Random chatting, minus the awkward part

How it works

You choose how you want to talk (text, voice or video), confirm you are 18 or older, and optionally add a few interests. Then the site looks for another person who is waiting for a chat right now and connects the two of you. You do not wait in a lobby and nobody approves you first.

How you are matched

• By mode. You only meet people who chose the same way of talking as you.
• By interests, if you add them. Matching tries to put people with an interest in common together, and falls back to anyone available when it cannot.
• At random otherwise. There is no ranking, profile or algorithm deciding that you are a good fit. That is what makes it random.

The first minute matters

Most random chats end almost immediately because nobody knows what to say. A good opener asks one open question and answers it, which gives the other person something to match. We collected a set in our guide to conversation starters for strangers. A few that work: a quick question about music or food, a light “would you rather”, or a thing you are curious about.

Skip is a feature, not rudeness

Random chat is built on the idea that leaving is free. If you are bored, the other person is rude or you simply want a different conversation, skip. It is the most important button on the page, and everyone using the site expects it.

Staying comfortable

• Start in text if you are new to it.
• Report anyone who is abusive. Reports go to automated checks and then people.
• Do not share personal details, links or social handles. The site blocks phone numbers, links and social names in random chat to help.
• Take a break when it stops being fun.

Where random chatting came from

Random chat is not new. It began around 2009 with Omegle and Chatroulette, and a lot has changed since: serious sites now require age confirmation, have real moderation and publish rules. If you are curious, read a short history of random chat.

Getting more out of interests

Interests are the cheapest way to improve a chat. A few tips:

• Be specific. “Football” matches a million people; “Premier League tactics” matches people who will talk about it.
• Add two or three, not twenty. A short list is easier to match and easier to start a chat from.
• Mention it first. If you are matched on an interest, open with it: “I see we both like film, seen anything good lately?”
• Change them. If a topic is not working, try another one.

Etiquette in one paragraph

Say hello like a person, ask before you share anything personal, leave politely, and do not ask for photos, numbers or handles. Treat the other person the way you would want to be treated by someone you will never meet again. Most chats end well when both people do that.

When it does not click

Some chats will not click, and that is fine. Two people can be perfectly nice and still have nothing to say to each other. Skip without taking it personally, change your interests if you like, and try again. The next person is a tap away.

Common questions