How Mudiwa shows you people

We want every introduction on Mudiwa to be a good one. When you open Discover, we decide who you see and in what order. This page explains how, in plain words. In short: we look at how well two people fit each other, we keep it fair so nobody is flooded or forgotten, and we keep it safe.

What never counts

• No attractiveness score. We never rate how attractive or “desirable” anyone is, and we keep no hidden score about you. We only ever look at how well two particular people fit.
• Never ethnicity or tribe. We don’t ask for them, and they play no part in who you see.
• Never religion. If you add your faith to your profile, people can read it, but it doesn’t change the order.
• Nothing from outside Mudiwa. We never look at your contacts, your camera roll or your other apps.

Who you can see

Someone appears in your Discover only when you both fit what the other is looking for:

• your age range and theirs, the distance each of you chose (or the whole city), and “verified people only” if either of you turned it on;
• the intentions you filtered for;
• never someone either of you blocked, someone you were matched with before, or someone you already answered;
• someone in incognito only after they have liked you.

Distance is always approximate. We never show where anyone is, only a rough number of kilometres, and none at all if they hide it.

What decides the order

For each person who fits, we ask two questions: how well do they fit you, and how well do you fit them? Someone who would be a great match for you but is unlikely to be interested in you moves down. These are the things we look at, roughly from most to least important:

• Being active. People who used Mudiwa recently come first, so your likes reach someone who will see them.
• Already likes you. A few people who have already liked you are mixed in early, so matches happen sooner.
• The same intention. “Something serious” and “marriage-minded” count as close.
• Closeness. Nearer people come a little earlier, within the distance each of you chose.
• A complete profile. Photos, prompts and interests filled in.
• Replying. People who answer the messages they get. Everyone new starts in the middle.
• Shared interests.
• New this week. People who joined in the last 7 days get a welcome, so they have a fair start.
• A little variety. The order changes a bit every day.

Keeping it fair

• Nobody is flooded. Each person is shown in about 30 decks a day at most. Someone who already has a lot of likes waiting moves down for a while, so they can catch up and you aren’t waiting on someone with no time to answer.
• Nobody is forgotten. Anyone who was shown fewer than about 10 times this week gets a lift.
• Balanced for women and men. When there are more men than women nearby, men see fewer new people each day, so women’s inboxes stay manageable and every like means more.
• Boost puts you near the front for 30 minutes, but never past these limits or the safety rules below.
• Reply first. When five or more of your matches are waiting on your reply, new likes pause until you answer some of them. Passing still works. Mudiwa is for real conversations, not collecting matches.

Keeping it safe

• People who have passed the selfie check always come before people who haven’t yet.
• Someone with an open urgent report (for example threats, or seeming to be under 18) is not shown to anyone until a person on our team has looked, usually within 2 hours.
• Someone with a new photo waiting for review is shown later until it is approved.
• New accounts that send a lot of likes very fast without talking to anyone are slowed down.

See our Community Guidelines for the rules everyone agrees to.

How to get seen

• Open Mudiwa often. Being active matters most.
• Pass the selfie check.
• Add at least three clear photos, answer your prompts and pick your interests.
• Choose your intention honestly. The right people find you sooner.
• Reply to your matches, even to say you’re not interested.
• If you run out of people, widen your distance or age range in Filters.

Your choices

You decide who you’re looking for in Filters, you can go incognito so only people you like can see you, and you can pause your account at any time in Settings. Questions? Talk to us.