Hiki: Autism ADHD & ND Dating

Opening the app: what happens the second you tap the icon

The moment Hiki finishes loading, you are greeted with a sign-up screen that asks for your email, password, and basic details like your name, age, and location. No tutorial. No introductory video. Just a form with fields and a "Sign Up" button. The app does not explain why it needs your location or what data it will access. It simply asks you to trust it. This is a critical moment because the app's entire functionality depends on your willingness to share personal information.

After signing up, the app takes a few seconds to load the main interface. A progress bar appears at the bottom of the screen, slowly filling as the content loads. During this time, the screen remains mostly blank except for a loading animation. Once the content loads, you are presented with a tabbed interface: "Feed," "Matches," "Community," and "Profile." The interface is clean but cluttered — there are buttons for chat, notifications, and settings, but no explanation of what any of them do.

What is not obvious from the Play Store description is how the app handles the transition between the free experience and the premium subscription. The app does not clearly explain which features are free and which require Hiki Premium. You have to discover this through trial and error. For example, you can see who liked you, but you cannot view their profile unless you subscribe. This lack of transparency is a common complaint among users, who often feel misled by the app's marketing.

How the social feed and matching create a dual experience that the Play Store never mentions

The Play Store description mentions both the social feed and the matching features, but it does not explain how they interact. In practice, Hiki offers two distinct ways to connect: the social feed, which is a raw, unfiltered stream of posts from other users, and the matching system, which is a more traditional swiping interface. The feed is free and open to all users, while the matching system is heavily restricted by the paywall.

What the description does not say is that the social feed is the heart of the free experience. Users can post thoughts, questions, and experiences, and others can react and comment. This creates a sense of community that is rare in dating apps. However, the feed is also a double-edged sword. Without tags or algorithms, posts can feel chaotic and overwhelming. One user described it as "a low-budget Twitter" with "no tags, no algorithm, just a raw, unfiltered feed of neurodivergent thoughts."

The matching system, by contrast, is more structured but also more limited. Free users can swipe through profiles and send likes, but they cannot see who liked them or send personalized messages unless they subscribe. This creates a frustrating experience where users can see potential matches but cannot act on them. The app does not explain this limitation upfront, so many users are disappointed when they realize they cannot actually connect with matches without paying.

The real-world performance: what actually happens during use

During testing, the app performed reasonably well on a mid-range Android device. The interface was responsive, and the feed loaded quickly. However, the app's performance was inconsistent. Some users report frequent crashes, especially on older devices or when using the app for extended periods. One user on AppRecs stated: "App constantly crashes and requires restarting." Another mentioned that the app "buffers a lot" and "needs to be rebooted."

The most significant complaint about Hiki is the monetization. Many users feel that the app has become "enshittified" — a term used to describe platforms that degrade the user experience in favor of profits. One user on Reddit stated: "Remember Hiki ... it was hit by enshittification recently. In my opinion, it was already a terrible dating app, but apparently they've moved most of the functionality that used to be free behind a paywall." Another user on the same thread noted: "It now has superlikes, spotlights, limited likes and bleeccchh."

The "Bug fixes and performance improvements" changelog is vague, but the research log indicates that some users still experience crashes on certain devices. The developer has not provided specific details about what was fixed, so users are left guessing whether their particular problem has been addressed. This lack of transparency is frustrating for users who have paid for a subscription.

Storage permissions and the actual file size

The app's APK size varies by version, ranging from approximately 168 MB to 237 MB. The app requires Android 8.0 or later. The app requests permissions for location, storage, and camera. The data safety section states that data is encrypted in transit and not shared with third parties. However, the Exodus privacy report shows 8 trackers, including crash reporting, analytics, and advertisement trackers. The app also requires 46 permissions, some of which are classified as "dangerous" or "special" by Google's protection levels.