How private dating works
People read who you are before they see what you look like. Here is exactly how.
The short version
On HideShow your profile photos start hidden. Every conversation has a chemistry score from 0 to 100%, and as it rises the other person sees more of you, in stages, and you see more of them. Your words are never hidden; only faces are.
What people see first
Your name, age and city, what you are here for, and the facts you chose to add: languages, education, children, smoking. Your photo is there too, as a separate image the server has shrunk to a handful of pixels. It is not a sharp photo behind a blur effect, so there is nothing underneath for anyone to uncover.
Location is a city and a distance band, such as under 5 km. Never coordinates, and location data is removed from photos when they are uploaded.
How chemistry grows
Chemistry moves when the turn changes hands. A real back-and-forth counts; one side writing ten messages in a row does not. Voice notes and short puzzles about each other can add to it too.
Each conversation has a pace: 5, 15, 30 or 60 exchanges to reach 100%. A fast pace suits people who already know what they want; a slow one gives a conversation room before anyone is seen.
The reveal ladder
| Chemistry | Stage | Photos | What opens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | Stranger | A separate image shrunk to a few pixels | Name, age, city, what they are here for, languages, education |
| 20% | Acquaintance | Heavily blurred: a shape, a palette, a pose | The kind of thing they make, never which one |
| 40% | Friendly | Softly blurred: a person, not yet a face | Interests, height, build, eyes, hair |
| 60% | Close | Clear profile photos | Titles of anything they have made |
| 80% | Trusted | Clear profile photos | Links to what they have made |
| 100% | Top of the ladder | Clear, in the chat too | Video calls, photos and videos in the chat, and sharing private items |
Video calls wait for 100% because a live camera shows a face more completely than any photograph, and blurring video would be done by the app, which a modified app could simply skip. Calls are peer-to-peer and are never recorded.
Why the blur happens on the server
Many apps that hide photos send the real photo to your phone and blur it on screen. Anyone who inspects the app can take the sharp copy. HideShow makes a separate, low-detail image for each stage on the server and sends only the one your conversation has reached.
What money can and cannot do
Credits pay for sending things: half a credit for every 200 characters of a message, 5 for a photo or voice note, 10 for a video, 20 a minute for a video call. They can put you at the front of the deck for a few hours. They cannot move chemistry, a reveal level, or what anyone sees of you.
Finding someone you already know
Every account has a random ID of eight letters and numbers, shown on its profile. Share yours, or search for theirs, and it opens their profile. An ID finds a person; it never shows more of them. The ladder still applies.
Questions
- Can I pay to see someone sooner?
- No. No purchase, subscription or boost moves chemistry or a reveal level. The only way up is a conversation both of you take part in.
- Can I let someone see me sooner?
- Yes. Before a conversation reaches 60%, either of you can choose Show my profile photo now in the chat menu. It shows your main photo to that one person, and nothing of theirs to you.
- How long does it take to reach 100%?
- Each conversation has a pace of 5, 15, 30 or 60 exchanges to the top. An exchange is the turn passing from one of you to the other, so a flood of messages from one side does not count.
- Is HideShow free?
- Joining is free and every new account starts with 50 credits. A message costs half a credit for every 200 characters, and the price of anything else is shown on the button before you press it.