An Omegle alternative that starts with voices
Omegle shut down in November 2023, after 14 years. If you miss meeting someone new at random, Hey Around is a free alternative for adults that keeps the surprise and changes the parts that went wrong: every chat starts with voices only, and you see each other's faces only if you both choose to.
Hey Around isn't connected to Omegle. It's a separate site, built and run in India.
What people miss about Omegle
Omegle was simple. You opened the site, clicked once, and were talking to a stranger. No profiles, no followers, no swiping. For a lot of people, some of their best conversations online were with someone they'd never meet again.
Hey Around keeps that part: one tap to meet someone new, and one tap to move on.
Why Omegle closed
When Omegle shut down, its founder Leif K-Brooks wrote that some people had misused it, including to commit serious crimes, and that the stress and expense of keeping it online had become overwhelming, as NPR reported.
A random chat only stays good if it's hard to misuse. That's why Hey Around asks everyone to sign in, starts every chat with voices, and makes faces a choice both people make.
What Hey Around does differently
- Adults only, with a sign-in. Omegle needed no account. On Hey Around you continue with Google and enter your date of birth once, and people under 18 can't chat.
- Voices first. In Omegle's video chat, cameras were on from the moment you connected. Hey Around starts every chat with voices only, with your camera off.
- Faces by mutual choice. Your video is sent only after both of you tap Show my face, and either of you can hide your face again at any time.
- A nudity check on your own device. When faces are on, the other person's video stays blurred until your browser has checked it, and the check keeps running for as long as faces are on.
- Reports that do something. Reporting ends the chat, and you're never matched with that person again. Three reports from different people within 24 hours suspend an account for 7 days.
- Someone to complain to. Hey Around has a Grievance Officer under Indian law, and every complaint is acknowledged within 24 hours. See Contact and grievances.
How to start
- Open Hey Around and continue with Google.
- Enter your date of birth once.
- Allow the microphone and tap Start talking.
- Say hello. Tap Next to meet someone else, or Stop when you're done.
It works in the browser on Android phones, iPhones and computers, so there's no app to download. If you'd rather never use video at all, that's fine too: read more about random voice chat, or about random video chat built for India.
Questions
Is Hey Around the new Omegle?
No. Hey Around isn't connected to Omegle or its founder. It's a different random chat, for adults, that starts with voices.
Can I use Hey Around without signing up?
No. You continue with Google and enter your date of birth, once. It takes under a minute. It's how Hey Around keeps chats for adults, and it makes it harder for someone who's been suspended to come straight back.
Is there a text chat, like Omegle had?
No. Hey Around is for talking. Chats start with voices, and video comes on if you both want it.
What should I do if someone breaks the rules?
Tap Report and choose what happened, such as nudity, someone who looks under 18, harassment, or spam. The chat ends straight away, and you won't be matched with them again.