Random Text Chat

October 25, 20266 min read

Random text chat matches you with one person chosen at random, and you talk in writing instead of on camera. On SayHello you press Start talking, wait in the lobby while the search runs, then talk one-on-one with an adult. No account is needed, and a guest gets five conversations a day.

One person at a time, in writing, with nothing to set up. Here is how it works and how it compares with video.

Text chat with a random person is the oldest way of talking to strangers online, and still the quickest: no camera to set up, no profile to fill in, no feed. This page explains what it is, how it differs from video, how it works on SayHello and how to keep it safe.

What is random text chat?

Random text chat is a one-on-one conversation in writing with a person the site picks for you. You do not browse profiles or choose a face. You press a button, someone appears, and either of you can end the chat and move on at any time. Nothing carries over from one conversation to the next.

One person, not a room. Everything you write goes to one reader.
No profile. There is no photo, bio or friend list to study before you start.
Text only. You can take a moment before answering, and nobody sees your room.
Leaving is normal. Ending a chat takes one tap and owes nobody an explanation.

How is it different from video roulette?

Video roulette shows your face and your room the moment a match connects, and the first seconds go on judging appearances. Text puts the words first. It works on a weak connection, in public places and at night with the sound off, and nothing on your screen gives away where you are.

No camera or microphone permission, so there is nothing to switch on or forget to switch off.
A conversation uses kilobytes of data, not megabytes.
You can reread, think, and answer when you are ready.
What the other person knows about you is exactly what you type.
If seeing someone matters to you, a video site is the right choice. SayHello has no video.

How random text chat works on SayHello

SayHello has one button and a lobby. You press Start talking, and the search starts at once. While it runs, you wait in the lobby with other people who are also waiting. When a match is found, you move to a private one-on-one chat. The steps below are the whole process.

Press Start talking. There is no form. Gender and age are optional and live in search settings.
Pick a room: Talk for anything, Flirt for adult subjects. The two never mix.
Wait in the lobby. Everyone there is called Guest plus four digits. Write to the whole lobby, or tap a message to invite its author to talk one-on-one.
Matching looks for someone who shares your language first. Tick Any language to widen the search.
In the private chat, messages in another language are translated for you automatically. The original stays under the translation.
Next ends the conversation and takes you back to the lobby with the search on.
If your partner's connection drops after you have both written, the chat waits up to three minutes for them to come back.

Text, video or group chat: which one?

The three formats solve different problems. Random text chat is for one quick conversation with someone new. Video roulette is for seeing faces. Group chat is for staying with the same people over time. The table compares them on what you need to start and what the other side learns about you.

	Random text chat	Video roulette	Group chat
Who you talk to	One new person each time	One new person each time	Many people at once
Camera	No	Yes	Optional
Account to start	Not on SayHello	Depends on the site	Usually
What the other side sees	Only your words	Your face and room	Your username and history
Data use	Very low	High	Low to medium
Leaving	One tap	One tap	Leave or mute
Slow connection	Works	Struggles	Works

Who is random text chat for?

Random text chat suits adults who want a conversation without commitment: a few minutes of talk, an outside opinion, practice in another language, or company late at night. It suits people who type more easily than they talk to a camera, and anyone who does not want their face on a stranger's screen.

People who want to talk, not to date.
Language learners. SayHello runs in 15 languages and translates messages in the private chat.
Night owls, and anyone in a quiet place where a video call is out of the question.
Anyone who would rather not show their face or their room.
Adults only. The whole site is 18+, and the Flirt room is for adult subjects by consent.

Five safety rules for random text chat

Text carries nothing about you except what you write, so safety comes down to a few habits. These five cover almost everything that goes wrong in random chats, from people fishing for personal details to links and money requests that turn up in the first few messages.

Keep your full name, town, school and workplace to yourself. Country and language are fine.
Do not send photos of yourself, your room or your street. On SayHello a photo arrives blurred, and the other person decides whether to open it.
Any talk of money ends the conversation: investments, loans, gift cards, paid content.
Treat a link in the first messages as spam. In the lobby, links and contacts are hidden automatically.
Use Report. Three reports from different people within an hour close that person's search in the room for an hour.

Questions people ask

Is random text chat free?

Yes. SayHello has no paid features. A guest gets five conversations a day, and a free account removes the limit.

Do I need to sign up?

No. Press Start talking and the search begins. An account takes an email and a password, and you can create one later.

Can I choose who I talk to?

You can set gender, age and language preferences in search settings. For the first ten seconds of a search they work as requirements, then they relax so you are not left waiting.

Is there video or voice?

No. SayHello is text only. You can send a photo, and it arrives blurred.

What happens to my messages?

They are deleted 24 hours after the conversation ends. If someone reports the chat, it is kept until the report is reviewed, and never longer than 30 days.

Are there bots?

No. Only real people.

What if nobody is online?

The search keeps running while you wait in the lobby, and you can write to the people waiting there.

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Try one conversation

Text only, adults only, no account. Press the button and the search starts.