the People page) and you’ll start seeing a star badge on their profile picture.
How do I Favorite someone?
To Favorite someone, tap the star (☆) anywhere you see it – next to your partner's name in a session, on their profile, or on the People page.
Who can I Favorite? Who can Favorite me?
You can Favorite anyone, and anyone can Favorite you. You control who can book locked-in sessions with you through your Availability setting. More on the Availability setting below.
Will people know I Favorited them?
We don't notify people when you Favorite them. If you enjoy focusing with someone, you can let them know that you’d like to Favorite them—maybe they’d like to Favorite you too! We are also developing new ways to interact with people you’ve Favorited or would like to Favorite.
How do I see a list of people I have Favorited?
Easy! Just go to the People page and choose 'Favorites' from the dropdown on the left-hand side (or the one on top if you're on mobile). The Favorites list includes everyone you have Favorited, including people you have had session(s) with and those you haven't met yet.
How can I match with someone I Favorited?
You can match with your Favorite partners in two ways:
In your Session Settings, set the Partner toggle to 'Prefer Favorites' before booking a session. You'll find the Session Settings box on the left of the calendar. We'll then match you with one of your Favorite partners whenever they are available and their Availability setting allows. Likewise, your own Availability setting controls who can match with you. More about the Availability setting below.
Note that the 'Prefer Favorites' option does not guarantee that you'll be matched with a Favorite partner. If we can't find a Favorite partner, we'll match you with another available user.
By booking locked-in sessions with them if their Availability setting allows. See how.
What is the Availability setting?
The Availability setting lets you control who can book locked-in sessions with you. You can choose between ‘Everyone’ (all Focusmate members excluding people you have snoozed or blocked, and those that don’t match your gender preference, if any), ‘Favorites only’, and ‘No one.’ More about the Availability setting
What is a locked-in session?
A locked-in session is one where both partners are 'locked-in’—meaning that, unlike a ‘regular’ session, your partner won’t change unless one of you cancels the session. A locked-in session shows up with a lock icon on the Calendar, on the Sessions page, and on your partner’s Availability page. More about locked-in sessions.
What happens when I remove someone from my Favorites list?
When you remove someone from your Favorites list, you’ll stop seeing a star badge on their profile picture. You wouldn’t be able to book locked-in sessions with them and, if your Availability setting is ‘Favorites only’, they won’t be able to book locked-in sessions with you. (If your setting is ‘Everyone’, they’ll still be able to book locked-in sessions with you even if you remove them from your Favorites list). You’ll still be able to see them on the calendar and get matched with them, view their profile, and message them (if you recently had a session with them). If you’d like to take a break from focusing with someone, you can also consider snoozing them. More about Snooze.
Can I snooze someone I have Favorited?
Yes, you can snooze someone you've Favorited. When you snooze someone, you won’t see them on the calendar and Focusmate won’t match you with them. If they have access to your Availability page, they will only see sessions that are after the snooze period. If snoozed indefinitely ('Snoozed until I unsnooze them'), they'll see a "No sessions available" message. If you have access to their Availability page, you can still book locked-in sessions with them even if they are snoozed.
What is the Partner panel?
The Partner panel is a panel showing information about your potential partners for a given session time. You can access the Partner panel by hovering over or selecting a slot on the calendar and then pressing the ‘More’ button (or the three-dot icon on smaller screens).
The panel will look different based on who’s available at that particular time:
One person: If you see one person, they are your most likely match. If the person is one of your Favorites but you don't see a lock icon on the Book button, this means that this person has not shared their Availability and you're not able to do a locked-in booking with them. You can still book the session and we'll try to match you with them.
Community icon: If you only see the Community icon, it means that we haven't determined who your most likely partner will be—just book the session and we'll match you with the next available Focusmate member.
One or more of your Favorites: Whenever you see one of your Favorites along with the Community icon, it means that you can do a locked-in booking with that person. If there's multiple Favorites available, you can choose who you want to book with, just select them and press the Book button.
