Open - let's be open Reviews

I also got a text with a link to Open because a ‘friend’ was inviting me. The wording made it sound like someone I knew wanted to chat with me directly but anonymously. So I downloaded Open . During setup I went (admittedly, too quickly) through the privacy settings and accidentally agreed to every pop up. Open had full access to my contacts, but again, the way it was worded it seemed like it invited all my contacts to join via text message. I almost had a heart attack. I checked with my mom and she never got a text invite. So thank god! Since it’s all anonymous, it doesn’t really matter whether or not the people I’m talking to are my friends. So the whole connecting with your contacts thing is totally spam. And I know someone from the company will say “sorry you had a bad experience, it’s not spam blah blah blah” but like, there’s literally no benefit to chatting anonymously with friends. It’s nonsensical.

TLDR: anonymous chats are cool, but the anonymity makes the whole shared-contacts thing really sketchy. The only purpose it serves is to get the company more downloads.

Once you accept the fact that you were lured into getting Open bc you believed a specific friend was requesting or needing your help, ONLY to find out that that “friend” was just a number in your contact list (possibly your colleague, your dog sitter, your plumber, your nephew, etc), you might find some of the anonymous conversations interesting. However, if the interesting conversation develops into something more, it seems you are often left with just a mind game. Once you figure out that you can DM a certain animal and that each animal in a conversation can be cloaked in a new disguise in another conversation, you wonder how much of the anonymity feature falls prey to unaccountability. Certain individuals have told me that they posted certain messages that they could see but I couldn’t on my side - again, very odd, considering the touting of the anonymity feature. But, I guess, if you are up for the game…

For real Open is a joke. It’s so depressing to know your friends darkest deepest trauma all laid out and not knowing who it is takes a toll on your mental health while you try to guess who’s who and how you couldn’t see these issues point blank in person. It’s super sad and I suggest all those that want to join this group chatting app try professional help. Complaining about your spouse to people who know them? Mean, rude… Unnecessary. Plus chatting with friends of friends is not everyone’s things… I don’t hangout with a chunk of my friends other friends because we don’t get along or our lives don’t align so being in an anonymous chat with those people potentially? Sounds horrible. I joined just to see what it was about and seriously feel like I should be a paid therapist reading this stuff. Great idea for very close LARGE friend groups that want to ease grievances and such but for real this isn’t therapy, don’t download this if you’re going to treat it like that.

I get the idea behind Open , but the problem with making an app like this specifically for close friends is that most people are already super close with their good friends or family, meaning they already know how you text, how you use emojis, and the different people and environments you frequent, so there is a much higher likelihood people will realize who’s talking to who. Especially when sharing an event that happened in your life it’s not hard to identify who’s who, seeing that whoever’s on Open chatting with you has “a friend what’s to chat with me” in on their minds from the start of the conversation. The whole conversation becomes them asking you directly who you are or them thinking about who you are the whole time . It’s the whole thing is based on the assumption that people will just shut up and connect deeply but instead people become more curious about who you are and why you invited them

Ok so the creep factor of his app is high. I received a text like everyone else. I downloaded Open but am hesitant to this app it. The inner workings of Open are explained vaguely at best by the developers. Okay, so someone who has my number can send me an invite. Seems harmless. And you refer them to me as “friends.” But let’s define “friends.” Is it just anyone who has my number saved in their phone? Is this person in my contacts as well? Or perhaps it’s someone I’ve blocked on my phone and they decide they can bypass those boundaries by talking “anonymously” to me on Open. Yet, they invited ME. Regardless of how it’s hopefully used, its possible they know exactly who I am, and I was the sole reason they decided to use Open . So the only one in the abyss of anonymity and cluelessness is ME. I see lawsuits of every nature coming for Open if this is the case. There needs to be some major disclosure by the developers on behalf of Open and SOON.

This is a very unique app, and the ways most people find it is by receiving an anonymous text inviting them to chat with an anonymous friend. The way Open is set up is such that you need your friends to join in order to have these chats. Some people see this as a scam but it’s just how the logistics of this work. It’s like going on any social media, if you can’t connect with friends what’s the point? And this is about connecting with your friends anonymously - not random strangers. If it doesn’t appeal to you OK - don’t do it. But a lot of people, myself included enjoy having an this app forum - anonymous- made up of your own contacts - to air out thoughts and feelings.

Do not trust Open with your secrets. People can invite a single person, and be notified of a new friend that joined, and be reasonably certain it’s you. They won’t know your randomly assigned nickname, but if you type something and you’re their only friend, they’ll logically know it’s you. All the more if you have a particular way of phrasing or typing things, or relay unique circumstances.

If you’re going to use it, you better have many many “friends” and write only generically, and never share anything that you wouldn’t want attributed to you, or used against you. And of course, your phone number is associated internally to all you type, and so would be revealed if subpoenaed.

And to the developers, the invite text message implying a friend invited you, coupled with repeated attempts to get all users to invite their entire contact lists is a dark pattern, and worse given the over-promise of anonymity.

Received a text saying someone on Open is trying to send me an anonymous message. In order to view the message you have to download Open AND give Open full access to your contacts. I find anonymous texting apps fairly disgusting to begin with - they are the modern day equivalent of the old fashioned poison pen letter. Open goes much further, there is no reason whatsoever that Open needs access to your contacts for a user to receive an anonymous message. By requiring it they are essentially blackmailing you into giving up your data in exchange for “finding out” whatever some pathetic anonymous coward is trying to text you. Apple should ban these apps, or at least ones like this that require your contacts to receive a message. Don’t support the sort of sleazy grifters that create socially destructive apps like this!

Are these supposed to be people I have in my phone contacts that I’m also in theirs? I don’t know how many users are on Open but there aren’t many reviews so the fact that I got an invite for this sketched me out and made me think someone was trying to hack my phone and track my location. I have crippling anxiety and these tactics they use made me physically ill. That’s just how my mind works, but that’s the reality of the situation. After a week of anxiety, I clicked the link and installed because I couldn’t bare to not know why someone was trying to anonymously contact me. I joined. It said I had one friend on Open and there were 3 random conversations available. I then signed up with a texting app number and found the same exact convos available. Who are these people? I’m scared.

Ultimately this app is a cool idea because it provokes conversation, though i believe there is still a way to do it with class. People tend to ambush one another, and negative comments are fine but there should be talking points, along with free flowing conversation. It feels like Open Whisper, which allows you to post to your nearby community but with an element that reminds me of Quora. Fun, engaging and anonymous way of seeing what people in your Address Book have on their minds and secure anonymity.

Thanks to Open, I was able to do a bit of soul searching and reflect on my feelings on a few different topics. This was great for helping my friend understand what I was going through at the time. It brought us closer which I can’t be more thankful for. I would recommend Open to anyone that wants to this app up, in a safe way. It’s very easy to navigate and I didn’t find the experience to be intrusive.

This is a great app where you can express yourself without fear or judgement. I love where it provides a safe space for people to share anything whether it's a problem or any thoughts actually, and you can also provide some feedback or suggestions for your friends anonymously. It also has some checks for negative messages which violate community guidelines.

I love the fact that I can go on this new social media platform and speak my honest mind without fear of hurtful comments. The added aspect of knowing my friends are along for the ride—but anonymous— makes the experience even more fun. I wish more social media apps would moderate users/comments better. Definitely worth a download!

From the description given it’s said to be an app for anonymous messages to help people be this app about things and personally I don’t think this should include people looking for others to have sexual chats with anonymously. And when I expressed that opinion they were rude. I tried to report or block the user and I was given an error for blocking but no report button for the user ? Help?

Do NOT allow Open access to your contacts. I did NOT allow it to invite all my contacts, and it did just that. I would suggest using a burner phone with no contacts in it if you want to check out Open or not downloading it at all. Irritating and scammy that it invites all contacts after not being granted permission.
Update. App developer says it doesn't send requests to your contacts without permission from you. YES IT DID. I am 100 percent certain it opened my contacts and sent scammy texts to all of them. Open should not be allowed by apple.

One of the best places to get real with each other. Don’t need to worry about privacy. I can talk about things that others might want to keep to themselves. Especially these days when nobody’s wants to be vulnerable to pandemic. My negative thoughts just disappeared after chatting with my anonymous friends.

Much like my favorite recliner at my parent’s home, Open is such a comfortable and safe place to this app up. I have gained so much support from anonymous friends while dealing with Covid, work, child care, etc. not to mention the this app discussions about politics and world events to help me gain a broader perspective. Try this app, you will love it!

Open is very interesting and a unique idea. It is a space for conversations allowing people to remain anonymous for privacy reasons. Users can feel safe expressing themselves and their feelings if they need someone to talk to. They value kindness and respect.

I think that it’s an interesting concept, but I’m not sure that it’s a great idea. I feel like it’s a little invasive of your privacy and others. I’d only recommend it if you are willing to make sacrifices regarding privacy in exchange for somewhat anonymous conversations and the chance to meddle in other’s business.
Also, I feel like the conversations I can view are definitely not from people I actually know.

You can’t speak freely without Open flagging your message or giving you a day suspension. Upon getting released from suspension you’ll then be suspended for 2 day. Then 3. Idk if after 3 you get permanently banned, but to have an “anonymous app” you should be able to speak freely without facing persecution for saying something you would/wouldn’t say out loud. What’s the point of being anonymous if the alp won’t allow you to say what you want to say?