Six things to check before you sign up
Which app is “best” changes every year. What doesn’t change is how to judge one. Six things you can verify in five minutes — hiding your profile, pre-blocking contacts, distance precision, and what happens when you leave.
Rankings go stale. Criteria don’t. Here is what to check yourself, in the settings screen.
Search for the best queer dating app and you get ranked lists. The problem is that most of them are only accurate on the day they were written. Pricing changes, features appear and disappear, and last year’s number one has no particular reason to be this year’s.
So this is a set of criteria instead. Criteria do not go stale. Install two or three apps, run this list, and you will get a better answer than any ranking. All six can be checked within five minutes of signing up.
1. Can you hide yourself?
This is the one that matters most. Look for a discovery on/off switch or an invisible mode before anything else. Without one, you are visible to everyone the moment you register.
- Is there a setting called discovery, visibility, or incognito?
- When it is off, do you disappear from results entirely, or just rank lower?
- Do existing conversations survive? They should — hiding should only stop new discovery.
2. Can you pre-block people you know?
Most outing happens through people you already know, not strangers. Blocking someone after you have already seen each other in the grid is too late — they saw you too.
- Is there contact-based blocking that reads your phone book?
- Can you block numbers that have not signed up yet, so the block applies automatically if they join later?
- Is blocking two-way? One-sided hiding is only half a feature.
- How are the numbers stored? Hashes are better than plain numbers on a server.
3. How precise is the distance?
Grid apps sort people by distance and often show it down to tens of metres. In the same building, or the same office, that is enough to identify someone.
- Can you turn distance display off? Some apps cannot — it is their core mechanic.
- If you cannot, the practical response is to avoid clearly identifiable photos on that app.
- Can you control when location updates, or use the app away from home and work?
4. Is there identity verification?
Verification cuts down impersonation and under-18 accounts. But be clear about what it does: it establishes that the person is a real adult, not that they are acting in good faith. Treat it as a floor, not a guarantee.
If an app does verify, check the privacy policy for how long it keeps that data. An app that states it destroys identity data immediately after verification is handling it better than one that is silent about it.
5. What can you actually do for free?
One question decides this: is messaging free? If sending a message is itself paywalled, the free tier is a demo. Sign up and try sending one — you will know in a minute.
6. What happens when you leave?
Photos, conversations, verification documents. A retention period should be written in the privacy policy, and the absence of a stated answer is itself an answer.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Can you hide yourself? | Without it you are fully visible from the moment you sign up |
| Pre-block contacts? | Blocking after you have been seen is too late |
| How precise is distance? | Tens of metres identifies someone in the same building |
| Identity verification? | Reduces impersonation and minors — a floor, not a guarantee |
| Is messaging free? | If sending costs money, the free tier is a demo |
| What remains after deletion? | If the policy does not say, that is the answer |
Check all of these in the settings screen, not the store listing. If the setting is not there, the feature does not exist. For what these look like in practice, see queer dating in Korea.
What Ting does
Written as answers to the six, not as a pitch.
| Check | Ting |
|---|---|
| Hide yourself | Discovery on/off. Off removes you from the map and swipe entirely |
| Pre-block contacts | Contact-based, including numbers that have not joined; stored as hashes |
| Distance | Turning discovery off removes you from the map |
| Verification | Carrier identity verification in Korea (19+); date of birth and adult verification from abroad (18+) |
| Free tier | Profile, discovery, swipe matching, chat and Pung posts are free |
| After deletion | Identifying data anonymised immediately; photos removed from storage |
Ting is listed on the US App Store as “Ting - Queer Dating App” for ages 18 and up. The interface is in English. Browse for free and see who is near you before deciding.
VIP comes in 1, 3, 6 and 12-month terms. Prices vary by store and region, so they are not listed here — check the App Store or Google Play page for your country.
Frequently asked
Are “best dating app” ranking articles reliable?
Usually they are accurate on the day they were published, or they are advertising. Pricing and features change, so a list from six months ago is already out of date. Running this six-point check on two or three apps yourself is more reliable.
Should I use more than one app?
At first, yes — try two. User density varies enormously by city, so installing one app and concluding "nobody is here" can be wrong. Just remember you need to set the privacy options separately in each.
Does identity verification expose me to other users?
No. It is used for age and identity checks and is not shown to other members. What varies is how long the app keeps that data, so check the privacy policy. An app that destroys it immediately after verification is handling it better.
Should I use a face photo?
It increases responses, but on apps that show precise distance it also helps identify you. Check first whether you can blur photos or hide your profile, then decide based on your situation. Plenty of people use these apps without a face photo.
If an app has no hide feature, is it unusable?
Not unusable, but you are accepting permanent visibility. If you take that route, be deliberate about photos — avoid anything with your face, your workplace, or recognisable surroundings — and assume anyone nearby can see the profile.
Does deleting my account cancel the subscription?
No. The App Store and Google Play manage in-app subscriptions, so you must cancel in your store’s subscription settings. This applies to every app, not just this one.