A video dating app for Indian Americans

If you are looking for a video dating app in the USA as an Indian American, you already know the usual apps. They are built around swiping, distance and quick text. That works for some people. Others want to get to know someone by actually talking, ideally someone who understands why your mom calls every Sunday and why you still crave filter coffee or dhokla.

Titli is a live video chat app made in India. It is listed in the Social category on Google Play, not Dating. It is designed for meeting new people on video, and video dating, getting to know someone face to face first, is one of the ways adults use it. Titli is only for adults aged 18 and over (see our Terms).

Languages Indian American families actually speak

Titli's app runs in nine languages. For many Indian American households, these will feel familiar:

• Telugu and Tamil, heard in many South Indian families across the country.
• Gujarati, heard in many families from Gujarat.
• Hindi, the language many families use when they mix states and backgrounds.
• Plus English, Bengali, Kannada, Urdu and Arabic.

You choose your app language on the first screen. In private messages, incoming messages can be auto-translated into your language, which helps if you speak your family's language better than you read it. Calls are not translated, so many conversations end up in a comfortable mix of English and something else.

Signing up from the US

Phone sign-in is built around Indian +91 numbers. With a US number, use Google sign-in, which works from any country. Your phone number is never shown to other members.

Titli is on Google Play worldwide, so you can install it from the US Play Store. Titli is not on the iPhone App Store.

You can also use Titli in a phone or computer browser at titliapp.com.

The time-zone math

Titli is India-first, so many people you meet will be in India, which runs on IST all year. The gap depends on your time zone and on daylight saving:

In practice, your late evening is India's morning, and your early morning is India's evening. A few habits help:

• Suggest calls in both zones: "9 pm ET, which is 7:30 am IST for you".
• Pick one or two regular slots instead of improvising every day.
• Use voice notes when one of you is asleep. They keep things warm across a 12-hour gap.

How it works

There is no swiping and no distance radius on Titli.

1. Make an honest profile: a recent photo, a few interests and something you love talking about.
2. Browse Explore. It starts on India; use the country filter to switch to the United States or anywhere else. Each profile shows a country flag.
3. Call or message from a profile. A short message first respects the time difference.
4. Or tap to connect in Match, which connects you with a member of the opposite gender at random for a 1-on-1 video call, with optional interest filters. Match has no country, age or location filters.

Video calls are billed per minute in coins to the man, and Match tickets give a free match call for a limited number of seconds. Payment options are built mainly for India, such as UPI, cards and netbanking, so check what works for you inside the app.

Dating across the diaspora

A lot of Indian Americans are balancing two cultures, and family expectations often come up early. Video gives you room to go slow.

• Be upfront about whether you are looking for friendship, something serious or are not sure yet.
• Talk about the practical stuff when it feels right: where you each see yourselves living, and how your families think about dating.
• Keep it in the app until you trust someone. Titli's Community Guidelines do not allow asking for or offering money, payment or meetings outside the app.

For connections that span continents, our guides to long-distance relationship video calls and long-distance video date ideas can help.

Safety first

• Never send money, gift cards or crypto to anyone you met online. Visa fees, medical bills and "investment tips" are classic scam stories.
• Insist on video. Someone whose camera never works is a red flag.
• Keep your address, employer and social handles private at first.
• Block or report anyone from their profile or chat. Reports are reviewed by moderation, and still snapshots may be captured during video calls with an on-screen indicator.

Read our guide to safe online dating for more.

Frequently asked questions