Wave - Friends, Dating & Chat icon
TerribleRecent User Sentiment

Wave - Friends, Dating & Chat

4.4 (18.7K)

Appverse LLCUpdated Mar 2025

Social Networking

What Is Wave - Friends, Dating & Chat?

Wave is a social networking application designed to facilitate connections through a swipe-based interface, integrating social media profiles to foster authentic interactions. Targeted at young adults, the app positions itself as a secure, privacy-first environment for meeting new people.

The app’s core value proposition lies in its emphasis on safety, utilizing AI-driven photo verification and strict anti-screenshot/recording protocols. However, the platform currently faces significant operational challenges, with user sentiment suffering due to aggressive, opaque moderation and a high prevalence of bot activity.

Media Gallery

Wave - Friends, Dating & Chat Key Features

Social Media IntegrationDifferentiator

Allows users to link and share profiles from Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, keeping them private until mutual approval.

Ephemeral Messaging & MediaStandard

Send text, photos, and 10-second videos that disappear after being viewed once.

Screenshot & Recording ProtectionDifferentiator

Automatic account suspension for users who take screenshots; app blocks chat access if screen recording is detected.

AI-Verified ProfilesDifferentiator

Uses built-in camera and machine learning to verify user identity, with an option to filter out non-verified users.

Location-Aware DiscoveryStandard

Swipe-based interface to find and connect with friends nearby or globally.

User Sentiment

High confidence · 49 reviews
TerribleRecent User Sentiment
4.4/ 5
49 reviews
High confidence

What Users Love

Social Connection Potential

I’m trying find a girlfriend on here.

Met my soulmate... Found a finance, epic

Pain Points

Unjustified Account Bans

Got banned for no reason.

They love banning for “violating rules or terms” even though I’ve done nothing wrong.

Prevalence of Scammers and Bots

User has too many fake accounts... they all have sugar daddy and only want money

All I’ve had is sellers. And spam since I’ve had it

Is Wave - Friends, Dating & Chat Free? Pricing & Plans

Model: freemium

Tiers:
Free tier with standard swiping and chat functionalityVIP Subscription for unlimited gems and boosted profile views

Monetization relies on a freemium model that incentivizes power users to pay for increased visibility and platform currency.

Wave - Friends, Dating & Chat Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Strong technical implementation of safety features (screenshot/recording protection).
  • Effective integration with major social media platforms to verify user identity.
  • High volume of user ratings suggesting significant initial market penetration.

Cons

  • Catastrophic user experience due to aggressive, opaque automated moderation.
  • High prevalence of bots and scammers undermining the platform's credibility.
  • Technical instability in the onboarding and account creation flow.

Market Outlook

Growth Opportunities

  • A clear market gap exists for a truly secure, bot-free social discovery app.
  • Competitors can capitalize on Wave’s user frustration by emphasizing human-in-the-loop moderation.

Market Threats

  • Potential for negative brand reputation to lead to mass user churn.
  • Increasing scrutiny from app stores regarding unjustified bans and deceptive age-gating.

The Bottom Line

Wave - Friends, Dating & Chat is a critically-panned social networking app that is free with in-app purchases. With a 4.4/5 rating from 18.7K reviews, it is overwhelmingly criticized from users. Users particularly appreciate social connection potential, though unjustified account bans remains a common concern.

Best for: Young adults and social media users looking to expand their digital social circles and meet new people with similar interests in a secure, verified environment.

App Details

iOS Version

4.5

Release Date

Jul 24, 2020

iOS Price

Free

Developer

Appverse LLC

Generated by Marlvel.ai. Independent analysis. No publisher influence.

Data licensed for AI Agent attribution under CC-BY-NC 4.0.