Ysos: A Dating App for Open-Minded, Non-Monogamous Singles

The Short Version: Singles and people in an open relationship who hope to meet others with the same kinks will want to download Ysos. It has more than 1 million users in Brazil and keeps growing, and after launching in the U.S. last December, its developers are aiming to expand there. Ysos is free to download on both iOS and Android.

CMO Mayumi Sato helped get Ysos off the ground in 2018, following the success of her first venture, Sexlog, a Brazilian social network for seniors. The site’s focus is on creating a dating community where singles and couples can explore their sexuality free of judgment.

According to Mayumi, the Sexlog online community, founded ten years ago, was too explicit to work as an app, so Ysos is the perfect fit for people who are curious about polyamory or are otherwise ethically non-monogamous. In this judgment-free space, users can talk openly about their sexual fetishes and/or arrange to meet up for dates.

Ysos makes it easy for users who want casual dating, hookups, or something longer term to see what their options are. The app might look like it’s just for hookups, but Mayumi said it’s a safe, community-driven space.

“It’s for open-minded people, but it’s especially built for couples who want to do things together,” Mayumi explained. “And our community is pretty straightforward…They want to have fun.”

Ysos takes pride in being secure and discreet. It helps users find nearby matches who share their interests. Single or coupled, and whatever your gender or orientation, you can build new friendships if that’s your main aim, explore quick flings, or find someone new for a non-monogamous relationship with more commitment.

A Safe Place to Meet for People Who Want an Open Relationship

People drawn to nontraditional relationships need to feel part of a community, both online and off. Ysos gives its users room to explore and enjoy themselves. Where other apps center on finding a life partner, this one is more about fun with friends.

“They are offering something to their communities to build deep relationships,” Mayumi explained. “And in our case, we just think that…you can have some fun…and end up having good friends and a good community around you. You’re never truly going to feel alone anymore.”

Ysos is built for couples in open relationships.

Mayumi told us she has spent most of her life in open relationships and has been with her partner for more than 13 years, but the people around her haven’t accepted it. “I hear from people, okay, but it’s not a marriage…it’s not serious, right? You’re not really together,” she said. “I think this is something that our community struggles with a little bit.”

Because the app encourages users to share their desires, the developers gain a clearer picture of what people actually want when they sign up.

“We know exactly what they want, what they’re looking for,” Mayumi told us. “We are applying some of this knowledge to explain the expansion in the U.S., and this is what we’re doing right now…we are in an exploratory phase in the U.S.” 

The team behind Ysos is working to understand the U.S. market better, along with particular communities of interest. They want to find out how their private, nonjudgmental platform can serve these people better.

Stay Anonymous and Be Discreet While Dating on Ysos

Given the kinds of relationships the app supports, safety matters enormously to its users. What mainly sets Ysos apart from mainstream dating apps, Mayumi explained, is how inclusive it is overall and how welcoming it is to unconventional relationships. On its Google Play store product page, the app even calls itself the official swingers app.

Once you’ve set up your account and written a short description of yourself and what you want, you’re sure to meet like-minded daters you click with who are open to ethical non-monogamy and other unconventional practices.

Non-monogamous relationships were often frowned upon in the past, but they’ve grown far less taboo in recent years.

Ysos offers features that make it simple to connect.

To keep out fake profiles, Ysos has users verify their phone numbers when they sign up. It also offers interest filters that let users decide which profiles suit them best, and only people from the profiles they’ve chosen can chat with them. You don’t need a subscription to talk, either.

After you’ve liked someone’s profile and they’ve liked you back, you can send as many private messages as you want for free. “You can have a profile or share with your partner,” Mayumi told us.

“So you can talk to someone and, like, at the same time,your partner is talking to him or her. Ssomething that we try to educate to the third person is that you have to respect the previous relationship.” 

Anyone who connects with a non-monogamous couple must understand their boundaries and follow their rules so the connection stays harmonious.

Every user has to go through a strict process before uploading photos. Anyone who wants a profile photo must submit documents proving they are who they claim to be. Users who don’t comply are banned from the app, and the community gives them a red flag.

“All the profiles, they have a hidden gallery…sometimes people…don’t want to show off their face,” Mayumi explained. “For us, it’s absolutely ok. If you don’t want to put your face on your profile or your main pictures, you can do it and put it on the hidden gallery.”  

Every uploaded image carries a watermark, and only users who have already matched can see the hidden gallery. A screen lock PIN also keeps your private information safe.

Expanding in the U.S., Community Events, and More

Since the app launched in the U.S. recently, the company is watching this market closely to learn what American users are into compared with users in Brazil.

“After three or four months, we’re willing to understand more about where the communities are,” Mayumi explained. “We have good results in some states – California, Texas, and Florida. But we are open to the whole country.” 

Some states have bigger communities of people who want nontraditional romantic relationships, but you can use the app anywhere in the country. Ysos is concentrating on a handful of cities where interest has taken off, among them Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Las Vegas, San Antonio, San Diego, and San Francisco.

Ysos can be found in select cities across the U.S.

For its U.S. launch, Ysos is hoping to hire a community manager. The company wants someone open-minded who, ideally, already belongs to the swinger community. That person would handle events and answer Ysos users’ questions.

Mayumi also pointed to Sex Summit, a yearly event held in Brazil that covers sex, sex tech, dating trends, and similar topics, which people interested in Ysos might want to attend.

If you’re just starting out with open relationships, or you and your partner are a non-monogamous couple wanting to try online dating with someone new, Ysos’ laid-back approach to relationships should suit you. The app puts privacy first and makes it easy to connect with like-minded people in a judgment-free space.