Coming January 1 · iPhone
Your people.
Nobody else.
Ding Dong is a messenger for the people you already know. No strangers. No search bar. And screenshots come out blank.
Free. For ages 13 and up.
What makes it different
Talk like nobody's watching. Because nobody is.
Screenshots come out blank
Chats and photos show up empty in screenshots, screen recordings and AirPlay. And if someone tries, the chat tells everyone.
Nobody can find you
There's no search bar. People can only add you with your handle or an invite code you share, and you read their note before you say yes.
Your photos, your rules
Every photo you send is view-only unless you let someone save it. You pick, person by person.
Ding them
For when "u up?" isn't loud enough. A ding rings your friend's phone, right now.
Group chats with admins
Make admins, rename the group, keep it tidy. Your team, your class, your people.
Pin your top three
Your three favourite chats, always at the top. Mute the rest for an hour, a week, or for good.
For parents
A stranger has no way to reach your kid.
That's the one rule everything in Ding Dong is built around. Here's how it works, said plainly.
No search, no directory, no public profiles
Nobody can look your kid up. They can only be added with a handle or a short-lived invite code they chose to share, and every request needs their yes.
Safe mode is on from the start
With safe mode on, nothing in the app can be captured: not chats, not photos, not friend lists. Turning it off takes Face ID and the account password.
Everything can be reported
Any person, message or group can be reported from inside the app, and a real person reads every report. Reports about self-harm go to the top of the list, and the 988 Lifeline is right there in the app.
Blocking is invisible
A blocked person is never told. To them, your kid's account looks like it doesn't exist.
Photos never carry a location
Location and camera details are stripped on the phone before a photo is sent. Our server deletes the photo once everyone it was sent to has it.
No ads. No trackers. Nothing sold.
There's no advertising and no analytics in the app or on this website. We don't sell or share anything about anyone.
Questions parents ask
Who is Ding Dong for?
People aged 13 and up. The age check happens on the phone and the birthday never leaves it, so we never hold a database of children's birthdays. If you think a child under 13 has an account, email support@dingdongusa.com and we'll remove it.
Can a screenshot really not be taken?
On the phone, yes: screenshots, screen recordings, AirPlay and screen mirroring all come out blank, and the chat says who tried. What no app can stop is somebody pointing a second phone's camera at the screen, so we won't pretend otherwise.
Are messages encrypted?
Messages travel over an encrypted connection, so nobody on the same Wi-Fi can read them. They're stored on our servers so they reach every device. Ding Dong isn't end-to-end encrypted, and our privacy policy says exactly that rather than promising something we don't do.
How is an account deleted?
From inside the app, in Settings, with no email and no questions asked. The account and what's in it are removed from our systems, as our privacy policy describes.
How do I reach a person?
Email support@dingdongusa.com. A real person reads every message. More answers are on the support page.
Built in Pleasanton, California.
Ding Dong is independent, built because teens deserve a messenger that's actually safe and actually fun. No ads, ever.
See you January 1.
Free on iPhone, for ages 13 and up.