Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: March 7, 2026 Q1: What is OnlyHours in one sentence? OnlyHours is a platform that converts mutual interest between two adults into a confirmed real-world meeting by making flaking costly, showing up rewarding, and your behavioral history public and permanent. Q2: How is OnlyHours different from Tinder, Bumble, or Hinge? Those apps are designed to maximize the time you spend inside them. Their revenue comes from engagement subscriptions and advertisements, so they are structurally incentivized to keep you swiping and chatting indefinitely. OnlyHours is designed to maximize the rate at which you actually meet people in real life. Our revenue model is aligned with your success, not your continued engagement. Every feature exists to move you from a digital match to a physical meeting as efficiently as possible. Q3: Is OnlyHours a dating app or a hookup app or something else? Neither. OnlyHours is a meeting platform. We do not define what the meeting should become. Two users may meet and discover they want a long term relationship, a casual encounter, a friendship, or nothing at all. The app's only job is to make the meeting happen. What happens after the meeting is entirely between you and the other person. Q4: What problem does OnlyHours actually solve? The problem is the intention-action gap. Millions of people match on dating apps every day and explicitly state they want to meet. They do not meet because there is no cost to flaking, no reward for showing up, and no public record of past behavior. OnlyHours solves this by introducing structural accountability into the meeting process. Q5: Why should I trust that OnlyHours is different from other apps? Because our business model depends on you meeting people, not on you staying in the app. Every other dating app makes money when you stay subscribed and keep swiping. OnlyHours makes money when you successfully meet people and tell your friends about it. This is not a marketing claim. It is a structural fact built into our incentive system. Q6: How do I create an account? You download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You enter your phone number and receive a one time password via SMS. You enter the OTP and your account is created. You then complete your profile with photos and basic information before you can see other users. Q7: Why do you require my phone number? Phone number verification serves two purposes. First, it significantly reduces the number of fake accounts and bots because creating a fake account requires a new SIM card. Second, it creates a foundational layer of identity verification that makes users more accountable for their behavior. Q8: What information is required on my profile? You are required to provide at least one clear photo of your face, your first name, your age, and your gender. All other fields are optional but recommended because profiles with more complete information receive more matches and higher trust scores. Q9: What are the optional profile fields? Optional fields include your sexuality, your relationship intentions, your body type, your HIV status, your position preferences if applicable, whether you are hosting capable, your profession, your education, your interests, and a written bio. You control exactly which optional fields are visible on your profile. Q10: Can I verify my identity beyond my phone number? Yes. You can complete selfie verification where you take a real time photo that is compared to your profile photos. This adds a "Selfie Verified" badge to your profile. You can also complete DigiLocker verification for a "Government ID Verified" badge which is the highest level of identity verification on the platform. Q11: What is the Founding Member badge? The Founding Member badge is a permanent badge awarded to every user who joined OnlyHours during our first 30 days of operation in any city. It signals that this user was part of the community before there was any established reputation system and took the risk of joining early. Q12: Can I hide my profile from certain people? Your profile is visible to all users within your geographic radius who match your expressed preferences. You cannot selectively hide from individuals unless you block them. Blocked users will never see your profile again. Q13: How do I delete my account? Go to Settings, select Account, and choose Delete Account. You will be asked to confirm once. Upon confirmation, your profile, photos, and all personal data are permanently deleted from our servers within 30 days. Your streak and trust score are not recoverable after deletion. Q14: What happens to my data if I delete my account? Your personal information is deleted. Aggregated and anonymized data that cannot be traced back to you may be retained for analytical purposes. Your streak and trust score are permanently destroyed and cannot be recovered if you create a new account. Q15: Can I create a new account after deleting my old one? Yes, but you will start with zero streaks and a zero trust score. You cannot transfer your old reputation to a new account. This is intentional to prevent users from escaping a negative history by creating fresh accounts. Q16: How do I find people to meet? You browse the grid of users near you. The grid is sorted first by distance and then by streak count, with higher streak users appearing higher. You can apply filters for age, gender, and other preferences. When you see someone you are interested in meeting, you tap their profile to view it in detail. Q17: How do I express interest in someone? After viewing a profile, you have two options. You can send a message which is a high interest signal that starts the meetup timer. Or you can send an emoji reaction which is a low interest signal. If you send a reaction and the recipient responds with a message, the meetup timer begins. Q18: What is the meetup timer and how does it work? The meetup timer is the core mechanism of OnlyHours. After you send a message to someone and they respond, both parties have one hour to confirm mutual interest. If both parties confirm within one hour, you enter the scheduling phase. If either party fails to confirm within one hour, the match expires and disappears permanently. Q19: Why is there a one hour confirmation window? The one hour window forces both parties to make a genuine decision quickly. On other apps, users can let matches sit indefinitely while they explore other options. This creates a culture of low commitment and high flaking. The one hour window ensures that when you match with someone, they are actually present and interested. Q20: What happens after mutual interest is confirmed? You enter the scheduling phase. Both users immediately see a scheduling interface. You must propose a specific date, time, and public location for your first meeting. The other user can accept your proposal or counter with an alternative. You have 72 hours from the moment mutual interest is confirmed to schedule a meeting. If no meeting is scheduled within 72 hours, the match expires. Q21: Why is the scheduling window 72 hours? Data from our initial pilots showed that 72 hours balances urgency with real world practicality. It is long enough for working professionals to coordinate their schedules but short enough to maintain momentum and prevent matches from dying from indecision. Q22: What if I cannot meet within 72 hours? You can request a one time extension to 120 hours. The other party must agree to the extension. Extensions are tracked and frequent extension requests may be flagged as low commitment behavior. Q23: What happens after we schedule a meeting? The meeting appears in your upcoming meetings list. You receive reminder notifications 24 hours before and one hour before the scheduled time. You can use the Share Your Date feature to share your meeting details with a trusted contact. You can see the venue on a map and get directions. Q24: How do I confirm that the meeting actually happened? When you arrive at the meeting location, the app uses proximity detection. When both users are within 15 meters of each other at the scheduled time, the app sends both a notification asking if you want to confirm the meeting. Both users must tap confirm. If proximity detection fails, you can use the QR code fallback where one user scans the other user's QR code displayed in the app. Q25: What if one person confirms and the other does not? If one person confirms and the other does not within 30 minutes of the scheduled time, the confirmation is considered failed. No streaks are awarded to either party. The system logs this as an incomplete confirmation which may affect future trust scores if it happens repeatedly. Q26: What if we both show up but the technology fails? If proximity detection and QR scanning both fail, you can use manual confirmation. Both users must tap the Manual Confirm button within 30 minutes of the scheduled meeting time. Manual confirmations are reviewed periodically to detect abuse, but genuine failures are accepted. Q27: What is a unilateral cancellation and what are the consequences? A unilateral cancellation is when one user cancels a scheduled meeting without the other user's agreement. The user who cancels receives a streak penalty of one streak deducted from their total. The user who was canceled on receives no penalty. Multiple unilateral cancellations may result in temporary account suspension. Q28: What is a mutual cancellation and what are the consequences? A mutual cancellation is when both users agree to cancel the scheduled meeting. Neither user receives a streak penalty. The match expires and both users return to the grid. Mutual cancellations are tracked but do not negatively affect your reputation. Q29: What is ghosting detection and how does it work? Ghosting detection identifies when a user stops responding to messages after mutual interest has been confirmed. If a user has unread messages for more than three hours and has been active elsewhere in the app during that time, they receive a warning. If the pattern continues, the system may apply a streak penalty and notify the other user that they have been ghosted. This feature is designed to detect bad faith behavior, not punish users who are genuinely busy. Q30: Can I report someone for behavior during a meeting? Yes. After a meeting is confirmed or after it expires, you can report the other user for any behavior that violated our community guidelines. Reports are reviewed by our safety team. Verified violations may result in account suspension or permanent banning. Q31: What is a streak? A streak is a numerical count of how many confirmed real world meetings you have completed on OnlyHours. Every time you confirm a meeting with a new person, your streak increases by one. Your streak is displayed prominently on your profile and is visible to every user who views your profile. Q32: Why is my streak visible to everyone? The streak is a public trust signal. It tells other users that you have a proven history of showing up when you say you will. A high streak is earned through consistent behavior over time and cannot be purchased or faked. This visibility creates accountability because every future match can see your reliability record. Q33: How do I increase my streak? You increase your streak by completing confirmed real world meetings with new people. The first meeting with any given person counts as one streak. Subsequent meetings with the same person do not increase your streak. This ensures your streak represents how many different people you have reliably met, not how many times you have met the same person. Q34: What happens to my streak if I cancel a meeting? If you unilaterally cancel a scheduled meeting, your streak decreases by one. If you mutually cancel with the other person's agreement, your streak remains unchanged. Q35: What happens to my streak if someone ghosts me? If you are ghosted meaning the other person stops responding after mutual interest was confirmed you receive no penalty. Your streak remains unchanged. The other person's streak will decrease if the ghosting is confirmed by our detection system. Q36: What is a Trust Score? A Trust Score is a quality rating from one to five stars based on feedback from people you have met. After every confirmed meeting, both users are asked four binary questions about the experience. Your Trust Score is the average of all ratings you have received from confirmed meetings. The score is only displayed after you have received three or more ratings. Q37: What are the four rating questions? The questions are designed to be objective and difficult to game. They are: Did this person arrive on time? Did this person represent themselves accurately in their profile? Was this person respectful throughout the meeting? Would you be open to meeting this person again? Each question is answered yes or no. Your Trust Score is calculated from your yes percentage across all questions and all meetings. Q38: Why do you have both a streak and a Trust Score? Streak measures quantity of meetings. It tells people that you reliably show up. Trust Score measures quality of meetings. It tells people that when you show up, you are a respectful and accurate person. Together they provide a complete picture of your reliability as a meeting partner. A person with a high streak and a high Trust Score is demonstrably the most reliable type of user on the platform. Q39: Can my streak or Trust Score ever reset? Your streak does not reset over time. A streak of 50 from two years ago is still visible, though the profile also shows the date of your last meeting. Your Trust Score is a rolling average of your most recent 20 meetings, so old ratings have less impact over time. This ensures your score reflects your current behavior. Q40: What are the streak tier labels and what do they mean? Streak tiers are visual labels that appear next to your streak count to give immediate context: New: 0 streaks Getting Started: 1 2 streaks Regular: 3 9 streaks Highly Reliable: 10 24 streaks Verified: 25 49 streaks Trusted: 50 plus streaks These tiers help users quickly assess experience level without doing mental math on the raw streak number. Q41: What is a Circle? A Circle is a private or public group within OnlyHours based on a shared affiliation. Circles can be created for companies, colleges, residential communities, interest groups, or social clubs. Being part of a Circle adds context to your profile and gives you access to other Circle members. Q42: How do I join a Circle? You can request to join public Circles directly. Private Circles require an invitation from an existing member or the Circle creator. Some Circles have membership fees set by the creator which are collected through the app. Q43: What are the benefits of joining a Circle? Circle membership adds a verified affiliation to your profile which increases trust. You can browse and match with other Circle members separately from the general grid. Circles often host private events for members only. Some users prefer meeting people from shared contexts like the same workplace or alumni network. Q44: How do I create a Circle? OnlyHours Plus subscribers can create Circles. You name the Circle, set it as public or private, and optionally set a membership fee. You then invite initial members. The Circle becomes visible to others based on your privacy settings. Q45: What is a Group Meetup? A Group Meetup is a Circle only feature. Any Circle member can propose a group meeting at a specific time and public location. Other Circle members can RSVP. The meetup is confirmed when at least four people RSVP. Group Meetups use the same proximity confirmation system as one on one meetings and contribute to your streak count. Q46: Why do Group Meetups exist? Group Meetups solve two problems simultaneously. They lower the stakes for first time meetings because meeting in a group is less intimidating than meeting one on one. They also accelerate streak building because you can meet multiple new people in a single event. Group Meetups are particularly valuable for new users who have not yet built a streak history. Q47: Is OnlyHours safe? OnlyHours is designed with safety as a structural feature, not an afterthought. We require phone verification and offer optional government ID verification. We provide Share Your Date so a trusted contact knows where you are. We offer an in app SOS button that alerts emergency contacts. We strongly encourage first meetings in public places. We review all reports of unsafe behavior and permanently ban verified offenders. No platform can guarantee absolute safety, but we have built more safety infrastructure than any comparable app. Q48: What is Share Your Date and how does it work? Share Your Date is a feature accessible from any scheduled meeting. When activated, it sends a message to a trusted contact of your choice containing the name of the person you are meeting, the time and location of the meeting, and a live tracking link for the duration of the meeting. Your contact can see that you arrived and can check your location during the meeting. Q49: What is the SOS button and when should I use it? The SOS button is available during any scheduled meeting window. If you feel unsafe for any reason, tapping the button sends an immediate alert to your emergency contacts with your current location. In future versions, it will also alert local emergency services based on your location. You should use this button if you feel threatened, harassed, or in physical danger. Q50: What information about me is public on my profile? Your first name, age, photos, streak count, streak tier, Trust Score if available, and any optional fields you choose to display are public to all users. Your last name, phone number, exact location, and email address are never public. Your meeting history is never public beyond the aggregate streak count. Q51: What information does OnlyHours collect about me? We collect the information you provide in your profile. We collect your phone number for verification. We collect your location only when the app is in use to show you nearby users and to enable proximity confirmation. We collect data about your usage patterns to improve the app. We do not sell your personal data to anyone. Q52: How is my location data used? Your precise location is used only for proximity confirmation during scheduled meetings. Your approximate location is used to show you users near you. Location data is not stored permanently. You can disable location services but the app will not function properly. Q53: How do you protect my privacy as an LGBTQ+ user in India? We treat sexuality data as the most sensitive information we hold. All sexuality related fields are encrypted at rest. They are only revealed to other users when you choose to display them. Our privacy policy explicitly states that we will resist any unlawful requests for user data to the fullest extent possible under Indian law. We recommend all users read our full privacy policy. Q54: Can someone take screenshots of my profile or photos? The app attempts to detect and block screenshot attempts on profile screens, but this is not foolproof. You should assume that anything you share digitally could be captured. If someone shares your photos without consent, report them immediately. Q55: What happens if someone reports me? All reports are reviewed by our safety team. If the report is about behavior that violates our community guidelines, we may issue a warning, temporarily suspend your account, or permanently ban you depending on the severity. You will be notified of any action taken. You have the right to appeal by contacting support. Q56: What should I do if I experience harassment during a meeting? End the meeting immediately and move to a safe location. Use the SOS button if you feel threatened. After you are safe, report the user through the app. Include as much detail as possible. Our safety team will investigate and take appropriate action, which may include permanent banning and, in severe cases, cooperation with law enforcement. Q57: What is your policy on illegal content? Any content that is illegal under Indian law including but not limited to child sexual abuse material, content promoting violence, or content that violates intellectual property rights is strictly prohibited. Accounts found sharing such content are permanently banned and reported to the appropriate authorities. We cooperate fully with law enforcement in such cases. Q58: Is OnlyHours free to use? The core functionality of OnlyHours is completely free. You can create a profile, browse users, match, schedule meetings, and build streaks without paying anything. Premium features are available through subscription. Q59: What is OnlyHours Plus and what does it include? OnlyHours Plus is our premium subscription tier. It costs ₹299 per month or ₹1999 per year. It includes: Unlimited daily matches free tier has 5 per day See who viewed your profile Advanced filters including minimum streak and minimum Trust Score Priority placement in the grid Extended meetup windows up to 5 days Circle creation ability One streak insurance per month cancel without penalty Q60: Why should I pay for OnlyHours Plus? You should pay if you are a power user who wants maximum control and visibility. The advanced filters alone are valuable for users who have specific preferences. Priority placement means higher streak users see you first. Circle creation is essential if you want to build a community within the app. Q61: What payment methods do you accept? We accept all major credit and debit cards, UPI, and popular mobile wallets. All payments are processed through secure third party payment gateways. We do not store your payment information on our servers. Q62: Can I cancel my subscription at any time? Yes. You can cancel your OnlyHours Plus subscription at any time from your account settings. The subscription remains active until the end of your current billing period. You will not be charged again. Q63: Do you offer refunds? We do not offer refunds for partial subscription periods. If you believe you were incorrectly charged, contact support within 7 days and we will investigate. Q64: What is the OnlyHours Verified one time payment? OnlyHours Verified is a ₹99 one time payment for expedited manual ID verification using DigiLocker. This adds a "Government ID Verified" badge to your profile. It is a stronger trust signal than selfie verification alone and signals serious intent. Q65: Do you run paid events? Yes. OnlyHours hosts regular mixer events in cities where we have an active user base. Tickets are sold through the app and typically cost between ₹200 and ₹500 depending on the venue and format. OnlyHours retains a 20 percent fee on ticket sales. These events are open to all users regardless of subscription status. Q66: I didn't receive my OTP. What should I do? OTP delivery can occasionally be delayed by mobile carriers. First, wait two minutes and try again. If you still do not receive it, check that you entered the correct phone number with the correct country code. If the problem persists, contact support with your phone number and carrier. We have a fallback SMS provider to handle carrier specific delivery failures. Q67: The app is crashing or freezing. What should I do? First, ensure you are running the latest version of the app from the app store. Force close the app and restart your phone. If the problem continues, uninstall and reinstall the app. Your account data is stored on our servers and will not be affected. If crashes persist, contact support with your device model and operating system version. Q68: Why is my location not updating correctly? Location accuracy depends on your device's GPS and network connection. Ensure location services are enabled for OnlyHours in your phone settings. If you are indoors, GPS accuracy may be reduced. For proximity confirmation during meetings, move to an open area if possible. You can always use the QR code fallback if GPS is unreliable. Q69: I met someone but the confirmation failed. What do I do? If both users were present and the confirmation failed due to technical issues, use the manual confirmation option. Both users must tap Manual Confirm within 30 minutes of the scheduled meeting time. Your streaks will be awarded. If manual confirmation also fails, contact support with the meeting details and we will investigate. Q70: Someone is pretending to be me on OnlyHours. What do I do? Immediately contact support with proof of your identity. We will investigate and remove the fake profile. We take impersonation very seriously and may cooperate with law enforcement in severe cases. Q71: How do I contact support? You can contact support through the app by going to Settings and selecting Contact Support. You can also email support at support at onlyhours dot com. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 24 hours. For urgent safety issues, include URGENT in your subject line. Q72: How long do you keep my data if I delete my account? After you delete your account, your personal information is removed from active systems within 30 days. Backup systems may retain data for up to 90 days. After that period, all personally identifiable information is permanently deleted. Anonymized usage data may be retained for analytical purposes. Q73: What are your community guidelines? Our community guidelines require that all users: Be honest in their profiles Be respectful in all communications Show up on time for scheduled meetings Respect the boundaries of others Report unsafe or abusive behavior Use the app only for its intended purpose of facilitating real world meetings Violations may result in warnings, temporary suspension, or permanent banning. Q74: What happens if I violate the community guidelines? First violations typically result in a warning and educational message about the guidelines. Repeated or severe violations result in temporary suspension. Severe violations including harassment, threats, or illegal behavior result in immediate permanent banning and may be reported to law enforcement. Q75: What is your privacy policy in plain language? We collect only the information necessary to make the app work. We use your phone number to verify your identity. We use your location to show nearby users and confirm meetings. We do not sell your data. We take reasonable measures to protect your data from unauthorized access. You can delete your account and all associated data at any time. The full legal privacy policy is available on our website. Q76: How do you comply with Indian data protection laws? We comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. We obtain explicit consent before collecting any personal data. We allow users to access, correct, and delete their data. We have implemented reasonable security safeguards to protect personal data. We have a grievance officer whose contact information is available on our website. We process data only for the purposes stated in our privacy policy. Q77: What is your data retention policy? We retain your personal data as long as your account is active. If you are inactive for 24 consecutive months, we may delete your account and associated data after providing notice. Deleted accounts have their personal data removed within 30 days. We may retain anonymized data indefinitely for analytical purposes. Q78: Do you share my data with third parties? We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with trusted service providers who help us operate the app such as cloud hosting providers and payment processors. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us. We may share data if required by law or to protect the safety of our users. Q79: Can law enforcement access my data? We comply with valid legal requests from law enforcement as required by Indian law. We require proper legal process such as a court order or warrant before disclosing user data. We notify affected users when permitted by law. We maintain a transparency report on our website detailing the number and type of law enforcement requests we receive. Q80: How do I report a legal or policy violation? Send an email to legal at onlyhours dot com with a detailed description of the violation. For urgent matters regarding user safety, include URGENT in the subject line and contact support through the app. We aim to respond to all legal inquiries within 7 business days.