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Community Guidelines

Version 1.3 · Effective 2026-10-04 · Last updated October 4, 2026

Hey, welcome!

You just joined a community of real humans looking for real connections. We use layered checks, photo screening and your reports to act on impersonation and scams. We work hard to keep this community human, honest, and safe.

We built HoopFrog because dating apps felt broken: fake profiles, ghosting, zero accountability. So we did something about it. Everyone confirms a phone number before they can like or message, everyone gives a date of birth, photos are screened at upload, messages are encrypted in transit and at rest (though not end-to-end encrypted), and if someone crosses a line, we take action.

These guidelines are the rules of the house. Read them once. They're short, they're honest, and they exist to help everyone feel comfortable being themselves.

The core principles (the non-negotiables)

Respect. Treat every person like a full human being with feelings, boundaries, and a life. You don't have to connect with everyone. You do have to be decent to everyone.

Consent. Consent is everything. For messages, for photos, for meeting in person, for anything physical or intimate. "Maybe" isn't yes. Silence isn't yes. Only yes is yes, and yes can be taken back any time.

Honesty. Be yourself. Use your real photos. Use your real age. Be upfront about what you're looking for. Nobody wants to show up to a date and meet a completely different person.

Safety. Your safety and everyone else's comes first. If something feels off, trust that feeling. Report it.

What's NOT okay here

This list isn't exhaustive, but it covers the big stuff. Break any of these and your account is at risk.

  • Harassment & bullying. Including unsolicited sexual messages, pressuring someone after they've said no, repeat messaging after being ignored, or any form of intimidation.
  • Hate speech & discrimination. No racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, religious hate, or any attack based on who someone is. This is not tolerated.
  • Fake profiles. No impersonation, no stolen photos, no pretending to be someone else. We use photo checks, an optional selfie check and your reports to deal with it.
  • Scams & solicitation. No "hey queen" crypto pitches, no sugar-daddy/sugar-baby arrangements, no promoting OnlyFans or cam sites, no asking for money, no MLM recruiting, no romance-scam scripts. We use automated checks and your reports to spot this, and we may act on it, up to and including a permanent ban.
  • Explicit content in public spaces. Your main gallery photos need to be clothed. No nudes in display photos, no explicit sexual content in public profile fields.
  • Minors or anyone under 18. HoopFrog is strictly 18+. We use age-assurance methods to help enforce this. If you believe someone may be underage, report immediately.
  • Violence, weapons, or illegal activity. No promoting violence, no weapons in photos, no drugs, no illegal solicitation.
  • Sharing someone's info without consent. Don't screenshot private chats and post them elsewhere. Don't share someone's location, real name, workplace, or photos. Sharing someone's private details can lead to a permanent ban.
  • Spam. No copy-pasted messages to multiple people, no links to sketchy sites, no advertising.
  • Child sexual exploitation & grooming. Any sexualisation of, contact with, or grooming of anyone under 18 is strictly prohibited. Where the law requires it, we report it to the authorities.
  • Intimate-image abuse & sextortion. No sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent, and no using them to coerce, extort, or blackmail anyone.
  • Cyberflashing. No sending unsolicited sexual or explicit images.
  • Threats, stalking & intimidation. No threats of violence, no stalking, no monitoring or pursuing someone against their wishes.
  • Fraud. No deception, fake offers, phishing, or financial fraud of any kind.
  • Human trafficking & exploitation. No recruiting, advertising, or facilitating trafficking or sexual exploitation.
  • Terrorism & violent extremism. No content that promotes, supports, or facilitates terrorism or violent extremism.
  • Encouraging or assisting suicide or self-harm. Do not encourage, instruct, or pressure anyone toward suicide or self-harm. If you or someone you are talking to is struggling, please see the crisis resources on our dating-safely page.

Your safety toolkit

We built these features so you never feel stuck. Use them freely; they exist for you.

Age assurance. Everyone gives a date of birth and must be 18 or over. In some places we also use VerifyMy, a trusted third-party age assurance service, to confirm age. This is not a legal identity check, background check or guarantee of safety.

A clear public profile photo is required

To take part in discovery and use dating features, you need an approved public profile photo that clearly shows one face. It cannot be private and it must pass photo review. Until an approved photo is in place, your profile is not shown in discovery and you cannot like, connect or message.

Checks You Can See. Verified on HoopFrog is not a badge. Every profile shows which checks are done, such as phone, email, age, photos, a friend's vouch and the optional live selfie, together with a public Trust Score. The selfie check compares a live selfie with the profile photo; it does not confirm legal identity. In some circumstances, additional safety checks are required before a profile can be shown or dating features can be used. Look at the checks before you decide whom to trust.

Scam Detection. We have automated scanning for scam patterns: the "hello beautiful" openers, the crypto pitches, the sudden love-bombing followed by a money ask. When something looks sketchy we flag it for our safety team, and some messages from new accounts can be held for review before they reach you.

Reporting During and After Calls. If someone is rude, inappropriate, or different from their photos, you can leave the call at any time and then report them. Open their profile or your conversation, tap the three dots, and choose Report. You can also report a video greeting that breaks the rules. Reports are reviewed by our team, with help from automated checks.

Block and Report. From any profile or conversation, tap the three dots to block or report. Once blocked, they can't see you, can't message you, and can't find your profile. No warning sent to them, no explanation owed.

Report System. You can report a message, a profile, or a photo. Reports go straight to our safety review and are reviewed by our team, with help from automated checks. We look at serious reports as soon as we can. Learn more about reporting.

Message Encryption. Messages are encrypted in transit and at rest; they are not end-to-end encrypted. To keep the community safe, automated systems may screen messages for fraud and abuse, and our team may review messages when needed to keep the community safe, for example when a message is reported or the law requires it. Each review is recorded.

Anti-Ghosting. We actively work against the ghosting culture that plagues other apps. If a two-way conversation goes quiet for a few days, the app sends a friendly nudge to both of you. If someone has left your messages completely unanswered, we send them a gentle push notification after a period of inactivity, and a follow-up later if there is still no reply. If there is still no reply after an extended period, the connection automatically closes and both of you get a notification so you can move on without the awkward ambiguity. You can also close any stale connection yourself at any time, with an optional goodbye message.

Photo Privacy Tiers. Your gallery photos are what everyone can see. Your private photos are locked; you choose who gets access, one person at a time. You decide who sees them.

Stealth (VIP). Browse profiles without showing up in anyone's "who viewed me" list. Perfect for when you want to explore without broadcasting.

Read Receipts Toggle (VIP). Decide whether people see that you've read their message. You're in charge of what you reveal.

Child safety

HoopFrog does not tolerate content that exploits or endangers minors. We believe we all have a genuine moral and legal responsibility to protect children, and we take this with the utmost seriousness.

We use age-assurance methods (including VerifyMy, a third-party provider) to check that users are 18+. Methods vary by region, and we continue to expand coverage. We actively monitor for signs of underage users or content involving minors. Where we confirm an account is operated by or targeting a minor, we act on it and remove the account.

If you encounter any content that appears to exploit or endanger a child:

Where we identify child sexual abuse material, we preserve the relevant data and report to the designated authorities (such as the Canadian Centre for Child Protection / Cybertip.ca, and police where applicable) as required by law.

If something feels off

Trust your gut. Seriously. If a conversation is making you uncomfortable, if a profile looks suspicious, if someone's pressuring you, act on that feeling.

  1. Block them. Tap the three dots on their profile or chat, select Block.
  2. Report them. Same menu, tap Report, pick a reason. Takes 10 seconds.
  3. Reach out to us. Email support@hoopfrog.com or use the in-app support chat. For urgent safety issues, say so in your message. HoopFrog is not an emergency service; if someone is in immediate danger, contact emergency services first.
  4. If you're in danger: Contact local emergency services. Your safety comes before anything else.

What happens if someone breaks the rules

We take reports seriously. Here's how we handle violations:

  • Warning. For minor violations, we may issue a warning and remove the offending content.
  • Temporary suspension. For repeated issues or more serious behaviour, the account may be suspended while we look into it, or for a time we decide.
  • Permanent ban. For severe violations: harassment, hate speech, scams, threats, anything involving minors, doxxing. The account is permanently removed. We also take steps to make it harder for the same person to sign up again.

Some violations are severe enough that, once confirmed, they lead to removal and a permanent ban: illegal content, threats of violence, sexual content involving minors, organised scam networks. Where the law requires it, we preserve the required evidence, report to the relevant authorities and cooperate with law enforcement. We also remove the content and may permanently ban the account.

Appealing a decision

If we restrict, suspend, or remove your account or content, you can appeal by contacting support@hoopfrog.com. A member of our team will look at it again, and we will respond.

These guidelines may change

We update these guidelines as the platform evolves and as we learn. We may tell you about significant updates, and the date at the top of this page shows when it last changed. We encourage you to check back periodically.

One more thing

You're here because you want something real. So is almost everyone else. Most of the people you'll meet are great: kind, interesting, genuine. The guidelines exist for the small minority who aren't, so they can't ruin it for the rest of us.

Be the person you'd want to meet. Be kind, be honest, be brave enough to say what you actually want. Respect other people's no. Trust your own yes.

Thanks for being here. Go find your people.

- The HoopFrog Team