Do you need to download an online chat app?
No. Online Chat is a web app: the whole thing, from the random match to the video call, runs in the browser you already have. There is no store page to find, no download to wait for and no update to install. Open the page, allow your camera, and you're on video.
That has a few side benefits. It takes no space on your phone beyond what a website normally stores. You always get the current version, because there is nothing to update. And you can try it as a guest first, without handing over an email address to a store or to us.
What a home-screen icon adds is convenience: one tap from your phone's home screen, and Online Chat opens in its own window, without the browser's address bar, the way an app would.
Add Online Chat to an iPhone or iPad
- Open onlinechat.tv in Safari.
- Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up).
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen. If you don't see it, tap Edit Actions and add it.
- Keep the name "Online Chat", or change it, then tap Add.
On recent versions of iOS, Chrome and some other browsers have the same option in their own share menu. The icon appears on your home screen like any other app.
Add Online Chat to an Android phone
- Open onlinechat.tv in Chrome.
- Tap the ⋮ menu in the top corner.
- Tap Add to Home screen or Install app, whichever your version shows.
- Confirm with Add or Install.
Samsung Internet works the same way from its menu (Add page to, then Home screen). Some phones show a small banner offering to install the site; tapping it does the same thing.
Use Online Chat like an app on a computer
On a laptop or desktop you can just keep a tab open. If you'd rather have it in its own window:
- Chrome or Edge: look for the install icon at the right end of the address bar, or open the browser menu and choose the install option for the page.
- Safari on a Mac: choose File, then Add to Dock (macOS Sonoma or later).
A computer with a webcam is a comfortable way to video chat: a bigger picture, a steadier camera and your hands free.
Camera and microphone in the home-screen version
The first time you start a video chat from the icon, your phone may ask for camera and microphone access again, even if you already allowed it in the browser. Tap Allow. If you tapped Don't Allow by mistake:
- iPhone: open Settings, find Safari (or the browser you used), and set Camera and Microphone to Ask or Allow.
- Android: long-press the icon, open App info or Site settings, and allow Camera and Microphone.
More fixes for a black screen or a silent mic are in the Help Center.
Will my follows and coins be there?
If you're logged in with your email, yes: log in once in the home-screen version and everything tied to your account is there, including your coin balance.
One thing to know on iPhone: an icon added to the home screen keeps its own storage, separate from Safari. A guest session you started in Safari doesn't carry over to the icon, so the icon starts a new guest session. If you want the same follows and coins in both places, log in.
To remove the icon later, press and hold it and choose Remove (iPhone) or Uninstall / Remove (Android), the same as for any app.
Is the home-screen version still free to start?
It is the same Online Chat, so the same rules apply. You can start as a guest without paying, and free video matches are handed out every day; the system decides how many you get. After that, a random match costs the number of coins shown on the Start button. The Online Chat homepage explains how matching, the online list and coins fit together, and online video chat covers the calls themselves.