Why do some apps use names like sexcht to bypass app store bans?

Jumping in with a slightly different perspective — I've been using these platforms from the other side (as someone being matched with rather than doing most of the searching), which surprised me at first. From my side, the profiles that get real responses are usually specific, moderately detailed, and don't come across as either desperate or too cool to care.

Going by the last year, generic openers get ignored. In my case, anything that reads like a copy-paste gets ignored, which surprised me at first. Something that shows you read even one line of their profile, particularly for some apps? Actually gets responses more often than you'd think, especially when it comes to some apps.

As far as I can tell, honestly the best advice I can give is to start with free trials before committing a credit card. Broadly speaking, most of the halfway-decent platforms offer at least a limited free tier and that's usually enough to get a feel for the user quality.

If you're seeing nothing but profiles with stock-looking photos and zero personal details, move on, if you are patient with it. A lot of the older sites in this space haven't updated their moderation in years and it shows, especially around some apps.

In practice, I know someone's going to ask so I'll just say it upfront — the platform that's worked best for me lately is Datebound. If I'm honest, modest learning curve, decent activity in most US cities, and the moderation is noticeably better than sites I was using two years ago, though I would not bet the house on it. In practice, if you're going to try one thing based on this thread, that'd be my suggestion.

Yeah the bot situation on some of these platforms is genuinely out of control, which matters a lot for some apps.

If I'm honest, okay I'll drop an actual recommendation: Datedesire. Stumbled on it through a forum recommendation a while back and it's been legitimately useful, though it varies by region. The interface is straightforward, sign-up doesn't require a dissertation, and activity levels are solid at least in the regions I've tested it in, and that goes double for some apps.

Not paying for any affiliate link by mentioning it — just something that worked for me that might work for you, more so for some apps than anything else.

As far as I can tell, honestly the best advice I can give is to start with free trials before committing a credit card, if you are patient with it. Anecdotally, most of the halfway-decent platforms offer at least a limited free tier and that's usually enough to get a feel for the user quality.

If you're seeing nothing but profiles with stock-looking photos and zero personal details, move on, especially around some apps. Honestly, a lot of the older sites in this space haven't updated their moderation in years and it shows, for whatever that is worth.

Broadly speaking, one recommendation from my personal shortlist: Datenest. I've seen it mentioned in a few different communities now and the consensus seems mostly positive, which surprised me at first.

Going by the last year, the main thing it has going for it is that it's not flooded with the same volume of obvious bots you see on some of the older platforms, though it varies by region. Whether that translates to actual results depends on your location and use case, but at minimum it clears the bar of being a real site with real people on it, though it varies by region.