The digital convenience of reporting city issues through the user-friendly Solve SF app may soon become a memory, as the app faces an imminent shutdown on July 12 due to the city's decision to discontinue the supporting Open 311 API. Patrick McCabe, the app's creator, voiced his concerns about the valuable service's future, stating, "It will cease to exist," in an interview with The San Francisco Standard. Supported by GrowSF, his app has witnessed over 900 downloads and 16,000 reports since its inception in January, testament to its growing popularity.
Solve SF's potential closure has sparked action from its user base, with the service's social media post urging residents to contact city supervisors and express their reliance on the app. In the face of shutting down the API, which is reportedly used solely by McCabe's app, due to maintenance costs and obsolescence, the city's stance seems to straddle practical considerations and potential disregard for user efficiency gains demonstrated by Solve SF, a situation questioning the city's timing and rationale behind the move. McCabe, who invested over 500 hours into the app after abandoning his engineering job, finds the situation disheartening.
Users have come forward with their experiences, comparing the loss of Solve SF to a step backward in public participation tools, as stated by Cathy Targett, a volunteer with the group Refuse Refuse, who found the city's alternative lacking in comparison, per The San Francisco Standard. Solve SF's seamless reporting mechanism saves valuable time, a crucial factor for busy residents like Vincent Yuen, who also leads Refuse Refuse and appreciates the efficiency while on the go. Even prominent figures like Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman have chimed in, puzzled by the city's decision to axe the API that supports such a useful tool.
Despite the app's efficacy and the notable share of certain types of reports coming through Solve SF, city officials cited concerns with its AI potentially causing more manual work for staff and thus incurring additional costs. McCabe has refuted these concerns, stating that he's "unaware of any time the city has had to fix 311 reports made through his app," as told to The San Francisco Standard. With its future hanging by a thread, Solve SF currently stands as a significant, yet untapped, asset in San Francisco's digital toolbox for civic engagement.
For further details on the app and its potential shutdown, you can refer to the original posts by Solve SF and the comprehensive coverage by The Standard.
I need your help!
— solvesf (@solve_sf) May 26, 2025
Solve SF may stop operating on July 12th.
I've been working with the city, with help from some terrific people, on finding a solution.
I'll be sharing more ways to help soon, but for now if you could email your supervisor (or all of them) letting them know…
