In short

Download the app, sign up with your email, and pick a username.
You'll be asked for your location, a profile photo, and to confirm you're 18 or older.
Your profile photo is reviewed by a human — usually within 24 hours.
Once approved, everything opens up: Discover, Messages, Feed, and more.

Getting the app

DudesChat runs on iOS, Android, and the web — one account works everywhere. The app is currently in beta; if you're not in yet, join the waitlist and we'll let you in as spots open up.

Creating your account

Sign-up takes a couple of minutes:

Email & username — pick a username (you can change it later in Settings) and confirm your email address. We'll send you a verification link.
Date of birth — DudesChat is for adults. You must be 18 or older to join, and you'll confirm that during sign-up.
Password — yours alone. We never ask for it by email.

The onboarding steps

After sign-up, four quick steps set up your profile:

Location — the app asks for location access so Discover can show Dudes near you. Your exact position is never shown to anyone — see Privacy & your data.
Profile photo — a clear, pants-on photo of you. You'll crop it to fit, and you confirm the photo is of yourself. Our Content Guidelines explain what flies and what doesn't.
Languages & hobbies — optional, but it helps Dudes find common ground with you. You can skip it and fill it in later.
Age check — a quick verification step confirms you're 18+. See Verification for how it works.

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1. Location

Done

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2. Profile photo

Done

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3. Languages & hobbies

Optional

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4. Age check

Up next

hourglass_top Photo review: usually within 24 hours

Four steps, a couple of minutes — then a human checks your photo.

While your profile is reviewed

Every new profile photo is checked by a human before your profile goes public — that's part of how DudesChat stays real. Review usually takes about 24 hours. While you wait, you can already polish your profile: add your socials, your sexual identity details, and your curated picks.

When you're approved, the app tells you — and Discover, Messages, and the Feed open up.

One tip worth taking before you dive in: set your "I Am" and "I Am Into" tags (Menu → Sexual identity). They power the match percentage on every Discover tile — without them you score 0% with everyone. Discover & matching explains why.

Something not working?

If sign-up fails, the verification email doesn't arrive (check spam first), or you're stuck on a step — contact us or email support@dudes.chat and we'll sort it out.

Last revised: 2026‑07‑02

Before you come in

Getting started.