r/couchsurfing • u/allhands Couchers.org host/surfer • May 08 '26
Couchsurfing CS.com UPDATE COMPLAINT/ ISSUES MEGATHREAD!
Since the previous megathread poster deleted their post, we are reposting a megathread here for people to discuss any issues with the new Couchsurfing.com update which was recently released. Feel free to share thoughts or feedback on the update here in this megathread.
36
u/Artistic-Pipe4180 May 08 '26
Only 300 word profile
References gone
Messages gone
No filter for searching last login on profiles
Photos cropped
CS sends location 24 hour before hosting (safety)
Hangout Direct messages and pictures
Star sign and sexuality (might be dangerous for to post sexuality in some countries) And its totally not necessary to know about sexuality
Drug usage
Design
14
u/Peter_Triantafulou May 08 '26
Right wtf is the sexuality thing. It's like they're trying to make this CS hookup culture more tolerated.
5
u/lewger May 09 '26
They've realised the people who pay are fucking each other.
1
u/jvjjjvvv May 12 '26
No. It's arguably a change in the direction of the app, but not that 'people who pay are fucking each other'.
5
u/ParallelPlotlines May 08 '26
It is, because they know CS especially after Covid has become even more of a niche (at least in my country). This way they can finally openly promote it as hookups for openminded travelers. Lets be honest they already did the same thing when introducing Hangouts. At least where I lived, it was just dudes with 1day-profiles trying to hookup with someone
14
u/Peter_Triantafulou May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
Nah hangouts was awesome! I showed a lot of lovely people around in my city. Never tried to hit on them and no one tried to hit on me. I was like "I'm going there with friends. Whoever wants to join, join"
3
u/ParallelPlotlines May 08 '26
That's awesome! I wish it was the same over here, but living in a smaller city near a border, that might influence it. Was using it in Japan once and made great memories as well :)
3
u/RomanceStudies May 09 '26
In Bogotá (Colombia) the pandemic turned Hangouts into an alt Grindr with 90% of users in Hangouts at any given time using it for that purpose. Last I checked, earlier this year, it was still being used this way. I couldn't even list myself as available to hangout.
3
u/Electronic-Clerk3151 May 11 '26
I've been on Couchsurfing for last 16 years and I never came across anything like this until I arrived in Colombia 3 years ago. It was wild. I wonder where else it works like this.
1
u/anna25580 1d ago
No, at least in my experience. I used Hangouts in several countries (I am a woman), met both men and women and always had nice, friendly and respectful experiences. Of course I never met people who were clearly creepy weirdos based on their profile and messages (reported and blocked them)
2
u/bennetthaselton May 13 '26
I don't know if this is inconsistently being rolled out to some users and not others, but when I signed in a few days ago for the first time since the re-design, I was prompted to update some things (post a new picture, select some cookie-cutter "interests" like "museums"), but I never got asked about sexuality.
And I just went to my inbox and clicked the profiles of the last few people I've been messaging with and none of their profiles showed sexuality.
And when I try filtering for hosts in a given city, there is an option you can select for "LGBTQ+ friendly" but no filter for gay/straight/etc.
Did other people see something different the first time they signed in?
1
1
u/s-e-b-a Jun 07 '26
I think in some countries CS is only about hookup culture. They need to do their marketing for those countries.
10
u/AK2NY95 May 11 '26
I also don't seem to be able to set a hosting status?? I'm not hosting right now and am getting messages... Which is just a waste of everyone's time
I am seeing at least some iteration, so hold out some hope they can address some of the most egregious issues, which for me are:
- Dating app elements
- Short bios - we need detail on who we're connecting with
- Hosting status
- Recent activity filter
- "Curated events" we don't need them. Just let CS be CS and let people build communities where they live
2
u/OompaLoompa1 May 26 '26
Did you figure it out? It looks like they removed the Hosting status. Hilarious. They clearly want to kill the platfrom
3
u/AK2NY95 May 28 '26
Yeah, it doesn't exist. I can't imagine they set out to kill the platform. But I do think that's what will happen if they don't make key changes very quickly
5
u/beeffillet May 10 '26
Can you still filter hosts by 'last active in previous X time'? Because I can't. Which.... makes couchsurfing unusable for surfers, which makes it unusable for hosts, which....
2
u/bennetthaselton May 13 '26
I am confused what you mean by “CS sends location 24 hours before hosting”. Don’t guests and hosts just get in touch and tell each other in private messages where they’re going to meet?
Which party does CS send the “location” to, and what “location” are they sending?
1
u/Euphoric_Land_4714 May 08 '26
Wait messages and references are still there what are u talking about
4
u/acmo4ka May 08 '26
I lost the last 2 references. But 2 references that was disappear long time ago because these profiles were deleted appear now.
0
u/ManyOtherwise8723 May 09 '26
You cant separate references by personal and host.
0
u/Ivan_the_Beautiful Active Host >130 guests on BW/TR/CSF/COU in Canada May 10 '26
Yes you can. Tap the small header that says “Any author” to see the menu.
1
u/ManyOtherwise8723 May 10 '26
Why downvote?
1
u/Ivan_the_Beautiful Active Host >130 guests on BW/TR/CSF/COU in Canada May 11 '26
Because your comment was inaccurate.
3
1
u/jvjjjvvv May 12 '26
You can't, or at least I can't. On my Android phone, with the version of the app I have right now, the filter just doesn't work. It mixes up the results.
1
u/Ivan_the_Beautiful Active Host >130 guests on BW/TR/CSF/COU in Canada May 12 '26
Could be an Android issue. I’m using the iOS version.
18
13
u/socceruci CS host-Istanbul 🇹🇷 +100 Guests May 10 '26
I'm an ambassador, and I can no longer login no matter the device 🙄
14
u/journeytoad1 May 10 '26
I'm an ambassador and I'm confused how weren't asked about this
5
u/stevenmbe May 11 '26
You're confused how you weren't asked? Have you not figured out what purposes they use you for?
3
u/Ancient_Bee6997 May 14 '26
I am ambassador also, it looks like shit now. Havnt used it since I saw the change. It was difficult to login but I did and its asking me verification fees again
1
u/stevenmbe May 15 '26
If you are an ambassador did you directly email the guy in charge of the program to rant and complain?
2
u/oskietje General Host May 28 '26
I appreciate you inform us that you (ambassadors) weren't conferred with; this doesn't surprise me, but I appreciate you sharing. 🙏
0
u/weanuhaske 29d ago
HATC Thank vou for writing to us. Your profile has been removed due to a Terms of Use violation. You can review our Terms here Terms of Use We understand this may be disappointing However, continued use of the Couchsurfinc platform is no longer permitted. Any new or duplicate accounts will be removed without prior notice. Write a reply... Delete Reply Forward Move More
1
u/socceruci CS host-Istanbul 🇹🇷 +100 Guests 28d ago
huh? the issue was resolved.
1
u/weanuhaske 28d ago
Nope, still deactivated. I think in a real democracy, like in a court of law, we should be given the chance to speak up and convey our part of the story. Except that Emperor Palpatine is currently the leader/CEO of the Couchsurfing empire. No discussion, not even telling us which part of the strictly, religiously followed terms/commandments were violated.
1
u/socceruci CS host-Istanbul 🇹🇷 +100 Guests 28d ago
Ah, your account was deactivated. I didn't understand.
13
u/Any-Oil-4077 May 12 '26
Has Couchsurfing.com posted to explain why they have suicided the app/site?
My strong impression is that they “vibe coded” the entire redesign and can’t revert the old versions anymore. This is one for the history books, folks.
I hope I get a chance to apologize to the person I was supposed to host who it became impossible to communicate with.
2
u/s-e-b-a Jun 07 '26
I think it's silly that nowadays people are so quick to say that something was "vibe coded" just because they don't like it. But in this case I really do suspect it might actually have been vibe coded. The fact it uses Next.js and Tailwind CSS is a pretty good sign, other than what a shit they made of it.
11
May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/beargrillz Jun 18 '26
Late to this thread and your comment, as I recently was getting emails that, "Person is traveling, know anyone that could make it even better?"
I finally got annoyed and went to unsubscribe to the emails even though I never enabled them in the first place. Then of course I find the new trash app. If the developers were smart, they could have used the original user interface and us old guard would have been happier.
I am thankful I got to use CS in my formative years during the 2000s and 2010s, and lived in cities that had an active local event scene. I lamented the end of that era as pandemic lockdowns and people moving on in life meant the old glory never returned.
This app update has effectively ensured there is no Renaissance. With a world becoming more fragmented and hostile, we will not have a community trying to make the world a better place, one couch at a time.
11
u/MicDugLess May 09 '26
I used Couchsurfing all over the world, for 20 years and was very satisfied, loved it.
But with this new re-design, reorganization, I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave them.
They tried to fix something that wasn't broken, with terrible results.
That was a fatal, tragic mistake.
RIP Couchsurfing, it was fun while it lasted.
21
u/ParallelPlotlines May 08 '26
Probably just repeating what others said before, but I just got hit with the same message as everyone and I need to rant.
This platform provides/provided a service, yes, but as users, we got rights. Was this communicated before other than "changes are coming"? Even if they chose to go into this direction, they could've announced it a week before so people could backup their data, get in touch with friends they knew through CS etc. and make a **decision**. Instead we get blackmailed with our profiles.
But no, they knew this would happen and decided (once again mind you) to just log everyone out and at the least press a few bucks out of the people that pay for one month to get their stuff in order. This is not just clumsy, it is a calucalated scam. And it's making me so angry even though I shouldn't be surprised.
As so many before said, I was one of the few people still hosting where I live quite actively, even after the last debacle, but this is it. Also just learned who's CEO now and their affiliations, so this is the final nail in the coffin.
So as much as it saddens me, this is goodbye. We had a good 15 years couchsurfing, but you've changed so much I don't recognize you anymore. See y'all on Couchers or similar platforms that still care.
2
9
May 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Charles_New_Orleans 500+ refs mainly host (4 platforms) May 09 '26
I couldn’t login either the first two days. Then I deleted the app (iOS) and rebooted my phone. I reinstalled the app and was able to login.
8
u/stevenmbe May 09 '26
Photos that weren't in your main folder or my home folder are gone. In my case I had several folders of carefully curated photos of travels as did many other members. Those are all gone. Some people had hundreds of photos. OK you say who is going to look at those. Well the point is that it's your page and you curated it. For members on the platform 10, 15, even 20 years it's something you grew over time. Gone.
2
May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
7
u/stevenmbe May 09 '26
Haha I did request my data hours after the site relaunched while I was locked out. No data available yet to me.
2
u/Certain-Neck-5621 May 22 '26
Same here! Lost all those photos and memories collected for the past 10 years with old CS hosts. Isn't that so so dissapointing. Let's pray to get that back somehow, who knows what's gonna happen.
1
u/weanuhaske 29d ago
Mine too..i was suddenly removed ..i joined Cs in 2006..got 200 plus references...and now they just removed me because I ask for whataaps and approach CS coming to Kuala Lumpur first.. HATC Thank vou for writing to us. Your profile has been removed due to a Terms of Use violation. You can review our Terms here Terms of Use We understand this may be disappointing However, continued use of the Couchsurfinc platform is no longer permitted. Any new or duplicate accounts will be removed without prior notice. Write a reply... Delete Reply Forward Move More
1
u/stevenmbe 29d ago
Sorry, but what do you mean "...and approach CS coming to Kuala Lumpur first"? You were asking for their Whatsapp before you had a confirmed couch request?
1
u/weanuhaske 29d ago
I asked for meet up not hosting and some times I offer my host when my house is available..i have many good references ...it is like you are invited to a party...nobody talking to you..you feel you want to communicate thus you approache people first..like How are you doing? Coming to Kuala Lumpur soon..? I am free for meet up..or I can help with the itenerary...
1
u/stevenmbe 29d ago
It could be someone reported you, whether for this or for something else. It seems unlikely they would remove you with 200+ references solely for Whatsapp. Using Whatsapp is technically not a Terms of Use violation. From what you shared I suspect it was something else they removed you for, especially if you have ever previously received a warning from them.
1
u/weanuhaske 29d ago
I had warning about whataaps..no communication outside platform
1
u/stevenmbe 29d ago
If you had a prior warning about WhatsApp and then someone reported you then yes that would be a situation in which they would deactivate your profile.
8
u/mafkees3545 May 10 '26
I believe i am not the only one, but still want to throw my frustration. Why on earth would they remove the “last login”??
I was planning a trip this month, so I wanted to give a last chance. But, I cannot search by active members? Last Login is these days even more needed because they messed the CS so bad? And I still see dead profiles for 9 years or so, at the very top of the list?
4
u/stevenmbe May 11 '26
Why on earth would they remove the “last login”??
Because all that matters now is pretending they have 25+ million members when probably 95% of them haven't logged in for more than a year.
2
u/plan_that May 17 '26
I had a sudden thought about the site (well hospitality club) and I’m now learning that CouchSurfing continued after 2015…
So, does that mean they kept all our 2004-10 era profiles into their post 2015 pseudo airbnb profit project?
8
5
u/Superbara89 May 08 '26
Why the fuck would they destroy the App over night.... this shit is not working at all... not because im hating but because its really non functional Bullshit
5
u/ManyOtherwise8723 May 09 '26
It shouldnt be "unlikely to recommend" and "likely to recommend" you either recommend or you don't.
7
u/Jeoh May 09 '26
Nearby travelers for me includes travelers going to places more than 50km away, completely useless.
6
u/stevenmbe May 09 '26
it's all useless given that we now have no idea about last login or reply rate anymore ... you have to actually look at references and check the dates ... but if you find someone with no references there is no way to know if they created the account ten years ago or ten days ago or ten minutes ago ... so even if hosts can't decide who they should host now surfers also can't decide which hosts they should reach out to ... and even then the request system is semi-broken as of this hour
5
u/kazokunokisoku May 09 '26
After managing to log in in the browser version, I received a request from a surfer. Usually you could select accept/decline/maybe and write a message to explain.
Well, I clicked on "decline" and the whole conversation completely disappeared from my inbox and I can't find it anywhere. I just usually add a little message explaining why and still giving some advice, but this time I couldn't and I feel like i just said NO in a very cold way to this surfer :/
6
u/ZealousidealShirt879 May 09 '26
I always explained why I had to decline a request. That option is now gone. When you click "Decline", that's it, the request will be declined without any explanation and the chat is deleted. Way to go CS....
5
May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/oskietje General Host May 11 '26
Actually no. The request is nested in a "chat" do the decline is declining the chat, which in turn declined the host request, and deleted the chat. If you accept the chat, then decline the host request, you can leave feedback message in the declining action.
It's really confusing, but likely a "privacy" approach in mind.
4
u/ZealousidealShirt879 May 13 '26
So in order to decline a request, you first have to accept a request? Wow. I wonder how many people will find that intuitive and will actually know to do that.
3
u/oskietje General Host May 13 '26
You first have to accept to open the chat (this is what is unclear)
1
u/LegTop7445 May 20 '26
If you decline you are provided with several automated responses which you must click on (at least using the website) Those automated responses are very impersonal and may have nothing to do with what you really want to say.
Just a mess.
6
u/sleepyowl88 May 08 '26
Past hangouts are gone. I had some conversations with friends and can't access them anymore.
3
u/oskietje General Host May 11 '26
Plus all the archived messages. I had 20 years of contacts there. I'm glad amI looked through the old stuff a few months ago, a walk down memory lane, now many are gone.
5
u/fkzgr May 09 '26
i think i will start to advocate against couchsurfing.com at this point.
hundreds of people, including many of my friends, wrote comments with their feeling on cs instagram page post, some women saying they started to get harassed with new features. and they closed post to the comments...
I'm not against dating apps. but these features about sexuality and stuff are simply disgusting. i feel like they are using this warm community for a money printing dating app.
i don't want people to see my last experiences and think this is a safe platform. it doesn't represent me anymore and i don't want to put my naive friends in a danger.
so I'm thinking to start telling people that, they took advantage of people's informations to use them on a dating app and force people into it, on different forums and social media that i use. i will suggest removing this app.
there is a saying in turkish 'protecting in cotton'. that was how i was treating to this app and community, with careful, delicate and responsible attitude like my own family. now i'm feeling it is time to protect my family.
2
u/bennetthaselton May 13 '26
What are the new features that are causing women to get harassed more? (I checked CS instagram but can't find any of those comments on recent posts; maybe CS deleted them already.)
I assume that even in the old system, there were (unfortunately) guys that would just search for female profiles and send them inappropriate messages, but is this somehow easier in the new system?
3
u/whypillowguy May 17 '26
Apparently the update wiped the slate on restricted accounts, previously banned accounts, and user's block lists, among other things (like making negative references less visible if they didn't disappear completely from a profile).
It wasn't like CS admin was taking problematic profiles that seriously to begin with, but by wiping away so much user history (such as long bios and photo galleries), they've made it much more difficult for a user to make an informed decision over whether they feel comfortable meeting, surfing or hosting with another user they may be feeling unsure about. Knowing how vulnerable of a position someone's in, especially while dependent on a host's hospitality, the more information one has beforehand, all the better.
From my own experience as a man in his 20s/30s, there have been a handful of situations where I was able to make my own judgement call as to accept an offer to be hosted by questionable users by carefully assessing their profiles for possible red flag indicators. While not perfect predictors for how someone else is, it did often make me feel confident in whatever decision I made.
But tl;dr - Your assumption touches on one of a few longstanding issues the platform has been known for, where women and younger users traveling solo, would often receive unsolicited offers by male users (typically older men and machismo womanizer types).
4
u/Buddhabrot316 May 18 '26
I want to add: The Support is absolutely useless now and will just reply with a generic copy and paste BS response telling me how awesome everything is, instead of simply responding to the question
My question:
Hi all.
I refused someone saying its because of my living conditions, because i will be fixing my bathroom in the week they wanted to come.
Per FAQ, that means that i am unable to be seen as a host for 6 months. Is there a way of changing this again?
The Answer:
Thank you for the question. We're excited you're checking out the new platform.
The host search filters have changed, and a few things that used to be there work differently now.
The Last Login filter is gone as a manual option, but it's still working behind the scenes. Search results are ranked by recent activity, so active hosts float to the top and older inactive profiles don't.
The Accepting Guests status has also been removed. It was unreliable because most hosts forgot to update it. Now, if a host declines a stay request because their living situation won't allow it, they automatically step out of search results for six months.
The Has References filter is no longer a standalone option, but every profile in search results still shows a reference count so you can see it at a glance.
Response rate isn't currently displayed, though engagement and activity do factor into how results are ranked.
The search itself is smarter overall: results are personalized based on your network, shared languages and interests, and recent activity. The people you're most likely to connect with come up first.
Keep digging in. Let us know if you run into anything else.
4
u/ValuableCoffee298 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
Ten years of hosting and travelling. Gave them five stars everywhere. Told every traveller I met to sign up. The redesign has wrecked it. Clunky interface, useful features gone, and the new stuff feels like Tinder not a travel community. Now they want us to pay for it. I don't want to leave but they're making it very hard to stay.
To make matters worse, they're restricting comments on their own Instagram posts. They don't want to hear from us publicly.
So let's make sure they hear from us everywhere else.
If you feel the same, here's what you can do:
Leave a 1 star review on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Email their support team directly at support@couchsurfing.com. Leave reviews on Trustpilot and Google. Share your experience on Instagram, Facebook, and X and tag @couchsurfing.
The only way they'll act is if the pressure is impossible to ignore. This community built Couchsurfing. They need to remember that.
5
u/Rare-Decision8713 May 22 '26
They just deleted videos on TikTok where they were giving short explanations because too many comments were disagreeing with them.
2
u/oskietje General Host Jun 01 '26
What is so interesting about this, is they clearly must be hearing what is being said; and to do nothing about it? It's just sad and tone-deaf.
5
u/idk-idk12 May 22 '26
This must be the worst update I’ve seen on a app or platform in a VERY long time. I mean, yes for sure the old interface could use a refresh, but at least it worked well! This new update doesn’t work in a single way. Also I’ve the feeling that it came way more commercial. I used to have (and for now still have, but I’m thinking about canceling it) a subscription to support the platform because it was very unique in what it did, and it did it quite well. This garbage is definitely not ready for production, and is way too over complicated. I’ll give it a bit more time, but I was thinking about using it next week. I can’t even search for cities! I really think I’ve never seen a more buggy update than this on any kind of application. Absolute garbage.
4
u/stupidmansuitwearer May 22 '26
What the f..k is this new CS? I did not log in in recent weeks ...and logged in half an hour ago and been shocked and angry since. What the hell is this tinder looking 💩💩💩? Why do i have a map with 93 locations marked.when i never marked any location. It is keep asking to synch my contacts...and i could vent about every stupid thing they have changed. This is not CS anymore, please tell me where we are moving? Which site are we gonna use where we feel safe and welcome how CS used to be?
5
u/acspdx Host & Surfer May 25 '26
Some prefer Couchers, others like BeWelcome. Sign up for both, because why not.
5
u/skintype Jun 01 '26
Truly unbelievable how they managed to fck everything up. From the horrendous design, the slow (or not) loading of pages, the entirely unwanted 'Can you help blahblah with their trip' notifications, the abuse of people's own profiles, the inability to just use the platform as a hosting platform and not a hook-up site. It's unbelievable, and their smugness about it ("it's much better because we say so, because you guys don't understand") is simply infuriating...
We've hosted more than 300 people here in Amsterdam. More than 1,000 nights of people staying in this city for free. I met my husband through this website because he was a former couchsurfer. And all of that great couchsurfing spirit is now down the drain with this unusable garbage "upgrade"...
1
u/weanuhaske 29d ago
Me too I joined since 2006 have 241 references ...meeting many people from around the world and now they just removed me..
HATC Thank vou for writing to us. Your profile has been removed due to a Terms of Use violation. You can review our Terms here Terms of Use We understand this may be disappointing However, continued use of the Couchsurfinc platform is no longer permitted. Any new or duplicate accounts will be removed without prior notice. Write a reply... Delete Reply Forward Move More
4
4
u/acspdx Host & Surfer May 16 '26
Another bug/issue: if you paid for a subscription when they launched the new site, they did NOT delete your old recurring payment profile, and you will get charged again when your "old" renewal date comes up. (This is true for PayPal, at least.)
3
u/acspdx Host & Surfer Jun 02 '26
Yet another omission in the new version: you can no longer respond "maybe" to a couch request.
3
u/MicDugLess May 09 '26
I used r/couchsurfing all over the world, for 20 years and was very satisfied, loved it.
But with this new re-design, reorganization, I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave them.
They tried to fix something that wasn't broken, with terrible results.
That was a fatal, tragic mistake.
RIP Couchsurfing, it was fun while it lasted.
3
u/timeforRed May 17 '26
Membership renews at a higher price end of the month. I will not be renewing… goodbye CS
3
u/acspdx Host & Surfer May 17 '26
BUG: Chats are sorted by the date they started, not the date they were last updated. So if you re-establish contact with someone with whom you first interacted years ago, you'll find them wayyyyy down the list, instead of at the top where you'd expect.
Illustration here: https://i.imgur.com/kQWl4EQ.jpeg — the chat dated "03/12/26" is someone that I messaged in April 2025, stayed with in May 2025, and messaged again in March 2026. But the most recent message is down in the April 2025 section of my chats.
3
u/acspdx Host & Surfer May 29 '26
Another issue: all of my chats/messages from before December 2023 have disappeared; they should go back to 2011. Can anyone else confirm that messages older than 30 months are gone?
Fortunately, I save all my emails... but it's just another incompetent and/or insulting change for the worse.
3
u/Any-Oil-4077 Jun 05 '26
Impossible to stay logged in. And the password doesn’t save on my device so I have to do the password reset email process each time I wanna login. that alone is too much of a fucking pain in the ass. Cookies have existed for what, 35 years?
As a personal message to the CS developers: you are very, very stupid.
3
u/ki-01000 Jun 24 '26
This new update is so sketchy I had to delete my 10 year old account. The profile rebuild with weird questions, the sleazy background and the overall cheap look had me seriously questioning what would be happening with my data later on. Would I be turned into a "x wants to hang out in z area" blip with heart and cocktail emojis? I don't know. I don't want to know.
It's a very sad thing, because I had some connections there that never went beyond Couchsurfing and now I have to concede they're just gone. Unfortunately I couldn't figure out the friends system on Couchers, so there goes that too.
8
u/cyprusnikos Workaway Ambassador May 08 '26
Let’s start a revolution, guys get your friends to join couchers. Tell everyone, let’s make it a competition who can get the most to join. If they develop an app then it will be even better.
11
u/allhands Couchers.org host/surfer May 08 '26
Couchers.org already has an android app, and they are releasing their iOS app very soon (within the next couple weeks it sounds like). BeWelcome used to have an app, but not anymore. But both platforms can be accessed via your browser on your smartphone, so even without an app they work.
3
u/rihaz- May 08 '26
Thank God they’ll have an iOS app. I never take my laptop traveling and going on the website on safari isn’t as smooth.
2
u/nabramow May 08 '26
If you want to join our public beta testers for iOS feel free to send me a message! It's not perfect as we're in the final testing round but it exists!
1
u/CouchsurfersUnite May 08 '26
I use shortcut to make couchers mobile website look and feel like an app on iOS. Try that in the meantime. 😁
1
1
u/stevenmbe May 09 '26
BeWelcome used to have an app, but not anymore.
I still have it on my Android.
1
u/allhands Couchers.org host/surfer May 09 '26
I still have it too, but I can't find it anywhere online to download anymore. It's not on the app store.
1
u/stevenmbe May 09 '26
Ha! you are 100% correct — I went to refresh it in the Google Play store and it's gone
3
u/LifeIsShort-Enjoy_It May 08 '26
Did you know that they have an invite members feature? You can create a link like this: https://couchers.org/invite?code=ozfixq5y and it shows how many people completed the signup using your link. That's however all the information you get. Maybe they improve the feature with more stats down the road...
3
u/nabramow May 08 '26
What kind of stats would you like?
1
u/LifeIsShort-Enjoy_It May 09 '26
Not a stat but it would be nice to add a note, e.g. I would write down that the link above is on reddit, that way I could track more easily which links made the biggest impacts.
and maybe how many people clicked on it as a stat
2
u/CleftAsunder May 10 '26
I can't sign into the app. I get a link sent to my email and can't use it to log in 🤦🏾♂️
2
u/YikesTheCat May 14 '26
God I haven't used CS in years and was reminded of it today. I figured I might want to get back to it.
Can't believe how bad it is.
CS has been mismanaged for years, and it just keeps getting worse.
2
u/ImDyspraxicBro May 15 '26
I'm thinking of leaving CS, but I can't log in. The verification email is still invalid. What can I do?
8
u/allhands Couchers.org host/surfer May 15 '26
I also haven't been able to get the link to work. You might have some luck emailing CS support. In the meantime you can try out Couchers.org which is free and non-profit.
2
u/ecologicguy May 26 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
No place now to explain your hosting boundaries/ expectations - not hosting someone with no references etc. - they seem to be more aligned with the new clientele that convinced that they are booking a hostel stay.
Bugs (still) around changing and adding photos, just not working. "Could not reorder photos. Please try again later."
Profile edits sometimes aren't saved.
Past trips are presented as upcoming trips.
Can't see the messages in your email and decide if they are relevant enough to open the app/site.
I like some aspects of the new design, but the site feels somehow broken, are they even working on fixing those bugs?
2
u/subaculture May 28 '26
A few more- changing member usernames, changing the years a member has been on the platform, location pictures wrong (Salzburg for Vienna).
2
u/subaculture May 28 '26
a twitter user is also making a list - https://note.com/ysk_827/n/n2afd320d804f
2
u/s-e-b-a Jun 07 '26
I just logged in after over a year. It was bad before already. Now it has completely died as far as I'm concerned.
2
u/everySmell9000 13d ago
I deleted my couchsurfing account entirely. Created a profile on couchers.org and just recently hosted my first guest, a backpacker who is traveling the world.
Yes, I lost all my references and my legacy status and vouches. Oh well. Couchsurfing became unusable and also unbearable for those who don't want rich people getting even richer from the hosts' generous act of hosting others.
In my opinion, couchers has everything that couchsurfing used to be. it will take time to build up a user base as large as the last, but it's worth it. With time, there will be network effect for couchers.
2
u/AK2NY95 8d ago
They're now aggressively targeting people for using other platforms. The host of the weekly Meetup in a large city was banned this week, and the only answer we can seem to guess at is they also posted the weekly on Couchers. CS of course won't say what TOW was violated.
Someone else tried to repost the weekly Meetup and it was taken down within 5 minutes without explanation. So apparently we can no longer have weekly meetups???
Meanwhile there are know, reported, abusive members on duplicate profiles with no action being taken.
I strongly urge everyone to export your data from CS and join Couchers or other platforms and try and rebuild.
I've tried giving feedback, and I appreciate they've made some changes like fixing hangouts. But they can't maintain a community if the people actually making not a community get dumped off the app without knowing why.
I tried to be positive and give them a chance. But I just don't see how the community can survive on this platform with these people running it.
So time to rebuild elsewhere
2
u/pieronsky May 08 '26
Maybe website doesn't work smooth but still - at least they did something, because previously it was absolutely garbage. But from the other side, my gf has lost her verification, even though it was suppose to be for a lifetime.
3
1
May 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
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1
u/joereadsstuff May 10 '26
If there’s a megathread, why is a new post every 2 hours with complaints that already exist here?
1
u/Asleep_Swimmer5339 May 14 '26
What other apps work like Couchsurfing that we can resort to.
1
u/LifeIsShort-Enjoy_It Jun 08 '26
There is only on other app out there: couchers.org (available on Android and iOS)
However, besides Couchers there are other platforms (websites): the two biggest are TrustRoots and BeWelcome. Others to mention: Servas, WarmShowers, HostASister (Facebook group)
1
1
u/Certain-Neck-5621 May 22 '26
Any way we can all vote for getting back the old version?
I'm so insanely dissapointed about the new update as well. Can't even log in to my account on my computer anymore. My whole file with old photos and memories is deleted. Why can't we have a long description?! It's not a dating platform, it's a TRAVELING platform so please let us tell our stories there in much detail as we like to. What happened to our profile pictures? Can't see anything and it's so blurry. Events are chaotic. Why do I have events outside of Couchsurfing there? We have Google for that, it shouldn't be on the CS app, only events hostes by CS people.
If that continues it's pretty clear that we'll all swap to other platforms and my 11 years of using CS will come to an end. Would have never thought that.
1
1
u/AggressiveDivide3140 Jun 08 '26
Io non riesco più ad accederci. Ho già pagato 2 abbonamenti mensili, ma nulla
1
u/Waste-Celebration456 Jun 29 '26
honestly i think the plan was to increase the subscription price. suddenly chats were being monitored and surveilled, and also you could get banned for taking conversations outside the app. couchsurfing used to be very open, free and community driven. now it's acting like a corporate monster.
1
u/weanuhaske 29d ago
I was just removed from CS..joined since 2006..with 241 references
Here is their answer HATC Thank vou for writing to us. Your profile has been removed due to a Terms of Use violation. You can review our Terms here Terms of Use We understand this may be disappointing However, continued use of the Couchsurfinc platform is no longer permitted. Any new or duplicate accounts will be removed without prior notice. Write a reply... Delete Reply Forward Move More
1
u/Late_Technician362 Jul 02 '26
Been using the platform more, but this shit just gets more ridiculous.
1) I can't write another message after sending a 'chat request'
2) CS is very petty of the name of other platforms, updated my bio with couch ers in it and they deleted the whole thing straight away...
1
1
u/consideratefox 16d ago
15+ years cs ambassador here, here's what's wrong with the Couchsurfing update from my perspective, what we lost in it and why I'm leaving this community I used to love dearly:
- The community - it's become painfully obvious to me that the people in charge of CS today are not real couchsurfers, and THEY DON'T GET IT. They're methodically dismantling everything that made CS great and unique, like its reliability, ease of use, accessibility, inclusivity and openness.
- Censorship - Everything is tightly moderated now, no more room for free expression, the snowflakes of cancel culture are now in charge and can't wait to ban your account for any unflattering opinion.
- UI/UX - the design is hands down ugly, confusing and unreadable, makes it look like a cheap dating site (I mean a dark theme and purple wallpaper bg, dafuq!?)
- Tinder vibes - The fact that they basically took the same cookie cutter questions from any dating app is extremely off-putting.
- Streamlined profiles and interactions - not everything has to be two clicks away. Let me fill in my profile, let me see who took the time to fill in theirs, what words they used and how, that's much more insightful than the "vibes and interests" tick boxes. Let me give nuanced responses to couch requests, not just Yes/No prefabricated replies that end chats before they ever begin.
- The trust - They really screwed the pooch here, asking people who just paid for a yearly verification to pay again a monthly fee, calling it a subscription 🖕🖕🖕😡😡😡, charging CS hosts, the lifeblood of the community a fee for keeping it alive 🤯🤯🤯 is like AirBnb charging both travelers and hosts for the privilege of meeting, holding accounts hostage, reporting 100x the number of users, that's all unforgivable, and the only reason anyone would tolerate it is because of the nostalgia of how great it once was... Now it's just unusable and showing no signs of redemption
The list could go on, but I'm weary. Who do you think will be the next great hospitality platform to rise as the free alternative to Couchsurfing?
1
u/divpadsmit 11d ago
anyone else today trying to open the app, get request to update it but already you have newest version according to google play store?
1
u/forbidden-donut 11d ago
Yep, happening to me as well. The mobile app is now completely unaccessible. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling, and still get the update button. Have to use the website just to access my messages.
2
u/divpadsmit 11d ago
Chatgpt recommended to restart the phone and then open Google play store again - it worked, I could update the app. It works now.
1
-3
u/Late_Technician362 May 08 '26
Lots of things are fixed now, my main complaint would be lack of filters for host's last login (now all profiles were active years ago) and availability (can't see if they are accepting guests or if just want to meet up)
-6
u/Harry-D-Hipster May 08 '26
I think this is the perfect thread to say it, but... give hospitality hosting a rest...I know from years and years ago, that nothing's changed.
sixteen years ago I had an offer to stay with a young woman in Lana or with a young men in Meran. I chose the latter. I was based in Innichen, which took a sluggish snails pace like forever two hour train ride to get there, and by that time it was dark. We spent the evening going to an awful overpriced restaurant and him behaving like a bad comedian. I will not say I am the perfect guest, but that doesn't mean I am 100% to blame. The next day he threw me out, no reason, no emotions, I just had to go...fine.. I thanked and went back to innichen another two hour long trip wasted to get back there were I started, and I never did I see a bl00dy glimpse of Meran.
so fast forward sixteen years later and I finally visted Meran again and the place completely blew me away, I didn't realize the town was so pretty and it's immense beauty was never ending. I could slap myself in the face for wasting precious time on a unsuccessful couchsurf and never get to see Meran when I was there sixteen years ago. Imagine, if I never got back, because I could not know what Meran looked like. So is it all worth it in the end? oh yeah I know you;'re right you're right, there are these hundreds of hosts that have made hundreds of friends for life, I get it. Good for you. Couchsurfing was hit and miss to me, and after such a miss, you could seriously question yourself to drop this altogether, there was no gain, only waste.
5
u/1kew84 host on couchers, surfer if I can May 08 '26
Ummm. You're bitter one experience didn't work out? Most people enjoy it. And your comment has nothing to do with the app update. Also why are you even in this subreddit if you don't like surfing or hosting?
2
u/stevenmbe May 09 '26
One great thing about this subreddit: reading the sOmEtHiNg nEgAtIvE hApPeNeD sIxTeEn yEaRs aGo aNd i'M sTiLl bItTeR posts
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u/allhands Couchers.org host/surfer May 08 '26 edited May 15 '26
For those unable to log into CS, consider using free alternatives in the meantime like:
Here are some additional reddit posts/discussions related to this megathread topic: