How Dear Whoever Works
Dear Whoever bridges digital communication and the real world. Learn how location-anchored secret messages unlock only when someone physically visits the spot.
The 3-Step Journey from Digital Note to Real-World Discovery
Unlike traditional social media or anonymous message link apps where text travels instantly across screens, Dear Whoever gives messages physical presence. Every note you write is anchored to precise geographic coordinates on Earth.
Compose & Choose Spot
Write your message, select a lifetime (24 hours to 90 days), and choose whether to display your Google name or toggle Post Anonymously. Pin it to your current GPS spot or select any coordinate on the map.
Geofenced Secrecy
Before unlock, the message content is completely hidden on the server. Remote explorers see only a blurred approximate badge indicating that a secret note exists within their broad district.
Walk Within 35 Meters
When an explorer walks within 35 meters of the exact spot, their device provides cryptographic presence verification. The server decrypts and unlocks the full secret note for them to read.
The 35-Meter Physical Discovery Rule
Thirty-five meters (~115 feet) is the sweet spot between physical exploration and practical GPS accuracy. It ensures discoverers genuinely experience the atmosphere of the park bench, coffee shop, campus quad, or lookout point where you left your thoughts.
Locked. Zero message content is transmitted to the browser. Nobody can inspect source code or network requests to read notes early.
Unlocked! Full note text, unlock timestamp, and author attribution are revealed and permanently added to your discovered journal.
Privacy & Anti-Tamper Security Architecture
Dear Whoever is engineered with a strict zero-trust data model:
- Server-Enforced Coordinate Masking: For users farther than 150 meters away, note coordinates are dynamically obfuscated on the server to prevent tracking of people's daily routines.
- Authenticated Anonymity: Users sign in via verified Google OAuth to prevent bots and spam, but can post anonymously without their name or avatar being visible to other explorers.
- Ephemeral Lifetimes: Messages automatically expire after their chosen duration (24h to 90d), ensuring the real-world discovery map remains fresh and relevant.
Explore Related Topics
Leave your secret note in the real world today
Drop an anonymous confession, secret note, or hidden discovery for friends and local wanderers. Pinned to exact coordinates, unlocked only by physical presence.