Community guidelines
A few clear rules,
so everyone can relax.
Otterly works because the people here are here for the same reason. These guidelines keep it that way. They are short, they are enforced, and they apply to everyone.
The spirit
Treat everyone the way you would want your sister or brother treated
Be here to marry
Otterly is for people looking for a life partner. If you want something casual, there are excellent apps for that; this is not one of them.
Be yourself, recently
Your own photos, taken in the last year. Your real age. Your real marital status. Say “Separated” if you are separated.
Write notes like a person
Every request carries a note. Make it about them. One honest sentence beats a paragraph of charm.
Reply, or decline
Ghosting is the quiet cruelty of dating apps. A polite decline takes four seconds and is always kinder.
Respect the pace
Nobody owes you their number, a photo or a meeting on any timeline but their own.
Leave when you find them
If it works, delete the app. Then email us — we would love to hear it.
The lines
What gets you removed
No harassment, hate or threats
Including sexist, casteist, communal or homophobic remarks. Zero tolerance, instant ban.
No sexual content or pressure
No explicit messages or photos, no “send a pic”. Otterly’s screening flags this and our team acts on it.
No fake or stolen photos
Photos that are not you, are edited beyond recognition, or belong to someone else lead to permanent removal.
No commercial activity
No selling, promoting, recruiting, “investment tips” or links. This is not a marketplace.
No married people
You must be legally free to marry. “Awaiting divorce” and “Separated” are honest statuses; “married but complicated” is not.
No asking for money or documents
Ever. For any reason. Report anyone who does.
No off-app pressure
Repeatedly pushing to move to WhatsApp or Telegram in the first messages is flagged automatically.
No under-18s
Otterly is strictly for adults. Age is verified during review.
How enforcement works
Proportionate, human and final when it needs to be
Every new account is reviewed by a person before it appears in Explore. Every photo is checked for a visible face. Every report is read. Conversations are screened for harassment, sexual pressure, scams and off-app pushes, and flagged messages are reviewed — sometimes hidden from the recipient before they see them.
Our responses scale with the problem:
- Warn — a message explaining what crossed the line.
- Limit — reduced daily requests while we watch.
- Hide — your profile is removed from Explore until fixed.
- Pause — your account is frozen pending review.
- Ban — permanent removal, no refund. Applied immediately for fake photos, harassment, sexual content, scams and being married.
We would rather lose a user than lose the trust of the community. That trade-off is the whole product.
FAQ
Guideline questions
What happens if I break the guidelines?
Depending on severity: a warning, a temporary limit on requests, hiding your profile, pausing your account, or a permanent ban. Fake profiles, harassment and asking for money are banned on first offence, without refund.
Someone was rude to me but not abusive. Should I report them?
Yes, if it made you uncomfortable — that is one of our report reasons. Patterns matter: one report is a data point, several is a decision.
Can I appeal a ban?
Write to GetOtterly@gmail.com with your two-letter name, age and registered phone number. We review every appeal, but decisions on fake photos, harassment or scams are final.
Why was my profile flagged as incomplete?
Otterly hides profiles below a minimum completion level because half-finished profiles attract low-quality requests and signal low intent. Add photos, prompts and details and you will be shown again.
Join a community that means it
Serious people, clear rules, and a team that enforces them.
Free to join · Optional Premium · Serious singles only