HEYDAO/嘿岛FAQ
Heydao (嘿岛) is a mobile social app for Chinese-speaking young people living abroad. You post a gathering — something you want to do tonight, such as a drink, karaoke, late-night food or a walk — and find people nearby who want to head out at the same time. Heydao is a mobile app only; there is no web version.
Yes — most people come on their own. You do not need to bring friends or gather a group before heading out: find a gathering that suits you and ask to join, without having to post one yourself. Gatherings exist for exactly the moment when you want to go out and nobody around you happens to be free.
You do not have to know anyone first. Look at the gatherings happening nearby in the next day or two — a drink, late-night food, a pickup game, a walk — and ask to join one you already wanted to do anyway. You are not going out to “network”; you are going to do the thing, and other people happen to be there. Doing something together first, and letting the friendship follow, is usually far easier than the other way round.
Post a gathering, or join one. A gathering does not have to be an occasion — “karaoke at 7, two spots left” or “anyone want to do a grocery run” both count. Most gatherings on Heydao are for the same day or the next one, so nothing needs planning a week ahead.
This is the situation Heydao was built for. The thing you wanted to do does not have to be called off because the people around you are busy — post it as a gathering and let whoever else is up for it come to you.
Heydao is an app built for international students — a way to find a circle of your own while living far from home. What it builds is not necessarily a relationship you have to keep maintaining, nor someone you meet once and never see again, but a way of living.
Heydao is not a dating platform. What grows here is the bond among a group of people, rather than two people approaching each other with an agenda. A gathering is a few people doing something together, not a one-to-one match. What we want is for the person you love and the friends you love being with to both have a place in your life.
Yes. Besides in-person gatherings, Heydao has chat rooms (city-based and global), game rooms matched by rank, private chats between buddies, and a stories feed for everyday posts. You can meet people there without going anywhere — and post or join a gathering whenever you do feel like heading out.
Heydao does not charge users anything.
The most basic layer is that a gathering is not open sign-up: people can only ask the host to join, and the host decides who comes. On top of that there is AI safety review, reporting and blocking, emergency contacts, opt-in location sharing, safety check-in and a safety score, and Heydao handles no money between users. The App also has a safety centre providing 24-hour support and crisis helplines that you can tap to call. For a first meeting, choose a busy, well-lit public place and tell someone you trust about your plans. The safety page has the full picture.