SF POPOS
Privately owned public spaces
Free · Designed for iPad
SF POPOS is your definitive guide to San Francisco’s Privately Owned Public Open Spaces—quiet plazas, rooftop terraces, hidden courtyards, and indoor retreats woven into the city’s dense urban fabric. From the Financial District to SoMa, discover spaces that offer a place to sit, recharge, or step away from the pace of the city.
Whether you are looking for a calm spot to read, eat lunch, or take a break between classes or work, SF POPOS helps you uncover public spaces that are open to everyone, even when they are located on private property.
Turn everyday movement through the city into exploration. Save your favorite spaces, keep track of where you have been, and build your own collection of places across San Francisco.
EXPLORE WITH EASE
• Smart Navigation: Seamlessly switch between a fast, interactive map and a clean list view to find spaces nearby
• Advanced Filtering: Discover locations based on seating, amenities, accessibility, and more
• Detailed Information: View hours, rules, and space descriptions to plan your visit with confidence
Thoughtfully designed for a simple, modern experience, SF POPOS makes it easy to see the city differently and find places you might otherwise walk past.
Download SF POPOS and explore San Francisco in a new way.
more This is a great app! Everyone who lives in San Francisco or near San Francisco or is traveling to San Francisco should have it. It’s easy to use; has all the information you need; and is just plain fun.
This is a great app! Everyone who lives in San Francisco or near San Francisco or is traveling to San Francisco should have it. It’s easy to use; has all the information you need; and is just plain fun.
As an urban planner this is a great tool to find these hidden parks in San Francisco that you would never know existed! But this is also fun for anyone to find hidden out of the way parks to enjoy!
As an urban planner this is a great tool to find these hidden parks in San Francisco that you would never know existed! But this is also fun for anyone to find hidden out of the way parks to enjoy!
We've been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
• Updated Google and Apple login buttons
• Updated website, contact, and legal links
• Minor bug fixes and improvements
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
2.0 1d ago
We've been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
• Much smaller app download — photos now load as you browse
• Optional offline photos from Settings
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
1.9 3d ago
We've been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
• Redesigned "Surprise Me" loading animation
Behind the scenes:
• Crocker Galleria is open again
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
1.8.2 Jul 29
We've been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
• Report an issue with a place from its detail page
• Account has its own page in Settings
• Updated delete account flow (hold to confirm + re-auth)
• Favorites filter: All, Favorites, and Visited
• Supports iOS 17 and later
Behind the scenes:
• Minor bug fixes and improvements
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
1.8.1 Jun 28
We've been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
Improved:
• Settings moved out of the tab bar and into the Home page
• Added 28 new POPOS locations across San Francisco
• Added tab bar haptics
• Refreshed preferences and app icons
• Updated Sign in with Apple and Google buttons
• Polished login and sign-up forms in dark mode
• Updated Favorites with a new segmented filter
• Tap the Home tab again to quickly scroll to the top
• Location pages now update the nav bar title while scrolling
• Added a disclaimer on the welcome screen
Behind the scenes:
• Minor bug fixes and improvements
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
1.8.0 May 8
We've been hard at work making SF POPS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
Improved:
• Updated Settings page UI
• Updated Account page
• Updated profile picture support
• Updated legal pages
• Apple Watch: Settings with FAQ, changelog, and legal
Behind the scenes:
• Minor bug fixes and improvements
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
1.7.1 Apr 29
We've been hard at work making SF POPS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
New Features:
- Sort and filter locations by amenities
- Updated Amenity Icons
- Share button moved to top right for a cleaner experience
Behind the scenes:
- Minor bug and improvements
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
1.7.0 Mar 22
We’ve been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here’s what’s new in this update:
New & Improved
- New onboarding screen
- Sign in with Google is now the only option to log in via the app.
- Navigation bar minimizes on scroll.
Behind the Scenes
- Fixed minor bugs and made general performance improvements.
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco’s POPOS with us
1.6.9 Feb 18
We’ve been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here’s what’s new in this update:
New & Improved
- Added support for multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Filipino, Korean, French, Kazakh, Cantonese, Hebrew, and German, with more coming soon.
- You can now filter locations directly on the map for faster discovery.
- Added a new POPOS location: Daggett Park.
- Filters are smarter and now automatically exclude closed locations.
- New filter option for places that are open 24/7.
- Updated app shortcuts for quicker access to key features.
- Improved the Surprise Me loading experience.
- Push notifications have been refreshed and improved.
Design & Experience
- Images are now larger on tablets, making locations easier to view.
- Fixed an issue on tablets where search results appeared too large.
- Cleaned up and improved in-app links.
- Updated the About page with clearer and more up-to-date information.
Behind the Scenes
- Removed App Clip.
- Fixed minor bugs and made general performance improvements.
- When deleting the app, you can now leave feedback to help shape future updates.
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco’s POPOS with us
1.6.8 Jan 15
We've been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
- You can now log in and save your data!
- Added Google login
- Reduced the number of links in the settings
- Minor bugs and fixes
1.6.7 12/16/2025
We've been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
- Added a new toggle to customize how links open within the app
- Refreshed Home page with an updated UI
- Redesigned Settings page for a cleaner experience
- Added a new search page for easier navigation
- Updated filters for better results
- Added a pop-up notification when the app needs to be updated
- Fixed minor bugs and improved overall stability
1.6.6 12/13/2025
We've been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
- Added iOS 26 support fully
- Various minor bugs and improvements have been implemented.
1.6.5 12/10/2025
We've been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
- Apple Watch support is now available
- Rebuilt the app using native iOS technology for better performance
- Resolved an issue that prevented current location from appearing on the map
- Squashed various minor bugs and made general improvements
- Introduced IOS App Clip so you can access key features instantly without a full download
1.6.4 11/27/2025
We've been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
- Minor fixes and improvements
1.6.3 11/15/2025
We've been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
Updated Features
- Added an “X” close button to the recommended-permissions overlay during onboarding, plus haptic feedback
- Updated onboarding text to: “Welcome to San Francisco’s privately owned public open spaces.”
- Updated iOS 26 icons
- Updated the homepage UI
- Updated the Visited Places overlay
Bug Fixes
- Fixed incorrect information shown during onboarding
- Reduced excess padding on the Map page
Removed
- Removed Shortcuts
1.6.2 11/14/2025
We’ve been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
- Minor fixes and improvements
- Fix an issue where, when you mark a place as visited, it wouldn't save
1.6.1 09/28/2025
We’ve been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
New Features
- Added legal links to the profile page
- Added weather integration
- Added loading messages
- Added pull to reload
- Added copy to clipboard
- Added Q & A
- Added IOS 26 Support
- Added interactive map in POPOS detail modal
- Added surprise me button
- Added support system
- Added Name Customization
UI/UX Improvements
- Updated POPOS Detail UI
- Updated a few links
- Updated map
- Updated icons
- Updated homepage UI
- Updated sharing
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue with the "Rate Us"
- Fixed search bar issue
Removed
- Removed "Recent Searches"
1.6 09/24/2025
We’ve been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
Added
- POPOS cards now display distance
- Reset data option
- Developer mode
- User’s name now shows on the loading screen
- New themes
- Updated notifications
Updated
- Profile page
- Settings page UI
- Filters
Fixed
- Welcome message on the homepage loading each time
Removed
- 543 Howard (office building is for lease and no longer open)
1.5 09/05/2025
We’ve been cooking up some changes to make the app even better:
- Updated logo
- Added push notifications
- Updated onboarding
- Fixed theme settings
- Removed swipe for quick actions
- Updated footer
- Added "Rate Us" natively in the app
- Added orientation lock
- Fixed a few bugs
- Resolved various map-specific issues
Coming Soon:
- We’re prepping the app for iOS 26!
1.4 08/29/2025
We’ve been cooking up some changes to make the app even better.
- Added 4 fresh themes
- Animated progress bar + confetti celebration
- Haptic feedback for a smoother feel
- Refined button animations & navigation
- Polished profile & favorites pages
- Improved onboarding flow
- Squashed pesky navigation + animation bugs
Known Issue
-Sometimes the map doesn’t load (we’re looking into it)
1.3 08/25/2025
We’ve been cooking up some changes to make the app even better.
-Added iPad support for a better multi-device experience
-Updated “About Developer" section
-Added New welcome message
-Updated onboarding + restart tutorial option
-Fixed sizing, duplicate text, and hours status issues (with clearer “Unknown” display)
-Performance boosts for faster, smoother navigation
-Various bug fixes for a more stable app
1.2 08/18/2025
– Added a new onboarding screen
– Simplified filters by consolidating duplicates into 5 essential features
– Removed beta branding, welcome pop-ups, and thank-you messages for a cleaner experience
– Streamlined filtering options: Public Seating, Restrooms, WiFi Access, Public Art, Rooftop Terrace
– Removed “App Overview” from the profile page
– Cleaned up UI by removing glow effect on search bar and checkmark icons on amenities
– Improved map error handling and fixed icon display issues
– Enhanced “Report an Issue” to open inside the app instead of a browser
– Fixed theme switching issues and other bugs for smoother performance
– Added new section in profile to submit new POPOS locations
– Updated metadata to improve compliance with App Store guidelines
– Fixed an issue where the navigation bar did not update when switching themes
1.1 08/14/2025
We've been hard at work making SF POPOS even better. Here's what's new in this update:
• Updated Google and Apple login buttons
• Updated website, contact, and legal links
• Minor bug fixes and improvements
As always, thanks for exploring San Francisco's POPOS with us!
more Version 2.0 1d ago
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.
