What should you decide before a first chat?
Habit 1: settle your own limits before the page opens. It takes ten seconds. Message only, voice, or video? Your first name or one you made up? Decided in advance, these are not choices you have to make on the spot with someone waiting for an answer.
Habit 2: stay a guest for a while. Dinchat lets you in without a form, so there is no reason to attach anything personal just to try a few conversations. Add a photo or more about yourself once you know you like the place.
Habit 3: glance at the top of the match screen before you tap Match. It shows the free matches you have and whether a reward is waiting, and it is where you set the match type to voice if you would rather keep the cameras off. A matched call has a free part and a paid part; where one ends and the other begins is explained on the is Dinchat free page.
What should you keep to yourself?
Habit 4: hold back the details that locate you. A conversation needs very few facts to be enjoyable. It does not need the ones below, and you can be warm and open without sharing any of them.
- Your full name, home address and the name of your workplace or school.
- Your phone number, personal email and handles on other apps, at least early on.
- Bank, card or payment details of any kind.
- Passwords and the verification codes sent to your phone.
- Your daily routine: where you will be and when.
City and country are generally fine and make for good conversation. Street and house number are not.
What do you do when someone asks for money?
Habit 5: never send money, and never "help" with a payment, for someone you met in a chat. Not a loan, not a gift card, not a fee to release a parcel, not a sure-thing investment. There is no version of this that is safe, and the more moving the story, the more practised the person telling it.
You do not have to work out whether they are genuine. The request itself is your answer. End the conversation, block, and report it. The usual shapes these stories take are listed on the is Dinchat safe page.
Should you open links or move to another app?
Habit 6: leave links and files from a new contact unopened. A link to photos, a prize or a "better" chat site is the usual way people are tricked into giving away a login.
Habit 7: follow before you swap contact details. Following someone on Dinchat lets the two of you find each other again without either of you handing over a number or a handle. Moving to another app with a person you have enjoyed talking to several times can be perfectly reasonable. Being hurried there in the first five minutes is not, so let it be your idea and your timing.
What can the other person see on video?
Habit 8: look at your own preview before you look at theirs. Check what is behind you. Letters with your address, a window with a recognisable view, a work badge, family photos, a second screen with your email open: all of it is visible to the person you are talking to.
A plain wall is ideal. Anything shown on camera can be captured by the person on the other end, so only show what you would be content for a new acquaintance to have seen. Not in the mood for any of that? Set the match type to voice and both cameras stay off for the whole call.
The same thinking applies to what you type. A message in a call is still a message: an address or a surname written down is easier to keep than one said in passing.
When should you end a chat?
Habit 9: leave the moment you feel uneasy. You do not need a reason that would convince anybody else. Discomfort is enough. The same goes for boredom, by the way; you are allowed to end a conversation simply because it is not going anywhere.
A polite exit is one sentence: "I'm going to head off now, take care." Then end the call. If the other person is being unpleasant, skip the sentence.
How do you block or report someone on Dinchat?
Habit 10: use the tools early. People often wait too long to block because it feels harsh. It is not. It is the online equivalent of walking away, and it is there to be used.
- 1
End the conversation
Hang up or leave the message thread first. Nothing else needs to happen while they are still talking to you.
- 2
Go to the person's profile
The options for that person include Block and Report. Block is for when you want no further contact; you are not asked for a reason.
- 3
Report if a rule was broken
Report opens a short form: choose the reason that fits, write what happened in a sentence or two, and attach a screenshot if you took one.
If the buttons are not where you expect, or you would rather put it in writing, email us. What to include is on the contact page.
What if something already went wrong?
Act quickly and tell someone. If you shared something you regret, or sent money, do not sit on it out of embarrassment. It happens to careful people too.
- 1
Stop contact
End the conversation and block the person. Do not negotiate, and do not pay anything further.
- 2
Secure your accounts
Change any password you may have exposed. If money was involved, contact your bank or card provider straight away.
- 3
Report it
Use Report for that person and email us with what happened. If you were threatened or defrauded, tell your local police as well.
Which habit goes with which Dinchat screen?
Here are the ten habits again, pinned to the place on Dinchat where each one is used. It is the version to skim just before a first conversation.
Ten habits and where each applies on Dinchat| Where you are | What to do there |
|---|
| Before opening the site | Decide message, voice or video, and which name you will use |
| Arriving | Come in as a guest and add nothing personal yet |
| Match screen | Check your free matches and the Reward Center bar; pick voice if you want cameras off |
| Your camera preview | Clear the background of post, badges and screens |
| During a call | Keep details that locate you out of the conversation, spoken or typed |
| A message thread | Leave links and files unopened; say no to any request for money |
| A profile you like | Follow, in place of swapping numbers |
| A profile you do not | Block, and Report if a rule was broken |
Ten habits, most of them common sense, none of them getting in the way of a good conversation. To see each of these screens before you need them, take two minutes with how Dinchat works.
