Dating safely

Last updated: [[LAST_UPDATED]]. Applies from [[EFFECTIVE_DATE]].

1. Summary

SmartMatchHub blind dates are audio calls of up to four minutes between people who are anonymous to each other. We do not verify identity, age or intent, and we do not record, transcribe, listen to or analyse calls. This guide sets out practical steps you can take before, during and after a call, and what to do if something goes wrong. It is general guidance. It is not legal, medical or security advice, and it does not replace the emergency services. Section 11 lists emergency numbers and support services in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Reports about conduct on the service go to [[SAFETY_EMAIL]].

2. What we do not check

The service is for people aged 18 and over. Age is self declared at sign up and we do not ask for identity documents. We do not verify identity, age or intent, we do not run background checks, and we do not screen for criminal records. Mixer, the only match path currently available, pairs whoever is available at the time and does not filter on gender, sexuality, who you are interested in, age, language, location or personality. We do not moderate what is said on a call, because we do not record or listen to calls. Treat everything another person tells you on the service as unverified.

3. What a voice call can and cannot tell you

A voice call tells you how a person sounds. It does not confirm a person’s name, age, gender, occupation, location, relationship status or intentions. Voice can be synthesised or altered by software, and a person can use a voice that is not their own. Nothing said on a call is checked by us before or after it is said.

4. What not to disclose on a call

Blind dates are anonymous and you are not required to identify yourself. Do not disclose the following on a call:

• your surname or any name you use publicly;
• your home, work or study address, or the name of your employer, school or university;
• your phone number, email address, social media handles or usernames;
• your identity number, passport number or any other identity document details;
• banking details, card numbers, account numbers or one time passwords;
• your daily routine, regular travel times or the places you visit each week;
• the names, schools or whereabouts of your children or other family members;
• your exact location, or landmarks close to your home.

Details that are harmless on their own can identify you when they are combined. You do not have to answer any question put to you on a call.

The service never carries photographs, images or video, at any stage, and we do not ask for them. Do not agree to send images of yourself through another platform.

5. Ending a call

You may leave a call at any time, for any reason, and you do not have to explain why. After each call you choose Interested, Talk again or Pass, and the more cautious of the two choices applies. Choosing Pass ends contact with that person. There can be up to three calls with the same person within a two week period. After every call you are asked to write feedback about the other person.

6. Recording

We do not record, transcribe, listen to or analyse calls. The other person may record a call using their own device or separate software, and we cannot detect or prevent that. Recording another person on the service is prohibited by our Terms of Use, and that prohibition does not stop it happening. Anything you say on a call may be kept and repeated by the other person.

7. Contact details

Contact details are exchanged only when both people choose Interested, which creates a Match and exchanges Smart Match Cards. A Smart Match Card carries a display name and the contact handles you have added, which may be WhatsApp, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook or Snapchat. Add only handles you are willing to give to a stranger, and choose handles you can mute, restrict or change. A phone number cannot be withdrawn once it is given, and it can be used to find other accounts and services linked to it. Do not give contact details out during a call. Pressuring anyone for contact details before a Match is prohibited by our Terms of Use and can be reported to [[SAFETY_EMAIL]].

8. Money and fraud

The service is free and it has no paid features. Do not send money, airtime, vouchers, gift cards or cryptocurrency to a person you met through the service. Do not share banking details, card details or one time passwords with them. Requests for financial help, investment or trading offers, and requests to move to another platform in order to deal with a financial emergency are common patterns of fraud. Report requests of this kind to [[SAFETY_EMAIL]] and, where money has been taken, to the police.

9. Meeting in person

Take the following steps before and during a first meeting:

• tell a person you trust who you are meeting, where, when, and when you expect to be back;
• share your live location with that person for the duration of the meeting;
• meet in a busy public place, in daylight, and stay in public places for the whole of the first meeting;
• do not meet at your home or at the other person’s home, and do not let the other person collect you from or drop you at your home;
• arrange and pay for your own transport to and from the meeting;
• keep your phone charged and keep enough money for your own way home;
• keep your bag, keys and documents with you;
• buy your own drinks, watch them being served, and do not leave a drink unattended;
• do not travel to another city or country to meet someone you have not met before without arranging your own accommodation and return travel;
• leave as soon as you want to, and ask staff at the venue for help if you feel unsafe.

10. Reporting to us

Report conduct on the service to [[SAFETY_EMAIL]]. Anyone may make a report, including a person who does not use the service. Give the date and time of the call, the display name if you have it, and a description of what happened. We hold no recordings, so reports are assessed on the pattern of reports and account records rather than adjudicated incident by incident. A report to us is not a report to the police.

If someone shares intimate images of you without your consent on another platform, the services listed in section 11 can assist with removal.

11. Where to get help

In an emergency, or if you are in immediate danger, contact the emergency services first.

South Africa

United Kingdom

These services are operated by other organisations and are independent of us.