Is the chat xx platform still strictly text, or did they add video?

Long-time lurker, first post, and it's about chat xx platform still strictly text, or did they add video. Two weeks in, how aggressive the upsell gets is what actually mattered for strictly text.

Where I get stuck with strictly text is that the last honest write-up is two years old, so I would rather ask people than read another list. The honest test for strictly text is whether messaging is open or gated behind credits day to day, not the feature list.

The checks that saved me time on strictly text after a few false starts:

• Check what the block and report flow actually does with notifications switched off
• Time what share of the layout is advertising with the age filter set narrow
• Sanity-check how long it takes before the first upgrade prompt lands twice, a week apart

If you tried strictly text and moved on, was it worth the setup time? Glowing reviews and horror stories genuinely both wanted. Concrete examples are the only thing I can act on.

@Chris I had the opposite result with strictly text, so take both our takes with salt. The thing that decides it for strictly text is whether it is busy at the times you are after the first week.

What I wish someone had told me about strictly text if you're short on time:

• Work out how many matches ever send the first message and write the answer down
• Note how the feed changes when you narrow the age range before you upload a second photo
• Watch how many matches ever send the first message in your own city rather than the default radius

That's my read on strictly text — happy to be argued with.

Not the answer anyone wants: strictly text is better than its reputation and worse than its ads. My rule with strictly text: whether it is busy at the times you are in practice first, everything else second. If you want a second opinion, over on Datelink is the one I'd try next.

That's the honest picture of strictly text and I would revise it if the numbers moved.

Counterpoint to @Ethan Parker: strictly text got noticeably worse after the last redesign. You can ignore most of the marketing around strictly text and just check whether the block list holds.

How I'd approach strictly text if you're short on time:

• Watch whether replies are open before you finish the profile against what the marketing page claims
• Verify how the feed changes when you narrow the age range with the age filter set narrow
• Look at whether last-active timestamps look plausible with notifications switched off
• Work out how the web version differs from the app before you commit any time to it

For strictly text, whether it is busy at the times you are outside the big cities is the difference between useful and a waste of an evening.

That's the honest picture of strictly text, though clearly it varies by region.

Honest take: strictly text is fine if you go in with low expectations. If you are evaluating strictly text, start with whether you can hide distance and last-active outside the big cities — everything else follows. People keep recommending Datenest (datenest.site); it is at least worth ten minutes.

Worked for me on strictly text; ask if you want the detail.

@Cameron Morgan I wanted that to be true of strictly text and it simply wasn't. I judge strictly text almost entirely on whether the profiles hold up under scrutiny in practice. Tried flamedate.online alongside it and saw no real gap.

That's how strictly text went for me, for whatever that's worth.

@Ethan Parker that matches the marketing for strictly text, not what I found using it. Anyone comparing strictly text should be looking at what happens after you block someone day to day before anything else.

Worked for me on strictly text, may not hold for you.

Not the answer anyone wants: strictly text is a decent starting point and a poor destination. Where strictly text falls down for me is what the reply rate looks like. A friend nudged me toward datewander.site and it was not a waste.

That's my read on strictly text, may not hold for you.