Product update • Nov 11, 2025
How we built guest-friendly hangouts
Hosts kept telling us they didn’t want to force casual participants to create accounts. At the same time, they needed to know who was voting, leaving comments, and joining the hangout. Here’s how we threaded the needle.
Magic links first, signup later
Guests now join via a single-use link. They pick a display name and drop straight into the hangout experience—marking availability, voting on venues, and reacting in comments. Under the hood, we generate a lightweight guest record that can later be upgraded to a full account without losing history.
Session tokens are still protected by NextAuth, but we scope permissions so guests can only interact with the hangout they were invited to. If they try to access /app, we nudge them to sign up properly.
Design principles
- Zero dead-ends: Guests can always find the hangout again via email. We log a gentle reminder banner so hosts know who still needs to sign up if they become regulars.
- Respect privacy: Display names, not emails, show up in shared spaces unless the member upgrades.
- No-lockout failsafes: If a guest loses the original magic link, hosts can resend or convert them to full members.
What’s next
We’re experimenting with “soft accounts” so frequent guests can set a password later and carry their hangout history into their own dashboard. If you have feedback, drop a note to support@hangoa.com.