Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you might want to know about how Vela works. Can't find your answer? Email hello@vela.dating and we'll help.

Getting started

What is Vela?

Vela is a voice‑first, AI‑assisted app for meeting real people — for dating or friendship. Instead of endless swiping, an AI matchmaker learns what you're looking for, introduces you to people worth your time, and tells you why. Profiles are voice‑first, so you hear a real person before you ever match.

Who can join?

Adults 18 and over, in the countries where Vela is available. Everyone agrees to our Community Guidelines, and we encourage identity verification to keep Vela real.

Where is Vela available?

Vela is rolling out internationally. You can set your location to your city, your country, or worldwide, so you decide how near or far you want to meet people.

Is Vela free?

Yes — you can join and use the core experience for free. Optional paid plans (such as Premium and Ultra) and one‑time extras unlock more. You'll always see the current price, in your local currency where available, before you pay.

How do I sign up?

Create an account with your email, or use a supported sign‑in such as Google or Apple. Then set up your profile, record a short voice introduction, and tell the matchmaker what you're looking for.

Matching and messaging

How does matching work?

Each day you get a Daily Spark — a considered suggestion — and you can explore more in the Discover and Swipe decks. The AI matchmaker weighs your intentions, interests, and the feel of voice introductions to introduce people you're likely to connect with, and explains the "why" behind each one.

Why do we need mutual interest before messaging?

Open messaging unlocks once both people show interest. It cuts down on unwanted messages and keeps conversations welcome on both sides — a safety feature by design.

What's the voice‑first part?

You record a short voice introduction, and you can send voice messages and place voice or video calls with matches. Hearing someone's warmth, humour, and tone tells you more than a photo alone.

Can I talk to someone who speaks another language?

Yes — Vela offers in‑chat translation so you can chat naturally with people who speak a different language.

What are Moments?

Moments are short, everyday updates that live at the top of Messages. Share a glimpse of your day, and watch, react to, or reply to others' — subject to their settings and your plan.

What does the AI coach do?

If you'd like, an optional in‑chat coach can suggest ways to open or keep a conversation going, in your language. The suggestions are just ideas — your words are always your own, and nothing is sent without you.

Can I use Vela for friendship, not just dating?

Yes. Vela has a distinct friendship lane — choose it and you'll be matched with people looking for the same.

Safety and verification

How does verification and the Trust Score work?

Our verification partner checks a government ID and a quick selfie/liveness step to confirm you're a real adult — Vela only receives a pass/fail result and limited metadata. Your Trust Score grows with acts of trust such as verification, a voice intro, and a complete profile, and verified members carry a badge.

Is verification required?

You can start without it, but verified members get the badge and more trust from others — and it helps everyone know who they're talking to.

How does Vela keep me safe?

Mutual‑interest messaging, identity verification, automated and human moderation, in‑app reporting and blocking, a safety check‑in and Date Sitter for dates, and guidance to meet in public places. Meeting people is still your decision — please meet in public and tell a friend your plans.

How do I report or block someone?

From any profile or chat, use report or block. Reports are confidential, and we review them with a mix of automated tools and people.

Membership and payments

What do paid plans include?

Paid tiers add things like seeing who's interested in you, who viewed you, advanced filters, incognito browsing, more Boosts, and AI extras. The exact features and prices for each tier are shown in the app.

What are Boosts, AI credits, and gifts?

A Boost raises your visibility for a short window. AI credits power extra AI help. Gifts let you send a real, curated gift — delivered to a real address — to someone you're chatting with; it's only charged if they accept within a few days.

How are payments handled?

Subscriptions, Boosts, and AI credits are in‑app purchases through the Apple App Store or Google Play (managed via RevenueCat). Physical gifts are processed and fulfilled through Wix.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Manage or cancel anytime through your App Store or Google Play account (reachable from Vela's Settings). You keep access until the end of the period you've paid for, and the plan won't renew.

Can I get a refund?

Subscriptions, Boosts, and AI credits are refunded through Apple or Google under their policies. For gifts, or if you're a consumer with statutory cancellation rights (for example in the EU or UK), see our Terms and email hello@vela.dating if you think a refund is due.

Privacy and your data

What data does Vela collect, and why?

The information needed to run a dating service — your profile, photos and videos, voice recordings, messages, call metadata, and (if you verify) an ID check result — used for matching, safety, and the features you choose. The full picture is in our Privacy Policy.

Is my data sold or shared?

No — we don't sell or share your personal data for advertising. We share it only with service providers who help run Vela (such as our hosting, payments, gift, calls, and AI providers) and with the people you choose to connect with.

How is AI used with my data?

AI helps suggest matches, draft introductions, translate messages, offer optional coaching, and screen for safety. Suggestions are aids, not decisions — and safety actions that affect your account get human review. We instruct our AI provider not to train its general models on your content, where those terms are available.

How do I delete my account?

In Settings → delete account. We remove or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except limited records we must keep for legal or safety reasons. You can also visit vela.dating/data-deletion.

Who can see my profile?

People in the Vela community you're matched with or shown to. If you use incognito (on higher tiers), you control more of who sees you.

Account and support

Can I change where I meet people?

Yes — switch between city, country, or worldwide any time from your settings, and update your city with the location picker.

I forgot my password, or want extra security.

Use "forgot password" on the sign‑in screen. You can also add a passkey or two‑factor authentication in your security settings.

How do I contact Vela?

Questions, help, or privacy and data requests: hello@vela.dating.