1. Who is this app for?
 
This app will help People with Disabilities (PWD) to find friends. It will also help caregivers of PWD to find friends for their wards and themselves.
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2. How old do I have to be to access the app? 
 
You need to be 18 years of age to access the app.  
The app can be used to find friends for younger kids, but it will be the parent or caregiver who will be accessing the app. 
For PWD that are 18+ but vulnerable (eg. those with intellectual disability) caregivers should be the ones accessing the app on their behalf.

 
3. How does Buddy Up work?
 
Once you fill in your profile, Buddy Up will generate friends in the following ways:
a. BuddyUp will suggest friends based on your chosen criteria such as age, distance, interests and disability. (‘Friend Suggestions’ can be seen on Home page)
b. You can also search for friends (click ‘Search’ in Taskbar). You can then review search results, read the profiles and send a chat request to one or more of them. If that person responds to your request, you can chat with them in the app.
c. You may also receive friend requests from other users. These will be listed under ‘Friend Requests’ on Home page. You may review their profiles and respond to one or more.

 
4. How will I know if I have new Friend Requests or Suggestions or chats? 
 
i) You can check ‘Friend Suggestions’ and ‘Friend Requests’ on the Homepage and Chats in taskbar
ii) You can enable push notifications to instantly alert you when you receive new Friend Suggestions / Friend Requests/ Chats  
iii) New Friend Suggestions / Friend Requests/ Chats will show up on your home page 

 
5. Once I accept a friend or have my request accepted, how do I proceed?
 
Once you accept a friends or have your request accepted, the person’s profile will show up under ‘My Friends’ in taskbar.
We suggest you spend time chatting with and getting to know the person using in-app messaging. Ask them questions and understand whether you would like to take this forward for yourself and/ or your child/ward.
If you both feel you would like to progress this friendship, we suggest an in-app Video Call so that you can see/hear the person and chat with them from the safety of your home. 
 
Buddy Up offers a Video Call for 1 minute per profile to help you figure out that the person you are chatting with is who they say they are.
 
After chatting with the person over a video / voice call, if you feel comfortable taking the friendship further, you may decide to set up a physical meeting.

 
6. How do I increase my number of friends? 
 
In order to increase your friends, you can broaden your search criteria. For eg: 
Instead of entering age range of 20-25 you can make it 18–35, 
OR
Instead of entering a particular disability to be friends with, check multiple disabilities or leave it blank 
Editing your search criteria or editing aspects of your profile could also generate new sets of friends suggestions. 

 
7. How safe is the app?
 
The app is as safe as any other social media app like Facebook or Instagram. For PWDs who are vulnerable, we strongly recommend that the app is accessed on their behalf by an adult caregiver. To ensure safety, BuddyUp allows you to chat using text and audio/video within the app, in order to protect your personal information. This will safeguard you as you are not required to share any personal information such as phone number, email address, etc. 

 
8. What if someone is an imposter claiming to be someone they are not?
 
The Video call feature has been provided for this purpose! After you have made a video / voice call, you will need to judge whether the person is who they say they are. If you are in any doubt, do not progress this further! 

 
9.  How many friends can I have? 
 
There is no limit to the number of friends you can make on this app. The more, the merrier!

 
10. What if I do not want to be contacted by a person any more? 
 
a. You can politely tell them “it's been nice chatting with you but I do not want to progress this further” 
b. You can use the BLOCK button to block them and they will not be able to contact you in-app any more.

 
11. If I block someone, can they still see me?
 
No. When you block a user, they will not be able to see your profile or contact you. If they search for you, you will not show up in their search results. 
 
       
12. What if someone sends me an inappropriate message and uses inappropriate language/ behavior?
 
You can first BLOCK the person and additionally REPORT them. You will need to take screenshots of the messages you find offensive so that you can share them with the Buddy Up team on the Help / Feedback page of the app. The admin will look into the complaint and if the person is found to have violated Buddy Up’s Terms of Use / Community Guidelines, that person will be warned or removed. Please note that we will not be able to take action against any user without clear evidence, hence your screenshots are necessary.
 
If we have not answered your questions, please write to admin@buddyup.network