Question 1

What is Dear Whoever?

Accepted Answer

Dear Whoever is a real-world anonymous and secret messaging platform. It allows users to write notes, confessions, memories, and compliments, and pin them to exact geographic coordinates on Earth. Notes stay locked until someone physically visits the spot within 35 meters.

Question 2

How does the 35-meter physical unlock work?

Accepted Answer

When you walk within 35 meters (~115 feet) of a note location, your mobile browser verifies your physical presence using your device GPS. The server validates your location proof and decrypts the note text onto your screen.

Question 3

Can someone see who wrote an anonymous message?

Accepted Answer

No. When you enable the "Post Anonymously" toggle during note creation, your Google display name, email, and avatar are completely excluded from the public note. Discoverers only see "Someone" as the author.

Question 4

Why do I need to sign in with Google if I want to post anonymously?

Accepted Answer

Google Sign-In is required to maintain a safe, spam-free community. It prevents automated bot spam, protects against harassment, and gives you a personal dashboard to delete your authored notes. When you toggle "Post Anonymously", your Google identity is hidden from other users.

Question 5

Can I read messages from home without walking there?

Accepted Answer

No. The core magic of Dear Whoever is real-world physical discovery. While you can see the general area of locked notes on the worldwide map, the message text itself is never delivered to your device until you physically arrive within 35 meters.

Question 6

How long do messages stay on the map?

Accepted Answer

When authoring a note, you choose an expiration lifetime: 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or 90 days. Once expired, notes are automatically purged to keep the discovery map fresh.

Question 7

Can I delete a message after placing it?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can review all notes you have placed by clicking your profile icon and opening "My Messages". Tapping the trash icon deletes your message from the map immediately.

Question 8

What happens if I encounter an inappropriate or harassing note?

Accepted Answer

Every message card features a "Report" button. Tapping Report allows you to flag harassment, hate speech, spam, or private information. Reported messages are reviewed promptly by moderators and automatically hidden if repeatedly flagged.

Question 9

Is Dear Whoever free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Dear Whoever is 100% free to explore, discover notes, and leave messages. There are no paid subscriptions or paywalls.

Question 10

Do I need to install an app from the App Store or Google Play?

Accepted Answer

No! Dear Whoever runs directly in any modern mobile browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox) as a high-performance Progressive Web Application (PWA). You can also tap "Add to Home Screen" for full-screen app immersion.

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