Community Guidelines

HearMe Chat is for adults who want to talk to strangers by voice or text. Adults can speak plainly, so we don't police rude words. We block the small set of things that do real harm, and we act on reports for the rest.

1. You must be 18 or older

HearMe Chat is 18+. If you're under 18, don't use it. If someone you meet seems to be a minor, stop talking to them and report them. Messages that say you're under 18 are blocked. A clear statement ends the chat and pauses chats on that account and device until a person has reviewed it; nothing is banned automatically. A moderator who finds that someone is under 18 bans them permanently, with no appeal. Saying you're under 18 counts the same even as a joke or role-play.

2. What's allowed

• Swearing and insults. In English, Hindi, Hinglish or any other language. Rude words that aren't slurs, such as "retard", count as swearing: they're allowed, and anyone can hide common English and Hindi swear words (see section 4).
• Arguments and strong opinions, as long as they don't turn into slurs or threats.
• Saying you're struggling. You can say you feel low or even suicidal. That's never blocked. Only telling someone else to hurt themselves is blocked.

3. What's blocked

These messages are never delivered. You'll see a short note, and you can say it another way.

• Hate slurs about race, ethnicity, caste, religion, sexuality or gender identity, and hate slogans.
• Telling someone to kill or hurt themselves, such as "kys", "go die" or "mar ja".
• Threats of violence, such as "I'll kill you" or "I know where you live".
• Anything sexual involving minors. This includes sexual words used with an age under 18 or with words like "child", "teen" or "schoolgirl". Role-play makes no difference.
• Contact details in random chats and rooms: phone numbers, email addresses, home addresses, social media handles and UPI IDs. This protects you from people you've only just met. Once you and someone else have both kept each other, you can share contact details in your direct messages.
• Links, because they're how spam and scams spread. Links to hearme.chat are fine in random chats. Rooms allow no links at all, hearme.chat included.

Usernames and display names are public, so they also can't contain explicit sexual words or look like a HearMe Chat staff name. Swearing in a name is fine.

4. Hide swear words

If you'd rather not see swearing, turn on Hide swear words. On the web it's in chat Settings → Preferences. In the Android app it's under You → Safety. It's off by default.

When it's on, swear words in messages you receive show as ****. It only changes your screen, so other people still see what they wrote. Slurs are blocked for everyone, whether this is on or off.

5. Not filtered, but still not allowed

Some harm can't be caught by a word list. We act on these when someone reports them:

• Harassing someone: following them from chat to chat, or not stopping after they've asked you to
• Sexual messages sent to someone who didn't ask for them, and nude or sexual profile pictures or banners that get past our automatic check
• Sharing someone else's personal information
• Scams, fraud, and asking strangers for money
• Selling drugs, weapons or other illegal goods
• Pretending to be another person or to speak for HearMe Chat
• Bots, scripts and automated messages
• Recording a voice call or sharing it without the other person's consent
• Making a new account to get around a ban

6. Voice calls

HearMe Chat has no camera. Calls are private and we don't record them. If someone threatens you, harasses you or makes sexual remarks you didn't ask for, tap Report during the call. On the website, that sends up to the last 60 seconds of their audio for review. In the Android app, it sends the call's time and length, no audio.

7. Report and block

Tap Report in a random chat, a call or a room, or on a friend's card in your friends list, and choose the reason that fits. You don't need an account to report. A person reviews reports, and reports marked Under 18 go to the top of our queue.

Tap Block and you won't be matched with that person again (for a guest, on that browser, for up to 30 days).

For anything urgent, especially anything involving a minor, email safety@hearme.chat or see our child safety page.

8. Appeals

A message blocked by mistake. If you think a message was blocked by mistake, tap This was blocked by mistake in the Android app (it appears where the app tells you the message wasn't sent, in text chat or a DM), or email support@hearme.chat with the message and roughly when you sent it. A person will look at it.

A ban you think is wrong. Tap Appeal on the ban screen (website or app) within 30 days of the ban, or email support@hearme.chat. A person will review it. Bans for child-safety violations or for being under 18 can't be appealed.

9. What happens when rules are broken

Some things happen automatically: a message our filters catch (section 3) isn't sent, and a clear statement that you're under 18 also pauses your chats until a person has reviewed it.

Every suspension and ban is a moderator's decision, from least to most serious:

1. A 24-hour suspension
2. A 7-day suspension
3. A 30-day suspension
4. A permanent ban

A moderator can go straight to any step, and nothing is banned automatically. In a room, a moderator can also hide a message or mute someone for 10 minutes or 24 hours. A ban ends any chat you're in. When a moderator confirms anything sexual involving a minor, or that someone is under 18, the ban is permanent and can't be appealed. It covers the account, its verified email or Google sign-in and its device, and the IP address the account used in the last 24 hours is blocked for 72 hours, if there is one. For other bans a moderator can block the network for up to 30 days. For a report a moderator confirms this way, we keep the report, a copy of the messages shown with it and its audio clip (if it has not already been deleted) as evidence for one year from the confirmation, even if the account is deleted. Where the law requires it, we report child sexual abuse material to the authorities, including India's National Cybercrime Reporting Portal and the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and we respond to valid requests from law enforcement. Premium doesn't exempt anyone from these rules. See the User-Generated Content Policy and Terms of Service for the full details.