# H.I.M. — Friends, Not Dates — Gay friendship, retro style > Gay friendship, retro style (iPhone/iPad app by Syed Shariff.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/him-friends-not-dates/id6761863631 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Syed Shariff](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888024504) - Category: Social Networking, Lifestyle - Price: Free - Age rating: 17+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 6 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-06-25 - Data updated: 2026-08-06 - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/him-friends-not-dates/id6761863631/reviews.md ## What is H.I.M.? H.I.M. ("Hi, It's Me") is a friendship app for gay men — not a dating app, and not a hookup app. It's built on the things that made the early internet feel like home: a screenname that's yours, an away message that says what you're up to, a buddy list of people you actually know, and chat rooms where conversations happen out loud. No swiping. No match queue. No "people nearby." No photo-first browsing. Just talking — the way friendships actually start. WHY H.I.M. IS DIFFERENT Most apps for gay men are built to pair you off. H.I.M. is built to help you make friends. There is no swipe mechanic, no proximity radar, and no algorithm pushing you toward romance. You meet people in chat rooms, get to know them in conversation, and add them to your buddy list when there's a real connection. CHAT ROOMS Drop into regional rooms (New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Everywhere Else) or vibe rooms like Late Night and Sunday Reset. See who's around, jump into the conversation, and meet people who share your corner of the world or your time of day. BUDDY LIST + AWAY MESSAGES Build a buddy list of people you've actually met in the rooms. Set an away message so your buddies know what you're up to — "grabbing coffee," "doomscrolling," "finally cleaning my apartment." It's status as self-expression, the way it used to be. DIRECT MESSAGES Private one-to-one conversations with the buddies you choose. Send text, photos, and voice notes. Messages queue offline and send when you're back online. BUILT FOR SAFETY AND PRIVACY - Block and Report on every profile, every message, every room. - A content filter screens messages for objectionable language before recipients see them. - Notification previews default to sender-only, so a message snippet never lands on your lock screen where someone could read it over your shoulder. - Face ID / Touch ID app lock keeps your conversations yours. - Delete your account anytime, in two taps — your account and your content are deleted. - Download a copy of your data anytime. WHO IT'S FOR Gay men 18+ looking for friendship and community — new-in-town, starting over, between friend groups, or just tired of every app being about dating. If you've ever wished there were a place to just talk, this is it. H.I.M. is made by Saman Technologies LLC. Privacy Policy: https://hiitsme.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://hiitsme.app/terms Questions? support@hiitsme.app ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 2.2 — 2026-08-04 This one's about the buddy list. H.I.M. now opens on your people. Your buddy list is front and center — who's online, who's idle, who's away and what they're up to — the way signing on used to feel. New in this version: • One home base — your profile card now lives at the top of your Buddy List. Tap it to edit your profile. • Buddy photos — buddy icons now show across your Buddy List. • Suggested Buddies — people you might know, ranked by mutual buddies and shared rooms. Add with one tap. Only discoverable members appear, and you can opt out anytime in Privacy Controls. • Privacy Controls — now one tap away, right in your Buddy List. • Buddy Circles — sort your buddies into private circles only you can see. Mute a circle or hide its presence when you want a quieter list. Nothing changes on your buddies' end. • Knock — a gentle "hey, you around?" for a buddy. One tap, no pressure, no wall of text. • Mutual context — open a buddy's profile and see the rooms you're both in and the buddies you have in common. • Away-message replies — reply straight to what a buddy's status says. "grabbing coffee" → "want company?" • Room "seen" counts — see how many people caught your message in a room. Plus a round of reliability fixes: steadier presence, smoother delivery, and a calmer Buzz. No swiping. No radar. No grid. Just your people, right there. — Haaris, founder ### 2.1 — 2026-07-30 This one's about the buddy list. H.I.M. now opens on your people. Your buddy list is front and center — who's online, who's idle, who's away and what they're up to — the way signing on used to feel. New in this version: • Buddy Circles — sort your buddies into private circles only you can see. Mute a circle or hide its presence when you want a quieter list. Nothing changes on your buddies' end. • Knock — a gentle "hey, you around?" for a buddy. One tap, no pressure, no wall of text. • Mutual context — open a buddy's profile and see the rooms you're both in and the buddies you have in common. • Away-message replies — reply straight to what a buddy's status says. "grabbing coffee" → "want company?" • Room "seen" counts — see how many people caught your message in a room. Plus a round of reliability fixes: steadier presence, smoother delivery, and a calmer Buzz. No swiping. No radar. No grid. Just your people, right there. — Haaris, founder ### 2.0 — 2026-06-25 No release notes. ## Apps similar to H.I.M. | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Taneesh – Events and Dating](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taneesh-events-and-dating/id6752775073) | — | Free | Social Networking | | [Polo – Gay Community & Support](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/polo-gay-community-and-support/id6783834622) | 3.4 (5) | Free | Social Networking | | [HisLinks](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hislinks/id6785823120) | — | Free | Social Networking | | [Kinly.](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kinly/id6744326607) | — | Free | Social Networking | | [Project X: Build In Public](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/project-x-build-in-public/id6476578594) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Social Networking | | [2nd Chances](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/2nd-chances/id1543913731) | 2.8 (18) | Free | Social Networking | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-06.*