Guide
Making friends and filtering the lobby
Narrowing the lobby before you browse
The lobby lists everyone currently online, people near you first (your city, then your region, then your country), and three filters narrow that down: country, gender and age range. If you're specifically looking to practice a language with a native speaker, or you just prefer chatting with people in a similar age bracket, set the filters before you start browsing rather than filtering conversation by conversation afterward.
Sending a friend request
There are two ways to send one: the three-dot menu on a person's row in the lobby, or tapping their Guest or Member badge to open their info popup and sending it from there. You can send one once they've messaged you in your one-on-one chat (whether they started the conversation or replied to you). Until then, Add friend looks faded, with "When they message you" under it. The other person has to accept before you're actually friends; sending a request alone doesn't add anyone to your list. Friend requests are a registered-member feature. A guest account trying to add someone is prompted to sign in first, and you can't send a request to someone who's still browsing as a guest either.
What being friends adds
Friends get their own Friends section, separate from the general lobby list. The ones who are online are listed first, with a live green indicator, so you don't have to go looking for them. Tapping a friend opens a chat with them directly, skipping the lobby entirely. Your friends list is private: nobody else can see who you're friends with, and you can't see anyone else's list either, not even a mutual friend's.
Removing a friend
Removing someone is immediate and one-sided. They aren't notified, and the connection is simply gone. If you change your mind later, sending a fresh request works exactly like the first time did. One exception: a friend request can't be sent, or re-sent, to someone you've blocked, or who has blocked you. See our safety guide for what blocking does more broadly.
Staying invisible to friends too
Friends can see when you're online by default, the same as anyone else. If you'd rather browse without anyone, friends included, seeing your status, turn on Appear offline. Our presence guide covers exactly what that hides and what it doesn't.
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