I wrote here back in August about why I was building this in the first place: curb finds happen when you're out walking, not sitting at a laptop, and the website was never going to fix that. So we built an app for the exact moment you're standing near a free couch wondering if anyone's already claimed it.
Then came the part that was genuinely out of my hands — Google requires new apps to run a closed test with real people before they're allowed to launch publicly. A couple dozen of you joined, kept it installed, and sent back exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for.
What testers actually caught
Nothing dramatic, which is sort of the point. A bottom sheet that didn't match the height of the ad cards next to it. A category filter row that quietly refused to scroll. A details screen where the top bar overlapped the category chips on certain screen sizes. None of it would have shown up on my one phone, in my one neighborhood, on my one Android version. That's exactly why the test requirement exists, and exactly why it was worth doing properly instead of rushing past it.
What's actually in the app
Everything that made the website useful, built for a phone in your hand instead of a browser tab:
- A live map of free stuff near you, with your location at the center
- Post in seconds — snap a photo, pick a category, drop a pin, done
- A posting-range circle so you can see at a glance whether you're close enough to the item to post it (prevents people from posting things they haven't actually seen)
- Browse and search by category, distance, or keyword when you'd rather scroll than look at a map
- Karma and rankings, same as the web version, for the Givers who keep the map stocked
- A free "FREE" sign you can print with a QR code, so people walking by know your item is actually up for grabs
It's still the same rule as always: everything on CurbSofa is free. No listings, no prices, no haggling in the comments. Just a map of stuff people don't want anymore, going to people who do.
Get it
CurbSofa is free to download and free to use, available now in the US.
Thank you
To everyone who joined the closed test, kept the app installed longer than any reasonable person should keep a beta app installed, and took the time to tell me what was broken or confusing — thank you. This version exists because you did that. If you're still finding rough edges now that it's public, I still want to hear about them.
And if an Android app isn't your thing, nothing changes — the website keeps working exactly like it always has. This was never about replacing it, just meeting people where the actual curb finds happen: outside, on foot, phone in hand.