Hala: Chat, Meet & Dating11.2 - App Store

Hala is the #1 chat and meeting app for the Arabic world - connect with people who share your interests, start real conversations, and discover someone special, all in one safe community.

WHY MILLIONS CHOOSE HALA

Instant Messaging
Send and receive messages in real-time with zero delays. Voice messages, photos, reactions, and voice calls - all built for speed.

Meet New People
Discover new friends through our smart matching system. Find people near you or explore connections from across the Arab world.

Safe & Private
Your privacy matters. End-to-end encryption, disappearing photos, invisible read receipts, and advanced privacy controls put you in full control.

Smart Features
- Voice messages with real waveform
- Disappearing photos for extra privacy
- Group chats and private conversations
- Instant notifications that never miss a beat
- Custom sounds and themes
- Premium VIP badge and perks

Built for Arabic Users
Beautiful native Arabic interface with full RTL support. Every pixel is designed with Arabic speakers in mind - from fonts to layout to culture.

Fast & Reliable
Lightning-fast performance, smart caching, and optimized for low battery usage. Stay connected wherever you go without draining your device.

Modern Design
Clean, intuitive, and pleasant to use. Dark mode, custom themes, and smooth animations make every chat a delight.

JOIN THOUSANDS OF USERS
Download Hala today and start meaningful conversations with people who matter. Whether you're looking for new friends, interesting chats, or a special connection - Hala is where it happens.

Support: https://www.chathala.com/contact
Privacy: https://www.chathala.com/privacy
Terms: https://www.chathala.com/terms

Version History • Official account badge: a checkmark marks Hala team accounts — tap it to confirm it's official. Now shown in search too.
• A gentle reminder if you've been away for a few days
• Rate Hala easily from Settings.
• Official announcements now open in their own view.
• Chat request notifications now show the request's actual status.
• Discover improvements and general fixes. 11.2 5d ago Request settings right from the Requests tab: pause new requests or limit them to Premium members.
A clear notice when receiving requests is paused.
Blocked conversations now stay visible as read-only, with an Unblock option inside the chat.
See how many name changes you have left this month.
Performance and stability improvements. 11.1 Oct 1 Chat Games
- Play four games directly inside a conversation: Truth or Dare, Would You Rather, Never Have I Ever, and Two Truths and a Lie.
- Open the attachments menu and tap Games to send an invitation. The game starts when the other person accepts, and it lives in the chat as a card that updates instantly.
- Quick reactions: react to a result or to the last round with one tap.
- My Questions: write your own questions and play them with friends. You can report a question you receive, and you can suggest your own for everyone after review.
- Bold level (adults only): more personal and romantic questions, available only when both people are 18 or older and the invitation is accepted.
- Game history for each conversation, an end-of-game summary, and a Play Again button.
- A single gentle reminder if a game has been waiting for your turn for several hours.

Improvements
- Faster, smoother game updates and cleaner buttons. 10.9 Sep 30 Presence in chat
- The other person's photo appears at the bottom of the chat while they are in it with you, and disappears when they leave.
- A small moment when you are both in the chat at the same time.
- In the chats list, an animated ring shows who has your chat open right now.
- Respects your privacy settings: if you hide your activity, your presence is not shown and you do not see others'.

Chat
- Nudge: from the attachments menu, send a gentle vibration to someone who is in the chat right now.
- Voice message receipts: know when your voice message has been listened to.
- The other person's photo appears next to the last message they read.

Privacy
- Disappearing photos no longer appear in screenshots or screen recordings, and the sender is notified of the attempt.

Improvements
- The back button is easier to tap, and swiping from the edge to go back is more precise. 10.8 Sep 17 This update addresses three things you told us about:

The chats list opens faster
Profile photos were being decoded at a size far larger than they are displayed, which filled the image cache and left loading spinners in place of the photos every time the tab was opened. They are now stored at their actual display size: they appear immediately and use far less memory.

Loading older messages
After an older page loads, the list shifts, and a following tap could land on a message bubble where the button had been and add a reaction you did not intend. Taps now reach the button only, and a confirmation shows how many messages were loaded.

Reactions
Two quick taps on the same emoji cancelled each other out, so the reaction looked like it never registered. Swapping one emoji for another also did not appear until the chat was reopened. Both are fixed.

Request ordering
Incoming chat requests are now ordered by when they arrived, so the newest is at the top. Best match ordering is still available for people who receive many requests, and your choice is now remembered. 10.7 Sep 14 Chats
• "Load older messages" now brings the loaded messages into view instead of inserting them above the screen, and they stay loaded when you return to the chat.
• A chat request you reject no longer reappears after leaving and reopening the app.
• Disappearing photos have a new compact bubble that updates live: you see when it was opened, how long is left, and when it expired — for both sender and recipient, without reopening the chat.
• Free accounts can now send 6 photos a day instead of 2.

Appeals
• If an appeal was closed automatically, you can now submit a new one instead of replying inside a closed thread. 10.6 Sep 10 • Starting conversations is now open: no cap on pending requests and no daily limit.
• New “My sent requests” screen: everything you’ve sent that hasn’t been answered, in one place — withdraw one or many at once, from the Requests tab.
• Fixed: hitting the request cap also blocked messaging people who had already accepted you.
• Fixed: a re-invite to a closed chat was marked expired as soon as it was sent, so the other person never saw it.
• Calmer, clearer ads in Discover: one break every 10 cards, and Continue appears once the ad has fully shown.
• Corrected the Instagram account on the appeal screen. 10.5 Sep 5 Change your email from within the app, confirmed by a code sent to your new address
Profile photos at their original resolution, with a full-screen viewer and pinch to zoom
Clearer chat timing: periodic time separators instead of a timestamp on every message
Loading older messages is now accurate, with no duplicates in active conversations
Deleting a conversation removes it from the list immediately
General stability fixes and improvements 10.4 Sep 1 Full-size photo for Hala+ members
Subscribers' profiles now show their photo in full instead of a small circle.

Redesigned light mode
Neutral, easier-to-read colors — pink is reserved for buttons and statuses.

Lighter on battery
Fixed an audio session that stayed open after previewing a voice message,
and bounded the socket reconnection attempts that kept waking the network.

Clear old requests
Now works as intended, showing how many requests will be cleared and adding
an "older than 7 days" option.

Fixes
• Tapping Message inside a profile no longer throws you back to Discover
• The Hala+ bar in the message composer now opens the subscription screen
from every path 10.3 Aug 29 Chat wallpapers
- Six new background patterns, each with a light and a dark variant that follows your device appearance automatically.
- A separate wallpaper for each conversation, chosen from the conversation options menu, alongside the app-wide wallpaper in Settings.

Improvements
- Higher contrast for message bubbles, particularly in light mode.
- The conversation options menu was reorganized: a close button at the top, and destructive actions grouped separately.

Fixes
- The tab bar could appear over the conversation screen after closing the wallpaper picker.
- Long voice notes and shared locations rendered with a partially filled bubble. 10.2 Aug 28 • Stronger, more stable connection — the app now rides out brief network drops and retries automatically
• A subtle banner when you go offline, and your messages send automatically once you're back
• Fixed the "Server unavailable" screen appearing by mistake when your own connection was weak
• Fixed unclear error messages that could appear during chats
• Chat requests now always require your explicit approval — no more automatic acceptance
• General performance and stability improvements

We'd love your feedback — reach us anytime from within the app! 9.5 Aug 26 The chats screen now has two sections — Chats and Requests — switchable by tap or horizontal swipe, each with its own filters.
Chat requests are now ordered: those waiting for your reply first, then those waiting for theirs, with New, Premium, Same Country and Expiring Soon filters.
The request count is now consistent between the tab bar and the chats screen, where two different numbers used to appear.
A simpler chat header: presence is now a clearer dot on the avatar, and search moved into the options menu.

Lighter messages: the time now sits on the same line as the text instead of its own line, and read receipts are more subtle.
Fixes: older messages stay loaded when you leave and return, the load-more button responds anywhere you tap it, and tapping the conversation dismisses the keyboard.
Performance: fewer redraws when messages arrive, and data saving moved off the main thread. 9.4 Aug 23 Full control over notification sounds and alerts, all in one place.

Faster navigation between sections, with your place kept where you left it.

A redesigned navigation bar that responds instantly.

A clearer content policy notice before you edit your profile.

Fixes and performance improvements. 9.3 Aug 20 Live location sharing: share your location in a conversation for 15 minutes or one hour, and stop it any time.

Full-screen location preview inside the app, with the option to open in Apple Maps or Google Maps, or copy the coordinates.

The sender's photo now marks the spot on the map instead of a pin, and the address updates automatically as you move the map.

Voice messages: one consistent waveform, and seeking inside a clip by tapping or dragging.

A clear alert with a Settings shortcut when microphone or location permission is denied.

A new start screen and a single, shorter welcome screen.

Fixed location messages appearing incorrectly, reduced full-screen ads, and faster conversation loading. 9.2 Aug 15 A clearer, faster chat

- Conversations stay pinned to the newest message, so new messages arrive without scrolling down manually.
- If messages arrive while you are reading older ones, a "new messages" pill takes you to the first unread message.
- Messages that arrive while the app is closed now appear as soon as you return.
- Images reserve their space before loading, so the conversation no longer jumps while you read.
- Redesigned message bubbles with a calmer gradient that reads well in both light and dark mode.
- The chat list now shows "You:" before your own last message.

Search and likes

- The like button in search responds on the first tap, and tapping again removes the like.
- Like state is now consistent between search and profiles.
- Search filters (country and online now) apply to all results, not only the loaded page.
- Fixed layout direction on the search screen in Arabic.

General

- Fewer full-screen ads, shown at better moments: after you finish something, not during it.
- Notification reliability improvements. 9.1 Aug 11 Search
- New grid view with large cards and a grid/list toggle
- Online status shown directly on each card
- Quick like without opening the profile
- Subscribers appear first with clear visual distinction

Friends
- Reorganized into three tabs: Friends, Requests, Suggestions
- The friends list is visible immediately without scrolling

Chats
- The filter bar is now fixed and no longer scrolls with the list
- The unread filter now works within any tab

Profile
- Zodiac sign and birthday now shown when age is hidden
- Interests now display correctly
- The message button opens an existing conversation directly

Fixes
- Report screenshots now attach the conversation correctly
- Corrected element direction in Arabic 8.5 Aug 7 - Accurate message status: one checkmark when sent, two when delivered to the
recipient's device, and a color change once read.
- Typing status now appears in the chat list, including voice recording and
photo selection states.
- Deleted accounts: the conversation stays read-only, labeled "Deleted user",
with replies disabled. Fixed a blank screen when opening a deleted profile.
- A failed message now updates automatically when the automatic retry succeeds,
so it is no longer sent twice.
- Swipe from the screen edge to go back from a chat, and swipe down to close a
profile.
- Action menus now open from the bottom of the screen, with a clearer layout and
a short description for each action.
- A privacy notice when a chat request is accepted, explaining the chat is
private between both parties.
- New search filter: All, Men, Women (gender filtering is part of the
subscription).
- System default font for better readability, plus fixes in search results and
the chat list. 8.4 Aug 5 - Blocking now works both ways and applies across the whole app.
- Disappearing photos are deleted for both sides when the timer ends.
- You are notified when someone saves a photo you sent.
- Messages now show a delivered state before the read state.
- Deleting a conversation clears only your copy, and a new message starts fresh.
- Fixed duplicate notifications, faster photo sending, and stability fixes. 8.3 Aug 1 Friends System
- Send and receive friend requests from any profile
- Your friends list with online status and an always-open chat with friends
- Custom lists to organize friends, with pinning and reordering
- Smart suggestions based on your chat activity
- Get notified when a friend comes online
- Full privacy control: choose who can send you friend requests

Improved Profile
- A new simplified design for your profile and other users' profiles
- Interactive stats cards: friends, chats, likes, and visitors
- New screen to see who liked you

General Improvements
- Consistent dark colors for the login screen in dark mode
- Account deletion now removes all your data
- Performance and stability improvements 8.1 Jul 19 An update focused on the conversations experience, safety, and appearance.

- A mandatory safety acknowledgment screen shown once after registration (Email, Google, Apple) before entering the app.
- Notifications carrying a link now open that link directly on tap.
- New app logo and a refreshed interface.
- Close a conversation and re-invite it, with the other party able to accept or decline.
- Suspended accounts can no longer be messaged or invited, and their profile actions are hidden.
- Sensitive-content setting is now available to Google and Apple users after adding their birth date.
- Fixed the Profile Visitors list appearing empty for some subscribers.
- Fixed Discover filtering by gender and country.
- Fixed older conversations disappearing, and improved the last-message preview in the list.
- Clearer "Review request" naming, with the ability for a moderator to attach an explanatory image.
- Several bug fixes and performance and stability improvements. 7.5 Jul 12 - General reforms and improvements 7.4 Jul 8 - Fixed the "Profile Visitors" list not appearing for some subscribers.
- Fixed Discover filtering by gender and country so it works correctly. 7.3 Jun 22 This is a UX, stability, and visual update. No new SDKs,
no new permissions, and no changes to data collection. All
previously reviewed features behave the same.

Changes in this version:

- Account-suspension screen redesigned. Hero size reduced
and a short summary of the account state is shown. No
change to suspension logic.

- New Premium-only notification when someone views the
user's profile. Free users see a generic notification
("Someone viewed your profile") with no identity and a
tap opens the existing Paywall. Same /profile-views
endpoint, no schema change.

- Chat attachment menu (camera, gallery, file, voice) now
shows a lock icon and refuses to open the system picker
when the existing MESSAGING_RESTRICTED state is active.
Previously the picker opened and the upload was rejected
server-side. UX-only change.

- Conversation list: a previously top "Friends" strip was
removed and added as a regular filter tab. Same data,
same source.

- New "Recent Searches" chips on the search screen
(UserDefaults, on-device only, never transmitted).
Suggestions list now paginates as the user scrolls.

- Pending chat requests: accept/reject feedback animations
shortened from ~1.8s to ~400ms (optimistic UI). Same
network calls.

- Two non-actionable warning toasts inside the chat were
removed. The existing message-bubble badges remain
unchanged.

- Onboarding and Login use a consistent app logo with a
subtle pulse animation. Cosmetic only.

- Appeal screen adds a quick-link to the developer's
Instagram page (LSApplicationQueriesSchemes extended
with "instagram" only to test canOpenURL; falls back to
Safari if Instagram is not installed). No inter-app data
exchange.

- Several bug fixes (search pagination loop, swipe-card
blur on stale image, chat scroll on first open).

Previously reviewed features remain unchanged: GDPR consent
flow (UMP), App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt order,
sensitive-content controls, optional report screenshot,
GoogleSignIn, AppleSignIn, in-app purchases (StoreKit 2),
and AdMob native + adaptive banner with consent gate.

No new SDKs added. No new permissions requested. No new
data collection.

Demo account in Sign-In Information. App behavior is
identical to the previously reviewed version for users who
do not interact with the changed suspension screen, the
new visit notification, or the new search filter tab.

Contact: kaebs19@outlook.com 7.2 Jun 7 Changes in this version:

- Conversations are now preserved by default. Messages no longer disappear after 24 hours. Users can manually choose snap or 24h mode from the conversation settings.
- Unread messages remain visible regardless of age, so users never lose a message they have not yet opened.
- Multi-image upload: send up to five photos at once in a chat.
- Daily image-send limit raised from two to six for standard accounts.
- Conversation deletion is now one-sided soft-delete: the chat disappears only for the user who deleted it, while the other party keeps their full history.
- Improved blocking: when you block a user, the conversation disappears only on your side and is unaffected for the other party.
- Better in-chat image viewing: faster loading, high-quality preview with zoom, and swipe-down to dismiss.
- Refreshed bottom tab bar: modern glass look, icon-only with a tooltip showing the section name on tap.
- Discover action buttons redesigned with a colorful glass aesthetic.
- Message bubbles with subtle 3D depth and a soft glass shine.
- When an account is restricted, the remaining time is now shown precisely in days, hours, and minutes, with a live countdown in both the error message and the floating banner.
- Fixed: the first sent message now scrolls into view immediately.
- Fixed: some conversations were hidden by a stale local cache.
- General performance and stability improvements. 7.1 May 19 Privacy and protection updates in this release:

- New UMP consent flow — compliant with privacy regulations
- App Tracking Transparency prompt per Apple guidelines
- Enhanced protection against sharing external contact info
- Transparent in-app notices when usage policy is violated
- Permanent chat deletion option
- Live profile updates with real-time visitor tracking
- Improved image and message rendering performance
- Various stability fixes for a smoother experience 7.0 May 16