Will trade book recs for good fuchka spots.
DHAKA
Drag the sun: the page relights to that hour in Dhaka.
চা হবে? New friends nearby, over a cup of .
Tong is for friendship, not dating. Meet checked people near you, one at a time.
Try it here firstTry an illustrative version of Tong on this page
Coming soon to iPhone and Android18+English and বাংলাFree
This page changes colour with the time of day in Dhaka.
Openers from the app
Real openers from the app: 30 in English, 30 in বাংলা, written separately, never translated.
02Why Tong
Bangladesh’s first social network had a bench and a kettle.
- টং
- tong
- noun
- The small neighbourhood tea stall: a kettle, a bench, a radio, and half the street’s news.
Long before the feed, there was the .
A plank bench. A kettle that never quite cools. A radio with the cricket on, and everyone with an opinion about it.
You didn’t need a profile to belong there. You needed a few and a little time.
Strangers became regulars. Regulars became the people you called first when life happened.
Then we grew up. New cities, new jobs, friends in Toronto and Dubai, and somewhere along the way the bench got very far away.
Tong is that bench, built again for now.
One person at a time. Everyone checked before anyone sees them. Three cups a day, so every hello means something.
- No matches.
- No streaks.
- No follower counts.
- No ads.
Just the oldest question in Bangladesh: চা হবে?
03How it works
From hello to cha.
First, you show up as you: a few photos, your name, one line in your own words, and a quick live video selfie that’s never shown to anyone. Then Tong goes like this. Play it:
porichoy · getting to know someone
IllustrativeEveryone here is made up and drawn, the replies are scripted, and nothing you do leaves this page. In the app, every photo shows its owner’s face, checked against their video selfie.
Night owl. Will debate Rabindra vs band music at 2 am.
Wants to be friends
পুরান ঢাকার মানুষ। খাওয়াই আমার শখ।
চট্টগ্রাম থেকে সবে ঢাকায় এসেছি। আড্ডার মানুষ খুঁজছি।
That’s everyone in this demo.
In the app this card says “That’s everyone nearby for now”, and tells you when to come back.
That’s Tong.
Coming soon to iPhone and Android. Until then, the stall on your corner is still open.
How Tong keeps you safeOpens a pocket-sized Tong, full screen. Swipe up for the next person; Done brings you back here.
Keys: ↑ ↓ people · ← → photos · Enter profile · A add friend · Esc back
Step 1 of 5
One person at a time.
No grid of faces, no endless scroll. Discover shows one person, full screen: their photos, name and age, their area, how far away they are, and one line they wrote themselves. That’s the whole card, on purpose.
- Nearest first, up to 100 km away. Or look across all of Bangladesh, or anywhere.
- Flip EN | বাংলা at the top of the phone: Tong’s own words change, and what people wrote stays exactly as they wrote it.
Swipe up for the next person, left and right for their photos, tap to see their whole profile.
Step 2 of 5
Three cups a day.
Because a request should mean something.
Every friend request pours one cup of cha. You get three a day, and each one fills up again 24 hours after you pour it. It isn’t a numbers game. It’s manners.
- Loved one of their answers? Offer a cup for that answer, and they’ll see exactly what you liked.
- Someone who has already asked you shows up marked “Wants to be friends”. Accepting never costs a cup.
Tap Add friend, or open a profile and offer a cup for an answer you liked.
Step 3 of 5
Two glasses. One clink.
When they say yes, two glasses of cha meet in the middle of your screen, and you’re friends from today. It takes about two seconds, and a tap skips it.
- No “It’s a match”. No confetti. Just cha.
- “Say hello” takes you straight to your first page together.
In the demo, they say yes in a moment. In real life, people take their time.
Step 4 of 5
The first hello, already poured.
An empty chat with someone new is the hardest screen in any app, so on Tong it isn’t empty: three openers written the way people really text, their first question with one-tap answers, and a 👋 for when words won’t come.
- The three are picked the way the app picks them: a hello or a funny one first, then two of different kinds, from 30 lines written for each language.
- Nothing is sent unless you tap. Hold one to change it first.
Tap an opener to send it, answer their question, or wave.
Step 5 of 5
From chat to cha.
When you’re both ready, and only then, send a cha plan: a day, a time, near whose area, and the kind of place. No map pins, no addresses.
- Tell someone you trust where you’ll be, in one tap. It goes as plain text from your phone, and Tong keeps no copy.
- Only friends can plan a cha, up to 30 days ahead.
Pick a day, a time and the kind of place, then send it.
04What’s on the counter
Small manners, borrowed from the stall.
A few decisions that make Tong feel like the stall around the corner, not a marketplace.
- কাপ
- kap
- noun
- A cup. On Tong, one friend request: three a day, each back 24 hours after you pour it.
কাপ · Cups
Why only three?
Three cups a day, because a request should mean something.
Every friend request pours one cup of cha, and each cup fills again 24 hours after you pour it. Fewer requests, more thought in each, and nobody’s inbox turns into a crowd.
It isn’t a numbers game. It’s manners.
- Loved one of their answers? Offer a cup for that answer, and they’ll see exactly what you liked.
- Out of cups? Keep someone for tomorrow, and they’ll be the first person you see when a cup comes back.
- Up to 10 cups in any 7 days, and 30 in any 30. A “no” is never announced: an unanswered request simply ends after 30 days.
For the first 30 days after launch, the kettle stays full: send as many requests as you like.
Later, an optional Tong Plus will add more cups a day and room for more photos.
3 of 3 cups left today
- Ready
- Ready
- Ready
Just a demo: nothing is sent, and nothing leaves this page.
05Safety
Built so you can relax.
nishchinto · free of worry, at ease
Making a new friend should feel like sitting down at the stall on your corner, not walking into a stranger’s house. So safety is part of how Tong works, not a page in a menu.
18+, with a Bangladeshi number
Everyone is 18 or over and confirms a +880 number by SMS. Nobody on Tong ever sees your number.
Checked before anyone sees you
A live video selfie, and a check of every photo, before a profile goes live.
Chat opens on a yes
No messages from strangers. A chat exists only after a friend request is accepted.
Your exact location stays yours
People see your area and a rounded distance. Your exact position is thrown away the moment it becomes an area.
Report and block, quietly
From any profile or message. A block isn’t announced, and a report never says who sent it.
Help, right in the app
The Safety centre has 999, the 109 helpline, and what to do if something feels wrong.
You don’t owe anyone a reply.
Made for Bangladesh
Made for here, wherever here is.
Tong talks the way Bangladesh talks: in two languages, in and shondha, in . All it needs is a +880 number, whether you’re in Dhaka, Sylhet or Toronto.
Toronto or Tangail, the bench is wherever you are.
Questions that need no translation. ? or tehari on a rainy day? Rabindra, Nazrul or band?
Abroad? Keep your Bangladeshi SIM on roaming for the code, then meet people near wherever you are.
Log in with your number, Google, Apple or email. Tong’s SMS says only “Your Tong OTP is” and four digits, and never carries a link.
The chat background is a faint tea-stall pattern. Not your thing? One switch turns it off.
New to some of these words? Hover or tap any underlined one.
Questions
Questions, answered straight.
Is Tong a dating app?
No. Tong is for friendship, full stop. There are no matches, no likes on people and nothing built for flirting. If someone treats it like dating, report them: “Treating this like dating” is one of the report reasons.
Who can join?
Anyone 18 or over with a Bangladeshi mobile number (+880) that can get an SMS. Where you live doesn’t matter.
How much does it cost?
Tong is free: Discover, friend requests, chat, cha plans and every safety tool. For the first 30 days after launch, the kettle stays full: send as many requests as you like. Later, an optional Tong Plus will add more cups a day and room for more photos.
How does Tong check people?
A profile goes live only after a live video selfie and a check of its photos: we compare the face in each photo with the selfie, and a person takes a look when the system isn’t sure. The video is never shown to anyone. No check is perfect, so meet in public and trust your instincts.
Can people see where I live?
No. People see your area and a rounded distance, never your exact location. Tong turns your position into an approximate one, about 1 km across, and throws the exact position away at once. More than 100 km away, people see your area and your country, but no distance.
Does anyone read my chats?
Nobody at Tong reads your chats, and they aren’t scanned or analysed by Tong or any other company. A reviewer sees a message only if one of you reports it. Chats are not end-to-end encrypted, and anything you send can be saved or forwarded, so share with care.
All 15 questionsFewer questions
I live abroad. Can I still use Tong?
Yes. Sign up with your Bangladeshi number and keep that SIM on roaming so the code arrives. Discover then shows people near wherever you are, or you can look across Bangladesh, or anywhere.
Why do you need my phone number?
It keeps each person to one account and keeps banned people out. It’s never shown to anyone, and you need it even if you log in with Google, Apple or email. Tong’s SMS never contains a link, so if a “Tong” message has one, don’t open it.
Why only three requests a day?
So every request means something, and nobody gets flooded. Each one uses a cup, and each cup comes back 24 hours after you pour it. Accepting a request never costs a cup, and you can still browse and chat when you’re out.
Who can see my profile?
Gender and age work both ways: you only see people whose filters you fit, and they only see you if they fit yours. In Settings, Who can find you narrows it further by gender, age and distance, or you can hide from Discover for a while. Blocked people can’t see you at all.
What if someone makes me uncomfortable?
Block or report them from their profile or any message. They’re never told you blocked them or who reported them, and our team reviews every report. In danger right now? Call 999.
Do I have to meet people in person?
No. Chat for as long as you like. When you both want to, a cha plan sets a day, a time and the kind of place, with no addresses, and lets you tell someone you trust where you’ll be.
Can I use Tong on a computer?
Yes. When Tong launches, it also runs full-screen in your browser, with keyboard shortcuts and notifications. It works in a phone’s browser too, which helps on phones without Google Play services.
Can I delete my account?
Yes, any time, in Settings → Delete account. Your profile disappears at once, and your chats are deleted for both of you. You can also delete it without the app.
When does Tong launch?
Soon, on iPhone and Android, and full-screen on the web. There’s no date yet; when there is, it’ll be here first.
06Room on the bench
There’s room on the bench for you.
Tong isn’t out yet. Until it is, try it right here, write to us to hear at launch, or send it to a friend.
Can’t wait? Try it hereOpens a working Tong right on this page. The people in it are made up.
Email us to hear at launchOpens your own email app with a ready note to contact@tong.party. Nothing is stored on this site.
A card drawn in Dhaka’s light right now, to send on Messenger or WhatsApp.
Tong is coming soon to iPhone and Android, and full-screen on your computer.
- iPhone· Coming soon
- Android· Coming soon
Questions, ideas, or just hello:
