Get started with ROK
Create your account, set up your profile, and see how the ROK app and website work together.
For new members · Updated November 2, 2026
Create your account
Ripples of Kindness (ROK) is a place to record the kind things you do and watch them ripple outward. You can join in the ROK app for iPhone and Android, or on the website. It's one account either way.
In the app
- Step 1: Open the ROK app. A short intro explains how ROK works. Tap Next to read on.
- Step 2: On the last slide, tap Get started. (If you tapped Skip, tap Join in the middle of the tab bar instead.)
- Step 3: Enter your email and a password of at least 6 characters, then tap Create account. You can also tap Continue with Google, or Continue with Apple on an iPhone.
On the website
- Step 1: Select Sign up at the top of any page, or go to Join the network.
- Step 2: Enter your email and a password of at least 6 characters, then select Create account. You can also select Continue with Google.
Want the quick tour first? The welcome intro has four short slides. Select Create account on the last one.
Tip: If a friend invited you, join from their link, QR code or card. That connects you to them, so your kindness becomes part of their ripple.
Set up your profile
Next you'll see Set up your profile. It only takes a minute.
- Username: your unique @handle. Use 3 to 20 lowercase letters, numbers or _, starting with a letter. It becomes your profile link and your invite link.
- Display name: the name people see on the feed, the leaderboard and Ripple Ponds. A nickname is fine.
- Country, ZIP code (or postal code) and, in the U.S., State. Your ZIP helps place your acts on the Kindness map by approximate area. It's never shown as an address.
- Pick an avatar (optional): upload a photo or choose one of the ready-made avatars.
- Privacy switches: Public profile, Public Ripple Pond and Show me on the kindness map. You can change them any time.
In the app
Tick the box to agree to the terms and community guidelines, then tap Continue.
On the website
Tick the box to agree to the terms and community guidelines, then select Finish setup.
Change your profile later
Everything you set up lives in Account & settings.
In the app
Tap More, then Account & settings. You can also tap your name card at the top of More.
On the website
Select your photo in the top-right corner, then Account & settings. Or go straight to your account.
- Profile photo: select Upload a photo or pick a ready-made avatar, then Save changes.
- Display name and location: edit them, then Save changes.
- Username: type a new handle and select Update username.
- Title: wear a title you've earned after your name. Points, ripples and your Ripple Pond explains titles.
Good to know: Changing your username frees your old one. Invite links and QR codes you already shared use the old handle, so they may stop pointing to you. Printed kindness cards keep working.
Your privacy switches
You'll find these in Account & settings. Change one, then Save changes.
- Public profile (on to start): shows your name and photo. Turn it off and others see your @handle instead.
- Public Ripple Pond: lets other people open your pond and see who inspired whom.
- Show me on the kindness map: puts the acts you post on the Kindness map by approximate area, even if your profile is private. If your profile is public, your acts already show on the map.
- Show me on the leaderboard: turn it off to leave every leaderboard. You still earn points and can see your own standing.
Good to know: The map uses your ZIP code area, never your address. Each act keeps the spot it had when you posted it. Changing these switches later doesn't move acts already on the map, but you can edit an act to change its location.
The app and the website
The ROK app and the website share one account. Your acts, points and pond are the same in both, so use whichever is handy. Not signed in yet? You can still look around the feed, the map and the leaderboard.
In the app
Members get five tabs at the bottom: Feed, Pond, Record, You and More. More holds the Kindness map, the leaderboard, notifications and Account & settings.
On the website
The top bar has Feed, Ripple Pond, Map, Get Involved, Leaderboard and Record Act. On a phone browser, a bar at the bottom has Feed, Pond, Record, Map and You. Your dashboard and settings are in the menu under your photo.
Nearly everything works in both. Scanning a printed kindness card's QR code to link it to an act is on the website only (in the app, type the card's code instead), and signing in with Apple is only in the iPhone app.
Questions
- Can I use the same account in the app and on the website?
- Yes. Sign in with the same email (or the same Google or Apple account) and everything is there.
- I forgot my password.
- On the sign-in screen, choose the forgotten-password link, or go to reset your password. We'll email you a link.
- Do I have to show my real name?
- No. A nickname works as your display name, and you can turn off Public profile so others see only your @handle.
Related guides
- Post an act of kindnessRecord what you did, add photos or a short video, blur faces if you need to, and share your act so it can ripple outward.
- Points, ripples and your Ripple PondHow points follow your chain reaction of kindness, and where to see your pond, tier, badges, titles and place on the leaderboard.
- Invite friends and share kindnessUse your invite link, QR code and printable kindness cards to grow your ripple, and share acts so others can pay it forward.
- The feed, the map and the communityCheer and comment on acts, keep up with notifications, explore the Kindness map, take part in Making a Splash, and manage your safety and account settings.
Still stuck? Email ROK@KindnessWorldwide.org or see Support & Safety.