Is Tantan Full of Bots?

Nobody outside Tantan can give you a number, and its terms offer none. What its terms do say is that bots, scripts and fake accounts are forbidden. A rule like that tells you the company does not allow them. It does not tell you how many are there. The useful answer for a man is not a verdict on the whole app. It is how to tell, in the first few messages, whether the woman you are talking to is real.

The terms rule out the things men worry about.

• Using scripts, bots or other automated technology to access the service.
• False or misrepresentative profile content meant to defraud, swindle or deceive other users.
• Impersonating any person or entity.
• Spam, phishing and similar activity.
• Providing inaccurate, misleading or false information to Tantan or to other users.

That is a thorough list. Its value is that it gives you something to report against. If an account does any of these things, it breaks the terms, and you can report it.

Every dating app bans fake accounts, and every dating app has some. A ban describes what the company wants. It does not describe what gets through.

a dating coach makes the point about app choice. In the United States, he says, there are a lot of fake profiles on Tinder, and Hinge tends to be better, so knowing which app is good or bad for you changes your results. He also says that really good game does less on an app full of fake profiles and people who are not looking to date. Pretty good game does more where people are your target demographic and are genuinely looking. The lesson is to judge an app by the quality of the conversations it gives you, not by its reputation.

This is the most common wrong conclusion. A man gets few matches or few replies and decides the app must be fake.

Tantan's terms say it may be unable to provide matches for everyone and make no promise about the number or frequency of matches. A quiet account can mean your area is thin, your photos are not landing, or your messages are not getting answered. None of those is a bot. Check those first before you blame the app.

Real people are messy in ways scripts are not.

• She answers the specific thing you said, not a general version of it.
• Her replies vary in length and speed, and sometimes she is slow.
• She asks you something back that follows from your last message.
• She agrees to a short video call or suggests a day to meet, or gives an ordinary reason why not.

A scripted account shows the opposite.

• The replies could be sent to anyone, and ignore what you wrote.
• She answers instantly at any hour, with the same tone every time.
• She steers you to another platform or a link within a few messages.
• She asks for money, a gift card, a code or crypto, or mentions a deal she cannot explain.
• She will not do a video call, and each reason is followed by another.

The terms ban spam, phishing and false information, so any of those is grounds to report. Stop replying and use the report option inside the app.

You do not need to catch every fake. You need to find out cheaply whether the conversation is real.

1. Send one message that refers to something specific in her page and asks a question only a person who read it could answer well.
2. Look at the reply. Does it answer your specific point, or does it slide past it?
3. Suggest something small, like a coffee or a short call. A real person says yes, offers another day, or says no. A script keeps talking.

Three messages cost you almost nothing, and they separate most real women from most fakes.

Never send money, gift cards or codes to a match you have not met, whatever story comes with it. The terms treat deceiving other users as a violation, and a request like that is the classic sign of one. If a match asks, you have your answer.

Do not share your home address, your workplace or financial details with someone you have not met either. A first conversation needs a first name and a few photos, and everything else can wait.

Use Tantan the way you would use any app you are testing. Pick one change at a time, such as your first photo or your opening line, and watch whether replies improve. a dating coach's rule is to keep what works and drop what does not.

Count your matches, your real conversations and your plans over two weeks. If the app gives you a handful of real conversations, it is working. If it gives you only scripts, the numbers will show it, and you can move your evenings to another app without having to guess.

Tantan forbids bots in its terms, but no rule tells you how many get through, and few matches is not evidence of bots. Test each conversation in its first few messages, never send money, report what looks fake, and judge the app by the real conversations it gives you.