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No. There is no signup, no password, no email verification. The app generates a random Device ID the first time you launch it, and that's it. You're online.

Pick a username (any string up to 20 characters), an optional short bio, and an avatar from our emoji set. That's all that's visible to the people you match with. You never give us your real name, phone, email, or Apple ID.

A fresh Device ID is generated. Your prior rank, credits, reports, and block list are gone — there is no way to link the new install back to the old one. This is the only way to fully "reset" your stdout.chat identity.

For now, yes. Android is on the roadmap. There is no plan for a desktop client — the app is built for fast, low-friction phone conversations.

You select up to 5 interests from four categories: Culture & Entertainment, Tech & Digital, Lifestyle, Sport & Outdoors. We pair you with a user who has at least one interest in common, weighted by similarity in rank tier.

You can edit your interests at any time from Settings → Profile. New interests apply on your next match.

Yes. The profile preview screen always shows two options: [connect] and [skip]. Skipping has no rank penalty. We only deduct points if you abandon a session abruptly mid-conversation.

Every chat closes with a letter grade: S (exceptional), A (good), B (okay), C (low engagement). The grade is calculated from session length, message balance, and whether either party left abruptly.

Grades feed your rank score and your hidden behavior signal — which keeps low-grade users out of high-grade pairings.

By design. stdout.chat is text-first. There is no photo upload, no voice, no video. The avatar you see on a profile preview is from a fixed emoji set we provide — never a user-submitted image. This is what keeps the platform clean and lets people focus on what someone is actually saying.

No. Conversations exist only in memory while a session is active. When either party leaves, the message history is gone from our servers. The only exception is a small recent-message buffer that may be temporarily kept if a user submits a /report — see the retention policy.

Each session ends with a grade and a point reward: S = +20, A = +12, B = +5, C = 0. Points accumulate from NEW (0 pts) all the way to LEGEND (5000 pts) across 16 tiers.

You don't lose tier on a bad session — you just don't gain. Persistent low-grade behavior, however, can demote you.

Six: classic_green (default), amber, white_phosphor, blue_terminal, red_alert, matrix_dark. Three are free; three are unlocked via the credits store (300–800 credits each).

Settings → Themes. Tap any unlocked theme to apply it instantly across the whole app. Your selection is stored locally — no server round-trip.

Type /report in the chat. The session is flagged for moderation and a small buffer of the last 10 messages is temporarily kept for review. Reports are looked at within 24 hours — confirmed violations result in immediate device-level bans.

Type /block during or after a session. The blocked Device ID is stored locally on your phone — you will never be paired with that user again. Blocking is private; the other side is not notified.

It's reviewed by a human moderator and then deleted when no longer needed. We do not retain reported message content longer than necessary for moderation. See the Privacy Policy for the full retention schedule.

The short list: illegal content, harassment, hate speech, threats, doxxing, sharing CSAM, spam, automation, and any attempt to disrupt the service. The full list lives in the Terms of Service. We operate a zero-tolerance policy.

Credits are stdout.chat's in-app currency. They let you send /shout broadcasts and unlock premium themes. You can earn them through high-grade sessions or purchase packs in the store.

Settings → Store. All purchases go through Apple's in-app payment system. We never see your card details — only an anonymized Apple transaction ID.

All refunds are handled by Apple. Visit reportaproblem.apple.com, find the purchase, and request a refund. We cannot process refunds directly.

Open Settings → Store → "Restore Purchases". Apple will restore any prior credit purchases tied to your Apple ID. Note: themes purchased on the old Device ID need to be reapplied; credit balance carries over.

A random UUID generated when you first install the app. Stored in the iOS Keychain. It's how we track your rank and credit balance — but it is not linked to your name, phone, email, or Apple ID. Delete the app and the link is severed permanently.

Settings → Profile → "Identity" card. Or type /score in any chat — your Device ID is shown at the bottom.

Yes. Two options:

• Self-serve: delete the app. Your Device ID becomes orphaned, no longer linked to a device.
• Email request: contact [email protected] with your Device ID. We process deletion requests within 30 days.

Inside the app: no third-party analytics, no advertising SDKs, no IDFA. The website uses Vercel Web Analytics for anonymous page-view counts only — no cookies, no personal data.

First: toggle airplane mode for 5 seconds and try again — clears most carrier-side routing issues. If it persists, you may have hit the per-IP simultaneous-connection limit (3 max). Other devices on the same network using stdout.chat may need to disconnect.

Most common cause: the app was reinstalled (Device ID changed). If you didn't reinstall and your rank still reset, email [email protected] with your Device ID and we'll investigate.

Email [email protected] with your Device ID, the approximate time you were last online, and any context. Our moderators review every appeal — false-positive bans are reversed promptly.

Force-quit (swipe up from home screen, swipe the app away), then reopen. If it persists, update to the latest version from the App Store. Still broken? Send us a crash report at [email protected] with your iOS version and device model.