How YesTonite works: photo, age, one message

YesTonite is built to get you from "who's around?" to a real conversation quickly, without matches, swiping or long questionnaires. This guide walks through the whole flow, start to finish: creating your account, setting up a profile, browsing the feed, sending your first message and understanding how daily chats work.

Everything below works the same on the app and on the web, so you can start on your phone and pick things up later on your laptop.

1. Sign up

Create an account with your e-mail address or with Google. Sign-up is free and takes a couple of minutes. You'll confirm your age along the way: you need to be 18 or older to use YesTonite.

If a friend sent you their invite link, use it when you join. Friends who join through an invite link get free chats, which is a nice head start on your first evening.

2. Set up your profile

Profiles on YesTonite are intentionally short. The aim is to give people just enough to say hello, not to write an essay.

• A photo. One clear photo is enough to start, and it is the one people see first in the feed. You can add more photos to your full profile.
• Your age. Shown on your profile so people know who they are talking to.
• Your sign. This says who you are: man, woman, two men, two women, woman + man, or other. A couple shares one profile.
• Your interest for tonight. One thing you're up for, such as live jazz, rooftop drinks or a gallery opening. It is often the easiest thing to start a conversation with.

What stays private

Others only ever see an approximate distance to you, never your exact location. Your first name stays private too. Inside a chat, you can tap "Share your name" when you feel ready, and the other person does the same on their side.

3. Browse the feed

The feed shows people near you. By default it uses Online first, so the most recently active people appear at the top and you see who is around right now. You can switch to Out tonight first to bring people who are up for plans this evening to the top.

Reading the dots and badges

• Pink dot next to "Online": the person is active now. Otherwise you'll see a rough hint such as "Active 2h ago" or "Active today".
• Green dot: the person is "Out tonight" and up for plans this evening. It switches itself off in the morning.
• NEW: the member joined this month.
• GURU: the member has been on YesTonite for 90 days or more.

Once a day the app asks you "Out tonight?" so you can turn the green dot on with one tap. There's more on this in how to find people who want to go out now.

Filters

You can filter the feed by sign, age range and distance. Your choices are saved as your search preferences, so the feed opens the way you like it every time, on both the app and the web.

4. Send one message

See someone you'd like to meet? Write a first message. That message opens the chat for both of you. There is no matching step and no waiting for the other person to like you back. Read why we built a dating app without matches for the thinking behind it.

A good first message is short, friendly and easy to answer. Mentioning their interest for tonight usually works well, and if you're both out tonight, suggesting a specific public place and time can make plans happen quickly.

5. Chat

Once a chat is open, both of you can write as much as you like. Replies are always free and never count against any limit.

• Photos: send up to 3 photos per message.
• Edit: fix your last message within 1 hour if you spot a typo.
• Share your name: tap it when you're ready. Names are only shared when each person chooses to.

If a conversation doesn't feel right, you can block or report the person at any time. Blocking hides you from each other everywhere. Our safety habits guide explains these tools and a few simple habits for meeting in person.

Daily chat limits, explained

Every member gets a number of free new chats every day. The allowance refreshes at midnight in your local time. A new chat is one you start by sending a first message. Replying to someone who wrote to you is always free.

If you want to start more conversations on a busy evening, you can buy an optional pack of extra new chats, or unlimited new chats until midnight. These are one-off purchases, not subscriptions.

Other optional extras

You can hide your profile for 1, 7 or 30 days if you want a break without leaving. It's a paid extra and completely optional. And if you decide YesTonite isn't for you, you can delete your account at any time.

For the full list of what's free and what's optional, see Is YesTonite free? In short: YesTonite is free to use, with free sign-up, free new chats every day and free replies.

6. Join or host an event

Prefer meeting people in a group? Browse events hosted by members. Open events let you join instantly; closed events ask the host to approve guests. Some events happen online. The exact address and how to get in are shared only with confirmed guests, and you get a confirmation e-mail with a calendar invite. Learn more about open and invite-only events.

A quick recap

1. Sign up free with e-mail or Google (18 or older).
2. Add a photo, your age, your sign and your interest for tonight.
3. Browse the feed, sorted by Online first or Out tonight first.
4. Send one message to open a chat for both of you.
5. Chat freely, share your name when ready, and meet somewhere public.

New to the idea of keeping things light? Read what casual dating is, or find out more about us. Ready to try it? Create your free profile.