Chat rooms

What happened to the old chat rooms

In the early internet, chat rooms were where people went to talk to anyone about anything. Most of them closed because a room full of anonymous strangers attracts spam, harassment and moderation nightmares.

This site takes the best idea of chat rooms — jumping into a conversation with someone new — and drops the parts that broke them. Instead of shouting into a crowded room, you get a quiet one-on-one chat with a random stranger who actually wants to talk.

How it differs from classic chat rooms

• No memberships. Old rooms often gated chat behind a username and a wait. Here you press Start and you are connected in seconds.
• One-on-one. No wall of overlapping messages, no one drowning everyone else out.
• Easy exits. In a bad conversation? Press Next. There is no etiquette lock-in and no daily limit.
• Text or video. Chat in text, or switch to video when the conversation earns it.

Why people still love chat rooms

Because conversation with a stranger is one of the most reliable small joys online. You never know who you will get — a student on the other side of the world, someone sharing your hobby, or a person who changes how you think about something. You can even set an interest so matching prefers people who share it.

Not sure what to say first? The icebreaker questions post has openers that work every time.

Staying safe in chat

Keep your personal information to yourself, trust your instincts and leave any conversation that feels wrong — one tap is all it takes. You can report anyone and block them permanently. If you want to brush up on behaviour, our random chat etiquette guide covers the unwritten rules.

Keep exploring:
• Random text chat
• Text chat
• Chat online
• Anonymous chat
• Chat by interest

Frequently asked questions

• Is this like old-school chat rooms?
  It keeps the spirit — anonymous conversation with new people — but instead of a room full of noisy members you get a clean one-on-one chat with a random stranger.
• Do I need an account to join a chat room here?
  No. There is no registration, email address or download. Open the page and press Start.
• Are chat messages saved?
  No. Your session id stays in your browser and text messages are not stored.