A real person will answer.

Consenting adults aged 18 or over. Some people arrive already in a structured relationship and want somewhere to keep it: the contract behind it, the expectations that follow from it, and an honest record of how it's going.

Others are partners who have been talking about entering one and want help doing that deliberately. Drafting terms, naming limits and comparing interests are all things you can do before anything is signed, and nothing takes effect until you both agree it does. Using the app to negotiate your way into a dynamic is as much the point as using it to run one.

Either way, it is not a dating or hookup app, and there is no way to search for or solicit partners.

Yes. A dynamic has two members, each with their own account and their own private space. One partner creates the dynamic and shares a join code; the other joins with it. You can use the app on your own first and invite your partner later.

Yes. Each dynamic is with a different partner, and your role is set per dynamic rather than on your account, so it can be whatever suits each one. You might be the dominant in both, the submissive in both, or one of each. Dynamics stay completely separate (nothing in one is visible from another), and you switch between them in the app.

The app is free to use, and we've tried to make it genuinely usable that way rather than as something that quietly expires. The more advanced features need a subscription, which you can try free before you commit to it.

We'd rather it were free outright. Storage, processing and servers cost money every month, though, and a small studio with no investors has to cover that somewhere, so the subscription is what pays for the app to keep running. When one partner subscribes, the coverage applies to the whole dynamic, so you don't both pay for the same thing. You can pay monthly or yearly.

Subscriptions are billed by Apple or Google, so they're canceled in your App Store or Google Play account settings rather than in the app. Canceling stops future renewals; paid features stay available until the end of the period you've already paid for. Refunds are handled by the store you purchased through.

On iPhone and Android, yes. A copy of your information is kept on your device, so you can see today's expectations and complete them without a connection. Changes sync when you're back online. That copy is removed from your device when you sign out or uninstall. The web version needs a connection.

The wearer can use emergency release at any time. It works immediately, even offline, and doesn't depend on the keyholder or on a subscription. The keyholder is told that it happened. Pressing the safeword button also pauses any lock along with the rest of the dynamic.

Not if you write it in a private topic. The journal has a shared space the two of you both read, and topics that are yours alone, so you choose where each entry goes. Publishing anything to the community is a separate, deliberate action.

You can leave a dynamic at any time without the other person's permission. Leaving ends any lock or program in progress and ends your access to that dynamic's content, including what you wrote in it, so export a copy from Settings first if you want one. Your partner keeps the dynamic and its history.

Every piece of user-generated content and every profile has a report control, and you can block another dynamic so it can't follow you, interact with your content or reach you. We review reports and act on violations within 24 hours. See our safety approach for details.

Use Delete account and data at the bottom of Settings inside the app, or request it from the account deletion page. Deletion is permanent. Your account, your private writing and the photos and videos you uploaded are removed, while a dynamic you shared stays with your partner. The deletion page has the details. To keep a copy of your information first, use Export data in Settings.

You can sign in with Apple, with Google, or with a code sent to your email or phone. Use the same method you signed up with. For codes, check your spam folder and confirm you're using the same address or number. If a code doesn't arrive after a couple of attempts, email contact@vandbsoftware.com and tell us which method you're using.

Collar & Key is available on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android. See the download page for links.