Quick answers
Getting started
Download ALINE from the App Store or Google Play, or join on the web. Sign in with your phone number and we'll text you a one-time code. ALINE is available for phone numbers from the US, Canada (except Quebec), the UK, the EU and EEA, Israel, Australia and South Africa.
Setting up takes a couple of minutes:
- Agree to the Terms. Confirm you're 18 or older, agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge the Privacy Policy.
- Import your profile. Paste your LinkedIn profile URL or handle and ALINE fills in your name, photo, experience and education. Don't have LinkedIn? Use your resume instead. You review everything before it's saved.
- Say what you're looking for and what you offer. For example, "raising a seed round" or "hiring an iOS engineer." This is what ALINE matches on. You can skip it for now, but you won't see matches until you answer both.
- Finish your profile when you're ready. Add a video intro, verify your ID, or set home privacy. All optional.
How matching works
ALINE matches people on what each of you is looking for and what each of you offers. The Discovery tab shows people ranked by that fit, starting with people in your area. Each card shows a match percentage, and opening a profile shows why you matched.
Nearby detection is how ALINE notices people in the same room. With Find people around me on (called Open to connect nearby on Android), your phone uses Bluetooth to spot other ALINE members close by, like at the same conference or coffee shop. Location keeps the "in your area" part of your feed accurate. Other members never see your exact location.
To connect, tap ALINE on someone's profile. When you both accept, you're connected: they appear in your Connections tab and you can message them in Messages. Meeting in person? Scan each other's QR code (the QR button on your Profile tab) to connect on the spot. You can also meet people through Groups, events and speed networking.
Permissions & privacy
ALINE asks for a permission when you first use the feature that needs it, and you can say no. Here's what each one is for:
- Location. Finds people and events near you. "Always" lets ALINE keep your location current after you close the app, so you can get alerts about good matches nearby. Your exact location is never shown to other members.
- Bluetooth. Spots ALINE members physically near you. You can turn it off any time with Find people around me.
- Notifications. Connection requests, messages, nearby matches and event updates. Choose which ones you get in Settings → Notification preferences.
- Camera. Scanning ALINE QR codes and recording video intros and recaps.
- Microphone and speech recognition. Voice notes in chat, recording recaps, and dictating instead of typing.
- Contacts. Only if you choose to invite people from your contacts.
- Photos. Saving photos, videos and your QR code to your library.
- Calendar. Adding meetings and events you schedule in ALINE.
- Motion (iPhone). Helps confirm a real in-person meeting.
You decide who sees each part of your profile in Settings → Privacy. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.
Why am I not seeing matches?
Check these first:
- You haven't said what you're looking for yet. If you skipped it while signing up, answer what you're looking for and what you offer. Matching starts once both are filled in.
- You're set to Hidden. On the Discovery tab, tap the Discovery settings icon and turn on Discoverable. While you're hidden, you don't appear to anyone and your feed is paused.
- Location or Bluetooth is off. ALINE needs your location to show people in your area, and Bluetooth to find people in the same room. Allow them in your phone's settings, and turn on Find people around me in Discovery settings → Alerts & privacy.
- Not many members are nearby yet. ALINE works best where professionals gather: conferences, meetups, coworking spaces and campuses. Joining a group or event near you is a good way to meet people.
Still nothing? Email support@aline.network and we'll take a look.
Community guidelines
ALINE is a professional network, not a dating app. Treat every connection the way you would treat someone you met at a conference or through a colleague's introduction. Our Community Guidelines are part of our Terms of Service and apply everywhere on ALINE: profiles, photos and videos, messages, recaps, groups, events and speed networking. The short version:
- Be yourself. Use your real name, your own photos and your real work history. One person, one account, and you must be 18 or older.
- Keep it professional. Don't use ALINE to ask people out, flirt or look for dates.
- Respect a no. If someone doesn't connect, doesn't reply, declines to meet or ends a conversation, don't keep contacting them, and don't try to reach them another way.
- Stay on ALINE until you both want to move. Share your phone number, email or social accounts only when both of you want to, and never insist on someone else's.
- No harassment, hate, scams or spam. That includes threats, unwanted repeated contact, sales pitches nobody asked for, and asking for money or financial details.
- Respect privacy. Don't share someone's contact details, location, messages or recordings without their permission, and only record a recap with someone who has agreed to it.
Meeting people safely
ALINE is built for meeting people where work already happens: conferences, meetups, coworking spaces, campuses and coffee shops. When you meet someone for the first time:
- Meet in public. Pick a busy, public place, like the event you are both at, a coffee shop or a coworking space. Nobody owes anyone a meeting, and saying no is always fine.
- Keep the conversation on ALINE until you're ready. Chatting in the app first lets you get a feel for someone, and it keeps blocking and reporting one tap away.
- Tell someone where you're going. Let a friend or colleague know who you are meeting and where.
- Protect sensitive information. Never send money, and don't share financial details, passwords or your home address with someone you've just met.
- Trust your instincts. You can leave a meeting or end a conversation at any time.
ALINE does not run background checks and does not verify every statement on a profile. Use your own judgment, and contact emergency services if you are ever in immediate danger.
Reporting someone
If someone breaks our guidelines or makes you uncomfortable, report them. Open their profile and tap the menu icon in the top right, or open the menu in your conversation with them. Choose what happened: harassment or bullying, pressure to move off-platform, romantic or dating solicitation, impersonation or a fake profile, unsafe or threatening conduct, spam or promotional content, inappropriate or offensive content, or something else. You can add details, and you can block them in the same step.
What happens next:
- Your report goes straight to our team, and we review every report within 24 hours.
- Reports are confidential. We never tell the reported person who reported them.
- We may look at the report, the account, and the conversation between you and the person you reported.
- If we confirm a violation, we may warn the person, limit what they can do, suspend them, or permanently remove their account. Where there is a risk to someone's safety, we may also contact law enforcement.
- To protect everyone's privacy, we may not be able to tell you what action we took.
You can also report someone by emailing support@aline.network, including if you don't have an account.
Blocking someone
Blocking is immediate. Choose Block from the menu on their profile or in your conversation with them. You stop seeing each other in the app, they can't connect with you, and they can't message you. They are not notified. You can unblock someone any time from Settings → Blocked users.
If you feel unsafe
If you are in immediate danger, contact local emergency services first (911 in the US and Canada, 112 in Europe and the UK). Then email support@aline.network with "URGENT" in the subject, and report the person in the app. We have zero tolerance for anything involving minors. See our Child Safety Standards.
Delete my account
In the app: Profile tab → Settings (the gear icon) → Delete account. Deletion starts right away and usually finishes within minutes.
If you can't access the app, email privacy@aline.network with the phone number on your account and we'll complete the deletion within 7 days. Our account deletion page explains exactly what is removed and what we keep.
Troubleshooting
The app crashes or won't load
Make sure you have the latest version from the App Store or Google Play, then force-quit and reopen. If it still crashes, delete and reinstall. Your account, connections and messages are saved on our servers and come back when you sign in.
My sign-in code never arrives
Check that you picked the right country code. Codes can take up to a minute. After 60 seconds you can tap Resend. If it still doesn't arrive, email support@aline.network with the phone number you're using.
My LinkedIn import didn't work
Check the profile URL or handle, and make sure your LinkedIn profile is visible to the public. LinkedIn sometimes hides profiles from people who aren't signed in, even when the URL is right. If it still fails, use your resume instead.
A QR code won't scan
Use good light and fill most of the frame with the code. If it still won't scan, ask the other person to send you their profile link instead.
Talk to a human
For anything not covered here - bugs, suggestions, partnerships, press - email support@aline.network. A real person reads every email and we typically reply within 24 hours.