How a Magnetic Night works
A Magnetic Night is an evening of video first dates, planned as a weekly night. You claim a seat, Magnetic matches you with people who are there the same night, and you meet one or two of them on 20-minute video dates from wherever you are. There is no swiping, no browsing profiles and no messaging. Afterwards each of you privately says whether you would like to see the other again, and only mutual yeses are revealed.
- Planned as a weekly night, on video, in the browser. No app to install.
- One or two dates a night, 20 minutes each.
- No swiping, no browsing profiles, no messaging.
- Seats are balanced by who is looking for whom.
- Only mutual yeses are revealed after a date.
- Free during the beta, in San Diego County only.
- First night: Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 7:00pm Pacific. None have run yet.
Nights have not started yet. This page describes how a night is designed to run. Some details may change before the first one, and we will update this page when they do.
The night, step by step
Join the founding list.
Your email and ZIP code are all it takes. Four more questions (first name, gender, who you are looking for and birth year) are optional and help us balance a night. No photo, no password, no card. Join here.
Get the email.
When a night is scheduled, people on the founding list in San Diego County are emailed that seats are open.
Set up your profile.
You create an account and add a photo for matching. We ask for your explicit consent before any facial analysis runs. Other members only ever see an illustrated avatar.
Claim a seat.
One tap on the night’s page. If your side of the room is already full, you go on standby and are told so.
Confirm.
The plan is to ask everyone to confirm the day before. Seats that are not confirmed are released to people on standby ahead of the start.
Check in.
Shortly before the start, the night’s page opens. Checking in means “I am here and ready.”
First date.
At the start time, everyone who checked in is paired and goes into a 20-minute video date. The timer is fixed, so nobody has to find a way to end it.
One private question.
After the date you are asked one thing: would you like to see them again? Yes or no.
Second date.
After a short break you meet a different person, when the room allows. You never meet the same person twice in one night.
Afterwards.
If you both said yes, you are both told and can arrange to see each other again. If not, neither of you is told anything about the other’s answer.
What you need
- To be 18 or over, and to live in San Diego County while the beta is limited to it.
- A phone or laptop with a camera and microphone, and a web browser.
- A steady internet connection and a reasonably quiet place to sit.
- A photo of yourself for matching, and your consent to have it analyzed.
- About an hour of your evening.
If you have not been on a video date before, our guide to a 20-minute video first date covers camera, light and what to talk about.
Seats, balance and standby
A night is only worth your evening if there is someone in the room for you to meet. So seats are not first come, first served across the whole room. They are counted by who is looking for whom, and each side has its own limit.
That means one side can fill up while another still has seats. If yours is full you join standby, and we say so plainly on the page rather than letting you think you are in. When a seat on your side is released, people on standby are offered it.
If we can’t seat a balanced room, we’ll move the night and email you at least 48 hours ahead. If a late cancellation means we have to move it later than that, we’ll tell you as soon as we know. Everyone who claimed a seat is emailed the new date. We would rather disappoint you with a postponement than with an evening spent waiting.
If someone does not show up
It happens, and the format is built around it. The plan is that if your partner has not joined within about five minutes, you are paired with someone else who is also waiting, or with someone from standby. If there is nobody available, you are told honestly and given priority for a seat at the next night.
If you are the one who cannot make it, release your seat as early as you can. Someone on standby would like it.
Your answers stay private
The question after each date is deliberately small: would you like to see them again? There are no scores and no written feedback to compose. A mutual yes is shown to both of you. In every other case, a one-sided yes or two noes, nobody is told what the other person answered. You can say no without it landing on anyone, and you can say yes without the risk of a visible rejection.
Your photo and the matching
Magnetic uses facial-geometry similarity as one ingredient in deciding who meets whom. To do that it needs a photo of you, and it asks for explicit consent before analyzing it. Other members never see the photo. They see an illustrated avatar until you meet live on video.
We want to be straightforward about the premise. Research suggests partners tend to look somewhat alike, but whether that predicts a good first date is not established. The beta exists to find out. Do couples really look alike? sets out what the studies do and do not show, and the Privacy Policy explains exactly what happens to your photo.
Safety and reporting
- The plan is a report button on the call screen and again after each date.
- A report stops you from being paired with that person again and is logged for review.
- The plan is for every night to be monitored live while it runs.
- You can leave a date at any moment without giving a reason.
- Magnetic does not record dates, and the Terms prohibit members from recording a call without consent.
- Magnetic is for adults only.
Meeting someone in person after a mutual yes is your own decision and happens outside Magnetic. Meet somewhere public and tell a friend where you will be.
Questions people ask
How long does a Magnetic Night take?
Plan for roughly an hour. A night is one or two 20-minute video dates with a short break between them, plus a few minutes to check in before the start.
Do I choose who I meet?
No. There are no profiles to browse and nothing to swipe. For each night Magnetic pairs the people who claimed a seat, and only pairs people who are each looking for the other. You find out who you are meeting when the date starts.
What happens if my side of the room is full?
The plan is that you go on standby and we tell you so plainly. Seats are counted by who is looking for whom, so one side can fill before the other. If a seat on your side is released before the night, people on standby are offered it.
What if my date does not show up?
The plan is that if your partner has not joined within about five minutes, you are paired with someone else who is waiting or on standby. If nobody is available we tell you honestly rather than leave you watching a spinner, and you get priority for a seat at the next night.
What if I claim a seat and then cannot make it?
Release it as early as you can so someone on standby can have it. We plan to ask everyone to confirm the day before, and to release unconfirmed seats ahead of the start. A night only works if the people who said they would come do, so please only claim a seat you intend to use.
Will the other person know what I answered afterwards?
Only if you both said yes. After each date, each of you is asked privately whether you would like to see the other again. A mutual yes is revealed to both of you. If either of you says no, neither of you is told anything about the other’s answer.
What does my date see of me before we meet?
An illustrated avatar, never your photo. Your photo is used for matching, with your explicit consent, and is not shown to other members. On the date itself you see each other live on video.
What do I need on the night?
A phone or laptop with a camera and microphone, a web browser, a steady connection and somewhere reasonably quiet. There is no app to install. Our guide to a 20-minute video first date covers setup and lighting.
What if the night gets moved?
If we can’t seat a balanced room, we’ll move the night and email you at least 48 hours ahead. If a late cancellation means we have to move it later than that, we’ll tell you as soon as we know. A night needs a balanced room to be worth anyone’s evening, and we would rather move one than run it lopsided. The first night is Thursday, December 3, 2026, at 7:00pm Pacific.
How do I report a problem during a date?
The plan is a report button on the call screen and again after each date. A report stops you from being paired with that person again and is logged for review. You can end a date at any time, for any reason, without explaining. If you are ever in immediate danger, contact emergency services first.
More answers, including cost, eligibility and what happens to your data, are in the full FAQ. If you are in San Diego, the San Diego page covers the local details.