How Kadoink works

Kadoink gets people together in real time. You fill a grid with the people you want, press one button, and everyone is reached at once — video, voice, a text, a push, a ringing phone, or just a link. Just ask, and Kadoink does the kadoinking — and remembers what happened after.

The short version

Five steps, start to finish:

Fill your grid. Add up to 9 people from your contacts, your followers, or by their *tag. That's your circle — it stays put between calls.
Press the button. One big button starts the kadoink. No scheduling, no meeting link to send around first.
Everyone gets reached their own way. App users get a push and a ringing screen; phones get a real phone call; anyone else gets a text or an email with a join link. Nobody needs an account or a download to join.
Talk however you like. Video, voice, or the chat panel — people on the phone and people on video are in the same room.
Kadoink remembers. The call is recorded to your account, the chat is kept as a transcript, and missed calls land in the other person's inbox instead of vanishing.

Everything Kadoink does

The features, in the order most people meet them:

The grid — your 9 people, one button, one call.
Just ask — say what you want in plain language and Kadoink does the gathering.
Kadoink (the verb) — reach everyone at once without ringing anyone: they choose how to join.
Video calls — up to 10 people, in the browser, nothing to install.
Phone calls — real calls to real phones, bridged into the same room as the video.
Recordings & transcripts — every call saved to your account, with the in-call chat kept.
Your inbox — texts, voicemail, videomail and missed calls in one place.
Direct messages — private 1:1 threads with text, voice notes and video clips.
Your tag and profile — one handle people can reach you by without knowing your number.
Following & status — follow people, post what you're up to, get their updates.
Groups — saved sets of people, with their own private group chat.
Widgets — eight kinds of embeddable card that let anyone reach you from any web page.
Calendar & events — scheduled kadoinks, with a public event page and a map pin.
Location — an opt-in map of manual check-ins from the people you choose to share with.
Commands — drive the whole thing by text message, or from the command box.
Apps & agents — mobile and desktop apps, plus an API and an MCP server for AI tools.

The basics

What is Kadoink?

Kadoink is a way to gather people instantly instead of scheduling them. You keep a grid of the people you actually talk to, and one button reaches all of them at once — on video, on the phone, by text, by push notification, or with a plain link. And you can just ask: tell Kadoink who you want and why, and it picks the channels, makes the call happen, and keeps track of what came out of it.

What do I need to use it?

A browser is enough. Video calls, chat, widgets and everything on the site work without installing anything. If you want calls to ring your phone, add and verify your mobile number when you sign up. There are also mobile and desktop apps if you'd rather have push notifications and a ringing screen.

Do the people I'm calling need an account?

No. That's the point of the join link — someone you kadoink can tap it and land straight in the call as a guest, with no account and no download. They'll need an account only if they want their own grid, tag, profile or inbox.

How much does it cost?

Kadoink is free. The one thing to know is that text messages are still text messages: depending on your mobile plan, your carrier may charge you for texts you send to or receive from Kadoink. Calls placed through Kadoink to your phone are on us.

Does it work outside the US?

Video calls, chat, widgets and the whole website work from anywhere. The phone side — placing calls and sending texts — runs on US numbers today.

Will people see my phone number?

No. Kadoink sits in the middle of every call and text, so other people reach you through your tag, not your number. Your number is never shown to other users, and when someone contacts you anonymously through a widget, their number is never shown to you either.

How do you handle my information?

The whole site is served over HTTPS, your contacts are yours alone, and we don't sell or hand your contact information to marketers. The details are in our Privacy Policy.

What are the rules, and how do I report a problem?

Be a good citizen — the specifics are on the Rules of the Road page. You can block anyone from your side at any time, and if something needs our attention, use the Report Abuse page. The full Terms of Use are linked from the bottom of every page.

Your grid & calls

What is the grid?

The grid is your circle: up to nine people you can reach with one press. It's a 3×3 board on your home page — drag people into the slots, and they stay there. Adding someone to your grid doesn't notify them or call them; it just puts them within one tap.

How do I start a call?

Press the big button. Kadoink rings your phone first, then reaches everyone in the grid on whatever channel suits them, and drops you all into one room. You can also start smaller: call one person from their profile, from your contacts, or by typing call amy in the command box.

What does it mean to "kadoink" someone?

Kadoinking is reaching people without ringing them. Everyone you kadoink gets a message with a link, and they choose how to come in — video, voice, or just chat. It's the polite version of a group call: nobody's phone starts screaming, and people join when they're ready. Type kadoink soccerteam, or press the kadoink option when you start a call.

How do video calls work?

They run in the browser — no plugin, no install, no meeting client. Up to ten people can be on the stage at once, each with their own tile. There's a chat panel alongside the video, and you can add someone mid-call by their tag or phone number.

Can people on regular phones join a video call?

Yes, and this is the part people are usually surprised by. Someone dialling in from an ordinary phone is bridged into the same room as everyone on video — they hear the room and the room hears them. You don't have to pick between "a phone call" and "a video call".

Are calls recorded?

Every call is recorded to the host's account, in formats that play anywhere, and the in-call chat is kept as a transcript you can read later on the Recent page. Calls have a 30-minute limit.

What happens if someone misses the call?

It lands in their inbox as a missed kadoink rather than disappearing, so they can see who wanted them and call back. You can also leave a voicemail or a short video message instead.

Can I schedule a call for later?

Yes — add at and a time to any call or text, like call alice at 5pm or text soccerteam practice moved at 7am. Scheduled calls and texts show up on the Scheduled list where you can cancel them. Calendar events can also do the calling for you — see below.

Just ask

What happens when I just ask Kadoink for something?

It's a gathering engine, not a chatbot. You say what you want in ordinary language — "get the team together", "ask the parents who can drive", "start a video call with everyone from yesterday" — and it works out who you mean, picks how to reach each of them, and starts it. Read more on the Meet Kadoink page.

How do I talk to it?

Tap the mic button in the corner of any page and just say it. Kadoink turns what you said into an action and runs it. You can also type into the command box at the top of the page if you'd rather not talk.

Does it help around the call, not just starting it?

That's the idea: an agenda beforehand so people arrive ready, decisions and action items captured while you talk, and a summary afterwards — including a nudge to anyone who missed it.

Will it call people without asking me?

No. Anything that reaches a real person — a call, a text, a kadoink — is something you confirm. That applies to outside AI tools too: a connected assistant can only place calls or send texts if you explicitly granted it that permission, and never silently.

Messages & inbox

What's in my inbox?

Everything that arrived while you were away, in one list: texts, voicemail, video messages, and missed kadoinks. Unread items are badged, and voicemail and videomail play right there in the page.

How do direct messages work?

DMs are private 1:1 threads under Messages. You can send text, record a voice message, or shoot a short video clip in the thread. If you already follow each other, the conversation opens straight away; if not, your first messages arrive as a request the other person can accept or decline — and until they accept, you can send at most three.

Can I text someone without knowing their number?

Yes — that's what tags are for. text *alice hey, running late reaches Alice through Kadoink without either of you seeing the other's number. It arrives on her phone, on her Kadoink page, and on her widget if she has one.

What's videomail?

A short video message left directly in someone's inbox — useful when a call would be overkill but a text is too flat. You can also record video privately just for yourself, which is handy for a daily note-to-self.

Tags, profiles & following

What's a tag?

Your tag is your Kadoink handle — written with a star, like *alice — and it's the same as your username. It's how people call, text and find you without ever having your phone number. You get one, it's yours, and it's unique across Kadoink.

What's on my profile?

Your profile at /user/yourname is your page on Kadoink: your photo and bio, your Top 8 people, your photos, audio and video, your status, and a guestbook where visitors can leave a comment. Visitors can see when you're around, and reach you with a call, a text or a follow — straight from the page.

How does following work?

Following someone means their status updates and new posts show up in your feed. Public accounts you can follow instantly; if someone's account is protected, your follow goes over as a request they approve or decline. You can stop following at any time, and blocking is always available from your side.

What's a status?

A short post — up to 500 characters, with an optional photo, audio or video — that goes out to the people following you and shows on your profile and widget. Post from the web, or by texting status heading out, back at 6. People can reply to your posts, and you'll get a notification when they do.

How do I find people?

The People page is the directory — search by name or tag, or browse by school and city if people have added them. You can also import your phone contacts to see who you already know on Kadoink.

Groups & commands

What's a group?

A saved set of people you reach together — a team, a family, a band. Once a group exists you can call it, text it or kadoink it by name: call soccerteam. Groups also get their own private group chat that only members can read and post in, and they can have their own widgets.

How do I add contacts and build a group?

On the Contacts page, add someone with a short nickname and their mobile number — the nickname is what you'll type when you call or text them. Then create a group and drop contacts into it. From your phone you can add someone with add amy.

What can I do by text message?

Most of Kadoink. Text a command to your Kadoink number and it runs the same as it would on the site — call, vcall for video, kadoink, text, status, follow, record, share, block, sharelocation and more. The full list with examples is on the Command Guide.

Is there a command box on the website?

Yes — the box at the top of every page takes exactly the same commands, so you never have to hunt for the right screen. Typing call alice at 5pm there does the same thing as texting it.

Widgets

What's a widget?

A widget is a small card you can paste onto any web page that lets visitors reach you on Kadoink — call you, text you, leave a voice message, hear your audio, or join a live room — without ever seeing your phone number. It's your Kadoink presence, portable.

What are the eight widget types?

Every widget is a distinct experience — pick the one that fits what you want visitors to do:

MegaWidget — the all-in-one card: everything a visitor can do with you.
mini Kadoink ID Card — a compact digital business card: who you are + one tap to follow.
Group Buzz — a group’s public pulse: members and the latest buzz.
Phone Cast — feature one recorded cast (audio or video) and grow your following.
Music Call — your music, front and center: visitors listen and share.
Countdown Call — count down to a moment, then unlock a room to join the conversation.
Birthday — count down to the big day, then open the party room and a wish wall.
Super Call — an always-on room: visitors tap to join your live call anytime.

How do I make one and put it somewhere?

Go to My Widgets, pick a type, set it up and save. You'll get a snippet of HTML to paste — it works on your own site, a blog, a link-in-bio page, or anywhere else you can drop in HTML. You can also just share the widget's own link if you'd rather not embed anything.

Can people chat on my widget?

Yes — every widget carries a Mini-chat: a live chat thread that shows right in the embed, wherever you've pasted it. Anyone can read the thread; posting needs a free Kadoink account, and posts can be text, a voice message, or a short video clip. You moderate your own widget — delete any post from the thread — and you can turn the Mini-chat off entirely from the Edit widget page.

Where do messages left on my widget go?

Into your Kadoink inbox, and to your phone. Voice messages and texts left on the widget reach you the same way anything else does — and the sender's number stays hidden from you, just as yours stays hidden from them.

Calendar & location

What does the calendar do?

It holds the things you've planned — and can act on them. Give an event a time and Kadoink can text the group, call them, or start a kadoink at that moment, so a plan turns into an actual call without anyone remembering to press anything. Events can repeat, and you can subscribe to your Kadoink calendar from your normal calendar app.

Can I share an event with people who aren't on Kadoink?

Yes — every event can have a public page with its own link. Anyone with the link sees what it is, when it is, and where, and can add it to their calendar or join when it starts.

What's the pin on an event?

Type an address or a venue and Kadoink drops a map pin on the event page, so "meet at the field" is an actual place people can navigate to.

How does location sharing work?

It's off until you turn it on, and you choose who sees you — nobody, your contacts, or your followers. Even then, you only appear when you manually tap “Check in now” — there is no automatic or continuous sharing, and each check-in drops off the map after an hour. You can also share a temporary link that shows your latest check-in for, say, the next hour: sharelocation 1h heading over.

Apps & agents

Are there apps?

Yes — mobile and desktop apps, both on the Download page. They do what the website does, plus push notifications and a proper ringing screen when someone kadoinks you.

Can I connect Kadoink to other tools?

Yes. Kadoink has a REST API for building on, documented at /apidocs, and an MCP server so AI assistants can work with your Kadoink account directly — look someone up, read your feed, post a status, or set up a call. You approve the connection, you choose what it's allowed to do, and permission to place calls or send texts is granted separately and never assumed.

Where do I change my settings?

The Settings page covers your profile and photo, your phone number, notifications, who can see your location, blocked people, and your password. Your identity tag can be renamed there too — the old name is freed up when you do.