FIG 2.1
Four circles, four cadences
Each circle carries its own reminder frequency. Your closest friends get weekly attention — automatically, without you having to think about it.
Circles
Friendships have different depths. Keep makes them clear.
Keep mirrors how people naturally organize relationships: in circles. Four circles, four reminder frequencies — every friendship gets exactly the attention it needs.
5
people in your closest circle (on average)
150
relationships the human brain can manage
4
circles for clear priorities
An endless contact list treats everyone equally. Friendships don't work that way.
If Lisa is your closest friend, you should hear from her weekly. If Tom is an old work contact, quarterly is plenty. The problem: without structure, you don't lose the wrong people — you lose the right ones, because you have no clear priority. You can't be equally present for 150 people. Circles help you be honest about what each relationship actually needs.
The solution
Circles that make closeness intentional.
Not every friendship needs the same frequency — but each deserves the right kind of closeness. With circles, you see at a glance who belongs to which part of your life. Keep helps you shape this closeness consciously, without pressure.
Clarity over gut feeling
You organize friendships by real relationship depth — inner circle, personal, social, professional. This makes visible where you invest energy and where you want to protect it.
A rhythm that fits the relationship
Each circle has its natural contact pace — Keep tracks it for you. You stay present without friendships becoming a mental to-do list.
You decide — and can re-sort anytime
No algorithm evaluates your relationships. When your life changes, move someone to another circle — Keep adjusts everything immediately.
How it works
Three steps so every friendship gets the right attention.
Add a friend
Add someone to Keep. Name, a quick note, a few details — done.
Assign a circle
Choose the right circle: Intimate, Personal, Social, or Work. The circle automatically sets the reminder frequency — no further configuration needed.
Keep reminds you — based on the circle
Intimate circle members get weekly reminders. Social circle gets monthly. You're reminded exactly when it's time — not before, not after.
The four circles
Each circle has its meaning — and its cadence.
Keep comes with four predefined circles that match the natural layers of human social structure. Each circle determines how often Keep reminds you to reach out.
Intimate Circle
weekly
Personal Circle
bi-weekly
Social Circle
monthly
Work Circle
quarterly
Related feature
Reminders
Structure backed by science.
Dunbar's research shows: we naturally maintain relationships in layers. Keep makes these layers visible — and brings the right reminder with each.
FIG 2.2
Based on Dunbar's research
Anthropologist Robin Dunbar showed that humans naturally manage relationships in layers of approximately 5, 15, 50, and 150 people. Keep's four circles mirror exactly this structure.
FIG 2.3
Create custom circles (Premium)
The four default circles work for most people — with Premium you can create your own circles with custom names and their own reminder cadence. For those who organize their world differently.
What it feels like
From "I haven't spoken to Simon in ages" to an actual message.
Keep · Intimate Circle
Time to reach out to Simon.
Last contact: 8 days ago
You
Hey Simon! How's it going? We haven't talked in ages 😄
S
Hey! I was just thinking about you. All good here! When are we meeting up?
FAQ
Common questions about Circles.
What's the difference between the four circles?
The four circles differ in reminder frequency: Intimate (weekly), Personal (bi-weekly), Social (monthly), and Work (quarterly). Which frequency fits a friend is entirely your call — Keep then applies it automatically.
Can I adjust the reminder frequency per circle?
Yes. You can change the default frequency of each circle in the circle settings. For individual friends you can also set a custom frequency that overrides the circle default — for example if you want weekly contact with someone in your Social circle.
What happens when I move a friend to a different circle?
Keep immediately adjusts the reminder frequency to match the new circle. If someone moves from Social to Intimate, Keep switches straight to weekly reminders — no manual changes needed.
Can I create custom circles?
With Keep Premium you can create as many custom circles as you like, give them unique names and colors, and set their own reminder frequency. The four default circles always remain available and cannot be deleted.
Why exactly four circles?
The four circles are based on research by anthropologist Robin Dunbar. He showed that humans naturally manage relationships in layers of approximately 5, 15, 50, and 150 people. Keep's circles mirror this structure — so you're working with your natural social behavior, not against it.
Organize your friendships in circles.
Keep is free. Download the app and organize your relationships the way your brain does.
4.8 stars · Free to download