Chappy Review February 2024 - Was It Just Fake or Real Dates?

Last updated: January 2024

Our Review

From: Chris Pleines

• Reading Time: 5 minute(s)

The mobile app is the brainchild of the reality star, Ollie Locke, who wanted to make a safe and comfortable dating platform for gay men. Locke was tired of seeing intimate pics of men looking for something casual in popular dating apps and saw an opportunity to create something that would cater to gay men who felt the same way. In Chappy, the user can set his preferences of the matches he wants to see, and profiles are also strictly monitored (so there would be no unsolicited vulgar photos).

With over 2 million swipes a day, Chappy is becoming one of the fastest-growing gay dating app available to download in the United States. The app is backed up by another popular dating app, Bumble, and is currently controlled by Bumble’s shareholders. In mid-2018, the app has undergone full redesign and rebranding and was officially named as Bumble’s official dating app for gay men. In February 2020, Chappy officially closed down and was merged with the Bumble app. The reason behind this was shared on the Chappy website. They said that they will be joining forces with Bumble to promote equality among LGBTQ+ members.

Even though the app does not exist on its own now, you can still read more about it on our in-depth review. Learn about the experience that people were able to get during the times that it was still running.

Chappy Members

Members

440,000 from USA

Members activity

3,000 daily logins

Gender Proportion

0 %

100 %

Majority of members come from the US and the UK
Members are straightforward with what they are looking for
More members are looking for relationships than casual fun
All members are gay
Users are usually college students and young professionals within the age range of 18-34

One hundred percent of Chappy’s members are gay as it was an exclusive gay dating mobile app. More than half of its member base resides in the United States and the United Kingdom, and majority are gay men within the age range of 18 to 34 years old.

In Chappy, members have the privilege to customize their matching preferences to what they are looking for in the app, whether it is a casual night out or serious dating. According to Chappy’s recent report, more and more of their members set their settings to ‘Cute’, which is their term for users who are looking for more than a fling. This is contrary to the prevalent notion that only casual fun and flings are what you will find in gay dating apps.

18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+

How to Signup on Chappy

One-click registration process
Signing up is only through Facebook
You have to turn on your mobile’s GPS or Location Services
The app syncs your Facebook photos, name, age, and gender

You can only have a Chappy account if you have a Facebook account. The two accounts will be linked so you can create your own profile. The information and photos from your Facebook profile are automatically displayed. You need to give access to Chappy so you can proceed. Your current Facebook profile photo will be your default Chappy profile photo. Same goes with your name and gender. You can manage your photos by clicking them on the profile tab of Chappy. You can delete or replace them, but you cannot leave your profile photo blank.

Making Contact on Chappy

Roulette-type matching
Match suggestions are based on location proximity
Matches automatically go to your message inbox
You can set your preferred match suggestions by adjusting the ‘Chappy Scale’
You can only message your successful matches

Chappy works on mutual connections. If you had swiped right to a profile from Chappy’s roulette-type matching feature, and that member had also swiped right on yours, both of you will get a notification that you matched with each other. You and that member will now belong to each other’s message inboxes and you can start a conversation. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to contact another member—if you and he had successfully matched.

Chappy Profile Quality

Profiles do not feature much information
Profiles feature your name and age in Facebook
Your photo gallery is emphasized in your profile
There is a personally written ‘About Me’ paragraph
Fake profiles are almost non-existent in this app

Profiles in Chappy feature very few details about the members. At the default view, a member’s photo gallery or profile picture (if the member only has one photo) take up the whole screen, with the member’s name and age at the bottom. When you scroll down, you will see an ‘About Me’ paragraph which is personally written by the member. There is also an indicator of how near or far (kilometres away) you are from that member.

Your Facebook account and Chappy profile are closely knitted together. The photos, name, and age that are featured on your profile are all from Facebook. You can manage your photos, change your profile photo or delete some pictures you don’t want to get featured in Chappy, but you cannot leave your profile photo empty. The only way to change your name is if you also change your Facebook name. Chappy makes sure that there are no fake profiles in their mobile app, which is why the only way to sign up to their platform is through Facebook.

Chappy App

Features are perfect for mobile user experience
Has responsive customer support
Free to download
High-rated mobile dating app
Not compatible with some devices
Available to download on Apple App Store

Chappy was only available as a mobile app. Its features were made convenient for quick and on-the-go accessibility. Its design was made to give a pleasurable and fitting mobile user experience.

Before it was closed down, the app uses the member's mobile’s GPS to prioritize users who are approximate to the current location to give more appropriate match suggestions.

Chappy wanter all its members to feel safe and comfortable with using its mobile app. Its goal was to provide a real and genuine experience for all its avid users.

Chappy Real Life Review

I’ve been a user of Chappy since its initial launch back in early 2017. Back then, I was already a fan of the app as it was a tamer version of Grindr and Bumble. And to my surprise, they launch a full redesign which looked so good! The features were also updated and I believe it would lead to more fruitful encounters. Back then I always set my preference to ‘Mr Right Now’, and I always got what I wanted. Now, in the newly redesigned Chappy, I am looking for something more serious. I have set my preference to ‘Cute’ and I’m currently talking to this one guy who might just be looking for the same thing as me. We are going to meet face to face tomorrow, and I’m just so glad that we both have our expectations straight. If not for Chappy, we will never even meet! - Kevin, 29
I used Chappy for a few months before it was shut down. We were given a freem week of premium. It's just sad thhat this kind of nice and exclusive for gay app has been shutdown. I was actually enjoying it being in the world of people who are like me. Nonetheless, I would like to commend the nice features and design of the app. I'm using Bumble now, but it's still different. -Josh, 28

Design and Usability

Chappy’s design is made to provide a convenient and enjoyable mobile user experience. The design appearance of the app sticks to its brand colors of salmon pink and its darker shades, giving a minimalistic feel that suits its millennial target market.

All the app’s features are easily accessible through the dashboard with just one tap. The slider that adjusts your preferential match suggestions can be found on top, while three icons are found at the bottom. The three icons are:

Profile Icon - takes you to your own profile that is also the gateway to your account settings
Chappy Icon - represents Chappy’s main feature which is a roulette display of profiles that match your preference
Message Icon - shows your mutual connections and gives you the chance to communicate with them

Chappy Costs and Prices

Is Chappy expensive or cheap?

In comparison to other providers Chappy is free of charge.

Special Features

Chappy offered different services but its flagship feature is the Chappy Scale. What is it for? Read about it below:

The Chappy Scale

Chappy has its flagship feature which is called the ‘Chappy Scale’. The ‘Chappy Scale’ tailors the match suggestions that you get based on where you set your intention, whether it is on ‘Cute’, ‘Sexy’, or ‘Who Knows’. ‘Cute’ is Chappy’s term for users who are looking more for serious dating, while ‘Sexy’ is for users who are looking for fun or casual night outs. If you are unsure, you can set your preference in the middle of the scale, which is called ‘Who Knows’. It will display both ‘Cute’ and ‘Sexy’ users. This feature of Chappy helps set expectations among members.

Our rating

Signing Up:	3.0 / 5
Making Contact:	3.0 / 5
Profile Quality:	3.0 / 5
App:	3.0 / 5
Real Life Review:	3.0 / 5

Editor's Conclusion

Chris Pleines
Founder of Dating Scout and Author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies"

Overall, Chappy does provide an online dating app, which gay men may comfortably use. The unique feature of Chappy, the ‘Chappy Scale’, allows you to meet other members who have the same expectations like the ones that you have. There would be no more awkward conversations and unsolicited vulgar photos and language from members who you are not even interested in.Chappy’s redesign has given what you may describe as a “clean”, safe, and convenient dating app for gay men that allows them to find exactly what or who they are looking for. The use of the app is completely free, so if ever you are looking for Mr Cute or Mr Sexy, or even if you are not sure yet about what you want, signing up just takes less than a minute. Why not try it today?

Chappy FAQ

Facts

Who owns Chappy?

Chappy is owned by Chappy Limited, which is based in London, UK.

When was Chappy released?

Chappy was initially launched in early 2017. It was then re-released in mid-2018.

Can only gay individuals join Chappy?

Anyone can join Chappy, however, you must remember that it is a gay dating app.

Membership

How do I join Chappy?

As of now, joining Chappy can only be done by linking your Facebook account.

Does Chappy offer a premium membership?

As of now, all features of Chappy are free

How do I delete my profile in Chappy?

You can delete your profile through your account settings.

Usability

How does Chappy work?

Chappy works around mutual connections. Depending on your preference, matches are displayed in a roulette-type form wherein you have the option to like them or not.

What does ‘Sexy’ mean in Chappy?

‘Sexy’ means that a user is looking for a casual relationship. When you set your preference to ‘Sexy’, it will display the users that are also looking for ’Sexy’.

What does ‘Cute’ represent in Chappy?

‘Cute’ means that a user is looking for love or a more serious relationship. When you set your preference to ‘Cute’, it will display the users that are also looking for ’Cute’.

How do I tailor my match suggestions?

You can tailor your match suggestions by sliding the Chappy Scale found at the bottom of the page.

What does the star icon mean in Chappy?

The star represents Chappy’s ‘Favorites’ icon.

How do I change my photos?

Just simply go to your Chappy profile and tap on a photo once. You can either click ‘Replace’ or ‘Delete' the image. If you do a long press, you can switch the arrangement of your photos.

Why haven’t I got any matches or likes?

Maybe you could upload a new profile pic in your Chappy profile—one that gets more attention.

How do I send a message?

When you have a match, that match would automatically appear in your inbox. Just simply tap on your new match and send a message.

Security

What security features does Chappy offer?

Chappy has published privacy policies and terms of usage, which if violated, can lead to account suspension. Chappy also has ‘Block’ and ‘Report’ buttons to help its members feel safe from abusive and suspicious users.

I am not comfortable with a member, how do I block him?

You can block a Chappy user by clicking the ‘Block’ button under the ‘Show More’ tab on that person’s profile. You can also tap the three dots found on your chat screen and select ‘Block’.

Someone is extorting money from me, how do I report him?

You can report a Chappy user by clicking the ‘Block & Report’ button under the ‘Show More’ tab on that person’s profile.

You did not find your question? Ask us!

Thank you for your question. We will answer it as soon as possible.

Personalized Recommendation

Which dating site is right for you?

Get your personalized recommendation

Get more info...

Contact details

Company:	Chappy Limited
Address:	The Broadgate Tower, Third Floor, 20 Primrose Street, London EC2A 2RS
E-Mail:	hello@chappyapp.com