Setting Up Your Squad Jar
The foundation of every group adventure is a well-configured Jar. We call this **Squad Mode**. Think of a Jar as a dedicated space for a specific group of people.
Setting the Theme
Every Jar is built around a group of people. You can optionally assign a Theme, which sets its visual style and, more importantly, provides starting Categories available for your ideas. If your ideas are broad or don't fit a specific mold, you can completely skip selecting a theme!
GPS & Smart Location
Spin the Jar is location-aware. For the best experience, allow the app to access your GPS. This allows features like Magic Fill and Dining Concierge to find exact venues near you right now. If GPS is unavailable, we fall back to the "Home Town" set in your profile.
Dining & Drinks
James & Emily chose Restaurants for their Friday date nights, giving them quick access to categories like Fine Dining and Casual.
Invite Your Squad
A jar is better with friends. Open the Member Management tool to share your unique invite code. When others join, they immediately enter **Squad Mode** for that specific jar.
Exploration
Ideal for Travel and Hotel Stays. Perfect for planning anything from local staycations to international adventures.
Entertainment
Sarah's Book Club use the Custom theme to define their own categories for different genres (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Sci-Fi).
Creating your First Jar
When you create your first jar, you can optionally set a Theme to define your starting categories. If you leave it blank, you can easily use custom categories to organize your decisions however you like.
🕵️ Mystery Mode
Want to keep the contents a secret? Enable Mystery Mode during setup to hide all idea names until they are revealed by a shake of the jar.
Inviting Members
Decisions are better together. Every jar has a unique Reference Code. You can find this in your Jar Settings.
Example case:
"Sarah creates a 'Friend Hangouts' jar. She copies the code 'SARAH-55' and sends it to her group chat. Her friends click 'Join Jar', enter the code, and instantly see Sarah's ideas and can add their own."
Admin Invite Links
Admins can generate a special invite link that grants admin permissions automatically. Share the link and new members join with full admin rights — no need to promote them manually afterwards.
Roles & Permissions
The person who creates the jar is the Admin. Admins can:
- Manage jar settings and themes.
- Delete any idea in the jar.
- Start and manage Voting Rounds.
- Edit or remove other members.
- Approve or reject member-submitted ideas (moderation).
- Post pinned announcements visible to all members.
Transferring Ownership
Need to hand over the reins? Admins can transfer ownership of a jar to any other member. The new owner gains full admin control, and the previous owner becomes a regular member.
Plan Chat
Every jar includes a built-in Plan Chat for coordinating with your squad. Create discussion threads tied to specific plans, share bills, and see who's typing in real time. Unread message badges keep everyone in the loop. Free users can create up to 3 active threads per jar — Pro users get unlimited threads.
Switching Jars
You can be a member of multiple jars at once! Use the Jar Switcher at the top of your dashboard to jump from your "Family Movies" jar to your "Work Lunches" jar in one click.
🏷️ Organize with Jar Groups
Got a lot of jars? Create Jar Groups to keep your switcher tidy. Groups are color-coded tags you create in the Manage My Jars modal.
- Create up to 10 groups with custom names and 8 preset colors.
- Assign any jar to one or more groups using the toggle buttons on each jar card.
- In the Jar Switcher, groups appear as collapsible headers — collapsed by default so your list stays compact.
- Click a group header to expand it and see the jars inside. A count badge shows how many jars are in each group.
- Jars not assigned to any group appear in an "Ungrouped" section.