The problem

It was never you. It was the pile.

On most apps, anyone can like anyone, as often as they want. So likes pile up, the good ones get buried, and replies dry up. On both sides.

• Endless likes

  A pile like that isn't flattering. It's homework. And if you've ever sent a like into silence, this is where it went.

• “hi”

  A like with nothing in it, then “hi”. Now it's your job to find out if there's a person behind it.

• 40 chats

  Replies get slower, then shorter, then stop. Nobody is at their best as one of 40 tabs, on either side.

When attention is unlimited, it's worth nothing. So Tenfold puts a limit on it. For everyone.

The idea

Ten likes at a time. Answer some to make room.

You can hold ten likes at once. When all ten are taken, new likes can't arrive until you answer some. It works the same when you send one: your like lands among ten, with your comment on it, where it actually gets read.

How it works

A few limits. That's the whole idea.

Most apps keep adding things. Tenfold takes a few away. The same rules for everyone, you included.

1. Every like comes with a written comment.

   No blank likes. No “hi”. When one reaches you, you can see what they noticed and how they write. When you send one, you get to say why.

2. Accepting a like means writing back.

   You accept by sending the first message. They've already written to you, so it's a reply, not a cold start. No empty chats, no staring contest.

3. Five conversations at most.

   If someone is talking to you here, you're one of five at most, not one of 40. You never have to keep up with more than five yourself, either.

4. No bio. Just “This week”.

   Instead of a bio, one line about what you're actually doing this week. A play on Friday. The new biryani place. Easier to write, and much easier to reply to.

Cities

Launching first in Bengaluru, NCR, Mumbai, Pune.

Each city opens on its own, once enough people there have joined. There's no date to circle.