Almost nobody looks for a partner from a desktop any more. The question is not whether to be on phones, but which way — and there are four, with different costs and different results.

The order that works: responsive site first, because it costs nothing and works today. Apps once you have members worth keeping — an app is a retention tool, not an acquisition one. A messenger bot when you want reach without asking anyone to install anything.

When someone opens your site from a phone, they can be forwarded to the mobile version at yoursite.com/m. The system recognises Android and iOS and offers the matching app for installation.

Only Android and iOS are handled by default.

You can skip the forwarding entirely and show the full site with a responsive theme instead. For most owners today this is the better choice: one site to maintain, one set of pages for search engines, and everything a member can do on a desktop they can do on a phone. See what members can do from a phone browser.

First the apps have to exist and be published in Google Play and the App Store. That part is an add-on and a process — store accounts, review, waiting.

Once they are live, go to Dating channels > Apps in the admin panel and paste the download links:

Until the links are in, the install prompt has nowhere to send people — they see an invitation to install and nothing happens.

Owners usually expect apps to bring new members. They rarely do: nobody searches the stores for an unknown dating app, and the ones on the first page have advertising budgets you cannot match.

What an app does well is keep the members you already have. An icon on the home screen gets opened out of habit. Push notifications reach people who would never open an email. Both matter for retention, which is where dating sites actually make money.

So the order matters. Apps after you have an audience, not before. An app with nobody inside is an expense with a review process attached.

A bot lives inside a messenger people already use. Nothing to download, nothing to sign up for, no store review — and for many people that is the difference between trying your site and not.

See the Telegram dating bot for how it works and what it costs.

Do I need both a mobile version and a responsive theme?
No. Pick one. A responsive theme is the simpler answer unless you specifically need a stripped-down version for weak connections.

Will my apps be rejected by the stores?
Dating apps get looked at closely, mostly for content moderation and age checks. Having moderation switched on before you submit saves a rejection round — see moderation and banned words.

Can members pay inside the app?
Yes, though the stores take their own share of payments made through them. Worth knowing before you plan your margins.

Which channels are in my plan?
See the comparison table on the pricing page.

Questions about any of this: contact us.