Random video chat

Hi,stranger.

Xylo puts you on video with someone you've never met, and tries to find one who's into the same things you are. No account. You bring a name and a camera.

Start a chatHow matching works
RO

Rohan(You)

India

#film#chess#cooking#music
REC 00:00
IN

Inês

Portugal

#photography#film
LIVE 00:00
#film
  • No sign-up
  • Video goes browser to browser
  • Matched on shared interests
  • Esc to skip
  • Country only, never your exact location
  • Free
  • Open source

How it works

Name, interests, hello.

There's no profile to fill in and no feed to scroll. The whole setup fits on one screen.

  1. Your name

    Rohan

    5/20

    FR 01

    Pick a name

    Whatever you want to be called today, up to 20 characters. You pick a new one every visit, and nothing ties it to you.

  2. #film#chess#cooking#music

    4/5 interests

    FR 02

    Add a few interests

    Up to five. Xylo checks everyone waiting for a person who shares at least one. Skip this and you meet whoever's next.

  3. LIVE 00:00
    FR 03

    Say hi

    Allow your camera and you're in. There's a text chat under the video for when you need to spell something out.

Ext. balcony, dusk

Someone on the other side of the world is free right now, too.

Matching

Shared interests first. Then whoever's next.

When you join, Xylo looks at everyone waiting and pairs you with the first person who shares one of your interests.

If nobody does, you get the next person in line straight away. Typing something niche won't leave you staring at a spinner.

Interests match on the exact word, so #film and #movies count as different things. Capital letters don't matter.

Queue
YouRORohan
#film#chess
  1. 01ANAna
    #travel#art
  2. 02JAJae
    #gaming#film
  3. 03SASam
    No interests
  4. 04PRPriya
    #books

Looking for a shared interest…

Privacy

They get a name, some interests and a country.

And your face. It is a video chat. But no email, no profile, no history of who you talked to.

Tobi on a video call, as the other person would see him
TO

Tobi

Nigeria

#chess#afrobeats
Your name
Your country
Your interests
Account
None. You type a name each visit. Close the tab and it's gone.
Video and audio
Sent straight between the two browsers over WebRTC. Xylo's server passes along the details the browsers need to find each other, and a public STUN server tells each browser its own address. Neither one sees the stream.
Text chat
Relayed through the server to the other person and never written anywhere.
Location
Country only. Your browser asks OpenCage to turn its coordinates into a country name, and only that name reaches Xylo. Say no and you show up as Unknown.
Storage
There's no database. When a chat ends, the server forgets the two of you were ever paired.
Source
All of it is on GitHub under Apache 2.0, so you can check any of the above yourself.

Skipping

Not clicking? Press Esc.

Esc ends the call and puts you back in the queue. Press it while Xylo is still searching and it stops looking. The other person sees that you left, and nothing about why.

FAQ

Before you hit start.

Do I need an account?

No. You type a name on the start screen and that's the whole sign-up. Nothing is saved between visits.

Why does Xylo need my camera?

Every chat on Xylo is on video, so the start button stays disabled until your browser shares a camera. The microphone is optional. If you block it, the other person can see you but won't hear you.

What does the other person see?

Your video, the name you typed, your interests, and your country. Xylo never asks for an email, so there isn't one to share. Because video is peer-to-peer, the two browsers do exchange network addresses to connect, the same as any WebRTC call.

What if nobody shares my interests?

You're paired with the next person waiting. Interests decide who you meet first. They never keep you out of a chat.

How many interests can I add?

Up to five, each up to 20 characters. Short, common words match more often than long, specific ones.

Why does it ask for my location?

To show your country on your tile. The coordinates go to OpenCage, a geocoding service, which sends back a country name. Only the country is shared. You can say no and still use Xylo.

Who can use Xylo?

Anyone 18 or older. You're talking to strangers, so keep the usual internet sense: don't share anything you wouldn't say to a room full of people you've never met.

Is it open source?

Yes, the frontend and the signalling server are both on GitHub. Issues and pull requests are welcome.

Go say hi.

It takes a name and a camera. You can leave any time with Esc.

Start a chat

Free · No sign-up · 18+