An app that lets women review men anonymously is going viral — and it’s stirring polarizing opinions and some concerns about privacy.

The app, called Tea, has surged to the No. 1 spot on the US Apple App Store. It launched in 2023 and began rapidly ascending charts in the last few weeks.

Sensor Tower, a marketing intelligence firm that tracks app data, estimated that downloads increased 185% in the first 20 days of July compared to the same period in June.

Tea was founded by Sean Cook, whose LinkedIn page says he previously held roles at Salesforce and Shutterfly.

According to Tea’s website, Cook launched the app “after witnessing his mother’s terrifying experience with online dating — not only being catfished but unknowingly engaging with men who had criminal records.”

The concept for the app isn’t exactly novel.

“Are We Dating the Same Guy” Facebook groups, where women share experiences with men they’ve dated, emerged in 2022. About a decade earlier, there was Lulu, an app where women could rate men.

Tea’s viral moment comes in an era of swiping fatigue, when incumbent dating apps and new startups alike are trying to redefine the dating landscape.

Tea declined to comment for this story.

How does Tea work?

Tea opens to a feed displaying photos of men, posted by anonymous users with screen names. In some posts, women ask for “tea” — meaning the gossip — on someone they’re interested in, while others provide detailed reviews of men. The app doesn’t allow screenshots (if you try, all you’ll end up with is a black screen).

When users go to post a “man,” the app asks for the man’s first name, estimated age, and location. They can also include a caption and photos. To publish the post, users must select a box that says, “All statements are true.”

Users can react to posts with green or red flags, add comments, and share text posts on a forum, where some users ask for advice. (In modern dating lingo, red flags equate to warning signs. Green flags are the opposite — signs of emotional intelligence or respectfulness, for example.)

The app locks some features behind a paywall.

For instance, there’s a maximum of five free searches a month, after which users are given a choice: pay for Tea’s $15 a month subscription or invite friends to the app and unlock features like unlimited searches. A slew of other paywalled features require a subscription, including background checks, phone number lookup, and reverse-image search.

The app says that 10% of profits are donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Another anonymous app goes viral

The company posted a story to its Instagram on Wednesday saying that the app “received more than 900,000 requests to join” this week.

Tea has gotten a warm reception from users so far, with an average rating of 4.7 out of over 60,000 ratings on the App Store.

The app has also provoked a range of strong reactions on social media.

Mentions of Tea on both X and Reddit began picking up steam on July 17, according to social media monitoring company PeakMetrics. Coincidentally, that aligns with the unravelling of the Coldplay “kiss cam” saga.

While Tea is focused on women’s dating, it joins the ranks of viral anonymous apps — like Yik Yak and AskFM — that have, in many instances, been criticized for their potential to foster cyberbullying and harassment.

In its analysis, PeakMetrics wrote that a “significant theme” in online discussions on Reddit was the app’s ethical implications, “particularly regarding privacy and the potential for defamation.”

PeakMetrics added that while some online had praised the app as a way to expose harmful behavior, Tea had also “sparked debates about fairness and the potential for false accusations, reflecting broader societal discussions on gender and safety.”