You answer one question first: short-term or long-term? After that, you're only ever shown people who picked the same answer. Everything else follows from there. A like costs a real written message, a face has to pass verification before anyone sees it, and someone who stops showing up stops appearing in the feed.
A like is a message. Write at least 80 characters. They read it before deciding. 80 / 80
Everything below is enforced in the product, and a few of these rules are enforced in the database itself, where you can't turn them off.
Short-term or long-term, asked before your name or photos. The two pools never mix, so nobody browsing for a relationship gets matched with somebody looking for tonight. Switching takes a 14-day cooldown: long enough that nobody browses both pools, short enough that a real change in circumstances isn't punished.
You can't like someone without writing at least 80 characters of something real. They read it before deciding. Unlimited free right-swipes made attention cheap everywhere else; here, spraying costs effort, so a like actually tells you something.
Nobody can see or be seen until a selfie has been matched to their profile photos. There's nothing to browse while you wait, and no unverified pool to hide in.
"Available tonight" means nothing from someone who was last seen Tuesday. The feed applies a recency window (7 days in both pools during launch), so the profiles you see belong to people who were around recently.
You have to open a message to read it, and opening shows up on the sender's end. Replying is the like-back; there's no separate accept step. Openers lapse after 24 hours, and declining is silent and permanent.
Reports get a visible outcome: warn, ban, or no action. You can track yours inside the app. Enforcement comes with an explanation and an appeal path, because shadowbans are a coward's tool.
Most dating apps are free the way slot machines are free. These are the levers other apps pull, stated publicly so you can hold us to them:
We're not naming names. If you've used another dating app recently, you'll recognize the middle column.
| Mechanic | Typical apps | Candor |
|---|---|---|
| Who you see | Everyone, ranked by a hidden desirability score | Only verified people who chose the same intent as you |
| Expressing interest | Unlimited free swipes, or paid ones that "get seen first" | A like requires 80+ written characters the person reads first |
| Who liked you | Blurred grid behind a subscription | Free. Their message is right there, readable. |
| Ghost town profiles | Stay visible for months after someone leaves | Absent users stop existing in the feed after days, not months |
| Fake accounts | Optional verification badge if you feel like it | Face-match verification gates participation entirely |
| Your reports | Disappear into a void | You can see the outcome of every report you file |
| Your location | Precise coordinates stored server-side | Fuzzed to roughly a mile on-device before storage |
| Leaving | Retention surveys, "are you sure?", dark patterns | Two taps. Everything goes. No offer to stay. |
Candor runs on Android and iPhone. Verification means everyone you meet has put their real face forward, and the same is asked of you.
Public store downloads are not available yet. Android and iPhone releases are being prepared.
Questions first? Read how it works or the FAQ.
Candor