Anonymous to members, real to us

What “anonymous” should mean on a dating app

A fully anonymous app — no sign-in, no checks — sounds private, but it is also where fake profiles, bots and scammers do best. You end up hiding from the wrong people while talking to people who may not exist.

MuteMate draws the line differently. You stay anonymous to other members: they do not learn who you are unless you decide to tell them. We still know there is a real person behind each account, because that is what keeps everyone safe.

What other members cannot see

• Your real name and email. You sign in with Google, but members only see an anonymous display name that MuteMate gives you. If you do not like it, you can swap it for another one from Edit Profile.
• Your contacts. MuteMate never asks for access to your phone contacts, and there are no social accounts to link.
• Your location. Distance is shown as an approximate number, never a map pin or an address.
• Your face, unless you choose to show it. Photos are optional when you create your profile, and profile photos stay blurred until someone taps to see them.
• Your activity. There is no public feed, no followers and no public likes.

A dating app without photos, if you want one

You can create a profile and start without uploading a photo. If you add one later, it stays blurred to other people until they tap to see it, and blurs again when they leave the screen. You decide when — and whether — anyone sees your face.

Conversations that do not pile up

Chat messages disappear on their own after a while, so there is no long history to find. If you both want to keep a conversation, either of you asks to keep the chat and the other accepts; from then on the messages in that chat are kept. Photos sent in chat are view-once and disappear about ten seconds after they are opened.

Meeting someone completely anonymously

Mute Date is the most anonymous way to meet on MuteMate. You are paired with a random stranger in under 60 seconds, and neither of you sees photos, names or location. Profiles are shown only if you both agree to match. Our guide to how Mute Date works covers it step by step.

What we do know, and why

Our Privacy Policy explains exactly what is stored and for how long.

• The Google account you sign in with, so you can get back into your account and so banned accounts stay banned.
• For women, a short live face check before the profile is shown to others. The scan is never shown on your profile, and images are deleted once the check is done.
• Reports. If someone reports you, or you report someone, our moderators review what happened.

The honest limits

• Anything you choose to show — a photo, your job, your college — can make you recognisable. Share it when you are ready, not before.
• Your Thirst, the short intro on your profile, is yours to write. Keep identifying details out of it.
• Screenshots are blocked inside the app on Android only, and no app can stop someone photographing a screen with a second phone.

Questions people ask

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