BONE Dating · for iOS
Your safe space for gay dating. Whether you’re just looking to chat, looking for something casual, or open to a serious relationship.
Why BONE exists
Most dating apps aren’t interested in you. They’re interested in your clicks and in renewing your subscription. How you actually feel along the way is besides the point.
We think differently. BONE is built on the conviction that a community is only worth something if the people in it are protected, seen and respected. We don’t build an addiction engine. We build a place where people can unfold freely. Safely, with dignity, humanely.
For every feature we’ve asked a different question: does this help the people who use us? Or only our revenue curve?
What follows from that
Five promises. And for each, the proof that we mean it.
Whether you’re meeting someone from BONE, someone from another app, or just travelling: you should be able to rely on someone noticing if something goes wrong.
What happens between two people belongs between two people. Not in an analysis pipeline. Not in an ad-data pool. We don’t read your messages. We technically can’t.
Trust isn’t the same as having to trust. Unusual patterns show up to us before they cause harm: fake profiles, mass requests, harassment waves. And when you report something, someone listens.
No hidden subscriptions. No paywalls appearing out of nowhere. You decide what BONE is worth to you. We don’t decide for you.
Clear rules. Recognisable tools. No tricks. We say what we stand for. And how you can tell.
Date Check-In · safety first
Before a date you start a check-in. If you don’t check back in time, your emergency contacts are automatically alerted with your last known location. Built into BONE, free.
Say where you’re meeting and how long. Tap “I’m safe” or extend, right from the lock screen.
If a check-in goes unanswered, your contacts are alerted with your details and last known location.
Optionally BONE stores your last position while the check-in is active, and only then.
Pick a safe place on the map. When you arrive, BONE asks on its own whether to end the check-in.
Best-effort safety feature, not a replacement for emergency services.
Privacy & security
Privacy isn’t one feature among many. It’s the core. Here’s what we promise and how we back it up.
Every message is encrypted with the Signal Protocol. The same crypto Signal Messenger uses.
We don’t sell data. And we don’t see your messages.
We don’t see what you share in chat. We do see public profile photos. We verify them for you.
Your exact location never leaves your device. Others only see an approximate distance. Precise enough to connect, without revealing where you live.
If you lose your device, not even we can recover your messages. Turn on chat backup and your history stays encrypted in iCloud.
Each of your devices has its own keys. Messages are encrypted separately per device. Even across multiple devices, nobody else reads along.
What you get
Nearby profiles, cleanly sorted. You decide what you show and what you see: from distance to filter. People who just joined get the “New here” badge so nobody starts out alone.
Signal Protocol end-to-end encryption on every message. Real-time delivery, typing indicators, read receipts. Wordless nudges (Hi, Hot, Now), pre-written icebreakers, swipe-to-archive, recall, multi-device linking with safety-number verification, and encrypted iCloud chat backup recoverable only with your Recovery Key.
Public photos plus private photos shared only in encrypted chats. Verified-photo badge via selfie match. Bio, age, height, position, tribes, looking-for: all optional. Tribes (Bear, Twink, Jock, …) are self-labels, not hard filters. Detailed activity preferences with active/passive split and venue preferences.
Discover, create and RSVP to events. Private and public modes.
Boost puts you at the top of the grid in your area for 30 minutes. Meet Now signals you’re available right now. Others with active Meet Now see you first.
Hide your location, hide from visitor lists, or limit visitors to verified profiles. Each setting toggles independently.
Pricing
All core features are free, including encrypted chat and Date Check-In. Extras you pay for individually with credits, no subscription needed.
Everything that matters: grid, end-to-end encrypted chat, profile, events, safety and Date Check-In. Free.
Ad-free and more comfort. Coming soon.
Credits
A single credit balance instead of confusing tiers. You buy credits and use them whenever you want.
For newcomers
Glad you’re here. BONE supports you whatever you’re looking for: just chatting, something casual, or a serious relationship.
When you start in the app you can choose: “No, this is all new to me” walks you through it step by step. “Yes, I know how it works” jumps straight to what makes BONE different.
What we’re after
We believe trust is the basis for people meeting each other. We don’t want to extract it. We want to build it with you.