let's rewind to late 2024. omegle had just sht down, and the internet collectively mourned the loss of its favorite digital roulette wheel for an awkward small talk. meanwhile, i've been seeing countless of entries from the freedom wall demanding a replacement. people wanted to yell into the void again. thus, AnimoChat was born.

Motivations, ranked:

1. "omegle died, and we needed drama"
2. "the freedom wall said 'pls'" (we are weak to peer pressure)
3. we wanted to see how many people would accidentally send their wifi passwords to strangers.

let's talk about the competition—or, as i like to call it, the "digital dinosaur exhibit" (nyahahaha). apps like chatkool, and others in the anonymous chat space feel like they were built in 2013, frozen in time, and then dusted off for a 2025 release. they're functional, sure, but they're about as modern as a nokia 3310 in the world of smartphones.

animochat, on the other hand, is a fresh take on the anonymous chat experience. we've got all the basics you'd expect from a chat app, but with a modern twist. think of it as the difference between a rotary phone and a smartphone. we're not just here to help you chat with strangers; we're here to help you chat with strangers with style (ey).

P.S to the chatkool devs: no hard feelings. but maybe consider adding a reply feature? just a thought :p

one of our biggest headaches? matchmaking. picture this: you walk into a room packed with stranges, each holding a mysterious key. you blindly grab someone's hand, and poof, you are both teleported into a private chat room.

behind the scenes, the matchmaking logic is powered by postgres functions, which are basically the digital equivalent of a bouncer at a club who’s really good at playing matchmaker. these functions swoop in, grab two random users from the waiting room, and shove them into a chat room faster than you can say "awkward small talk". every connection is spontaneous, chaotic, and—thanks to postgres—surprisingly seamless.

here's a dumbed-down version of how the magic happens:

1. check if you're already waiting (hey, you can't skip lines!)
2. check if you're already match: in the event that you get disconnected, we dont want you to lose your match!
3. clean up the waiting room: if someone's impatient and left without matching, we wanna make sure that we clean up their mess!
4. find a match: this is where the magic happens. we find someone who's waiting for a match and pair you up!

here's a snippet of the logic (don't worry, i've left out the secret sauce)

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION find_match_v2(_user_id text)  
RETURNS TABLE (match_id UUID, matched_user1 text, matched_user2 text, status TEXT, theme JSONB) AS $$  
BEGIN  
  -- Check if you're already waiting or matched  
  IF youre_already_waiting OR youre_already_matched THEN  
    RETURN QUERY SELECT your_info;  
  END IF;  

  -- Clean up the waiting room  
  DELETE FROM waiting_users WHERE theyre_offline;  

  -- Try to find a match  
  IF someone_with_similar_vibes IS FOUND THEN  
    DELETE FROM waiting_users WHERE its_you_or_your_match;  
    INSERT INTO matches (you, your_match, 'active');  
    RETURN QUERY SELECT your_new_match_info;  
  ELSE  
    -- Join the queue  
    INSERT INTO waiting_users (you);  
    RETURN QUERY SELECT your_waiting_info;  
  END IF;  
END;  
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

PS: if the matchmaking ever feels slow, blame the bouncer. they're probably on a coffee break.

let's get real for a moment—while AnimoChat is all about those spontaneous, anonymous conversations, the truth is that every message does travel through our servers. think of it like this: when you send a letter, it naturally passes through a post office. sure, someone could peek at the envelope if they really wanted to, but that's not what happens. we don't snoop on your chats. our systems are designed to handle your data with care and respect.

the backend architecture we’ve built (powered by supabase) is crafted for efficiency and scalability, not intrusion. yes, technically, it means that if someone were determined enough (with the right access), they could read what’s being said. but rest assured, your conversations are as private as we can make them. (if you're still worried, just don't send your wifi password to strangers. it's a good rule of thumb.) or sue me LOL

for a bit of perspective, consider how messenger apps and other platforms used to operate. before end-to-end encryption became the norm, messages would pass through servers much like ours do. implementing end-to-end encryption is a significant undertaking, and for our application, it would be overkill. we've struck the right balance between performance and privacy, ensuring that your conversations are safe without complicating the system more than needed.

in short, while your data must pass through our servers (that’s just how the magic of the internet works—and it’s free, too), we take every measure to ensure that your conversations remain just that: yours. it’s all part of creating a reliable, modern chatting experience where your privacy is respected as much as your freedom to connect.

animochat isnt just another chat app. its our answer to modern omegle ! with a seamless interface, we've created a digital playground where every match is unique :D.

so next time you visit and find yourself paired with a stranger, remember: behind that seemingly random match is a carefully crafted system. happy chatting ! :)