Frequently Asked Questions

BuddyMe is an app for finding people to do activities with – whether it's grabbing coffee, playing sports, going to concerts, or just hanging out. Unlike dating apps, we're focused on friendship and real-life meetups.

Yes, the basic features of BuddyMe are free. You can share what you're open for, see what others are looking for, and chat with up to 3 matches per month. For unlimited matches and additional benefits, there's BuddyMe Premium.

No, BuddyMe is not a dating app. We focus on friendship and shared activities. The app is designed so that romantic advances are unwelcome and can be reported. Our motto: Activities, not dates.

BuddyMe is available throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Particularly active communities exist in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich, and many other cities.

Yes, you must be at least 13 years old to use BuddyMe. There is no upper age limit – BuddyMe is for anyone looking for activity partners, regardless of age.

Download the BuddyMe app from the App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android). Register with your email address or use "Sign in with Apple" or "Sign in with Google". Complete your profile and you're ready to go.

Go to Profile → Privacy → Delete my account. Your data will be deleted within 30 days. An active Premium subscription must be canceled separately through the app store.

Tap "Profile" in the app → "Edit Profile". There you can change your photo, name, bio, interests, and city. Changes are saved immediately.

Yes, no phone number is required for registration – you can sign up with email, Apple, or Google. Phone numbers are deliberately protected at BuddyMe and are only shared after a positive meetup with mutual consent.

Video verification lets you prove you're real by recording a short video. You follow a quick on-screen instruction, and we compare your video to your profile photo. Your video is never stored — it's discarded immediately after comparison. Once verified, you earn a trust badge on your profile.

Go to Profile → Privacy → Export my data. We'll prepare a file with all your BuddyMe data including your profile, signals, messages, and buddies. You'll receive an email with a download link when it's ready. The link is valid for 7 days.

When you say you're "Open for..." something, you're telling others you'd like company for that activity. For example: "Open for coffee this week" or "Open for hiking this weekend". Other users nearby can see it and reach out.

When you see someone open for something that interests you, tap "Count me in!". They receive a notification and can accept or decline your request. Only when both sides agree does a chat open – this means less spam and more genuine interest.

After a match, a chat opens where you can coordinate the meetup. Use the chat to agree on a time and place to meet — no need to exchange phone numbers.

With the free version, you can have up to 3 new matches per month. Existing chats and buddy connections are unlimited. With BuddyMe Premium, you have unlimited matches. You can also purchase a Match Pack for a few extra matches without subscribing.

Safety is our top priority. All profiles are moderated, and you can verify your identity with a short video to earn a trust badge. Every profile has a trust score so you can gauge how established a member is. You can block and report users at any time, phone numbers are never shared without your consent, and you control who can contact you.

Your profile is visible to other registered BuddyMe users. In Profile → Privacy, you can control who can contact you. You can also choose to show your profile photo only to buddies and people you're chatting with — everyone else will see a placeholder instead.

Yes! Go to Profile → Privacy and enable "Visible to buddies only" under Profile Photo. When enabled, only your buddies and people you're actively chatting with can see your photo. Everyone else sees a placeholder avatar. This gives you more privacy while staying active on BuddyMe.

Every profile has a trust score shown as a shield badge. It reflects how established and engaged a member is on BuddyMe. Your score grows as you verify with a short video, complete your profile, and meet people in real life. Look for members with higher trust levels for extra confidence when meeting someone new.

Tap on the person's profile → tap the three dots (···). You have three options: • Hide: Removes them from your feed. They won't know. Use when you're not interested in someone. • Block: Completely prevents contact. Ends chats and removes buddy connections. Use for harassment or safety concerns. • Report: Flags the person for review by our moderation team. All reports are taken seriously. You can manage hidden users in Profile → Privacy → Hidden Users.

Never automatically. BuddyMe has safeguards in place to prevent contact details from being shared prematurely. Contact sharing unlocks once you've built trust through real-life interactions — and even then, only with mutual consent.

To keep everyone safe, BuddyMe limits the sharing of contact details in chat until trust has been established through real-life interactions. This protects both you and others while you're still getting to know each other.

After matching, suggest a time and place in the chat. Once you both agree, you're all set — no need to exchange phone numbers.

Meet in a public place (café, park, etc.), tell someone about your meetup, don't share private phone numbers or addresses too early, and trust your gut. You can end the meetup at any time if you feel uncomfortable.

Badges reward you for using BuddyMe. You earn them by creating signals, getting matches, completing meetups, doing Buddy Bumps, and maintaining streaks. Check your badge collection in your profile to see your progress and discover which badges are still locked.

Streaks track your daily engagement with BuddyMe. Stay active by creating signals, sending match requests, messaging, or completing meetups. Hit milestones at 7, 14, 30, and 60 days to earn streak badges. If you miss a day, a streak freeze (available every 7 days) can save your progress.

Buddy Bump lets you confirm that you actually met someone in real life. After a meetup, tap your phones together to confirm. This earns you badges and strengthens your trust score. If it doesn't work on your device, you can confirm manually instead.

Buddies are people you want to stay connected with beyond a single activity. Unlike matches, buddy connections are permanent and let you message each other anytime without using a match slot. You can add or remove buddies from any chat.

With Premium you get: Unlimited matches per month, better visibility in the feed, the ability to see who visited your profile, and a Premium badge on your profile.

Premium subscriptions are managed through the app store. On iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → BuddyMe → Cancel subscription. On Android: Play Store → Menu → Subscriptions → BuddyMe → Cancel subscription. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.

Refunds for in-app purchases are handled by Apple or Google. Contact Apple Support (iPhone) or Google Play Support (Android) to request a refund. We have no direct influence over app store refund decisions.

This can have several reasons: 1) Make sure your city is correctly set in your profile. 2) Signals from nearby cities will also appear in your feed. 3) In some regions, there are fewer active users – be the first to share what you're open for!

Go to Profile → Notifications and enable the desired notifications. Also make sure BuddyMe is allowed to send notifications in your device settings (iPhone: Settings → BuddyMe → Notifications).

BuddyMe is currently available in German and English. The app automatically detects your device language. You can also switch the language manually under Profile → Language.

Yes, you can access BuddyMe at app.buddyme.me. Core features like browsing signals, matching, and chatting work in the browser. However, some features like push notifications and Premium subscriptions require the mobile app. For the full experience, we recommend downloading the app.