Frequently Asked Questions

Tether is a daily conversation app for couples. Every evening, both partners receive the same AI-curated conversation card — a question drawn from 500+ cards across themes like intimacy, dreams, gratitude, and conflict. Each partner reacts with a mood emoji privately. The reveal happens only when both partners have responded, creating a shared moment of connection without pressure.

Tether's AI tracks which categories you engage with most (based on your mood reactions over time) and surfaces patterns like 'you both feel closest after Gratitude cards.' Over time, it weights card selection toward the themes that produce the strongest reactions for your specific couple — and avoids repeating any card for at least 60 days.

Open the Partner tab in Tether and tap 'Share Invite Link.' Send the link to your partner via text, WhatsApp, or any messaging app. When they tap it, Tether automatically links your accounts. The partner link is one-to-one — once linked, both of you share the same daily card and streak.

Your streak increases by 1 each day that both you and your partner react to the daily card before midnight. If one or both partners miss a day, the streak resets. Premium subscribers get streak freezes — 1 per week on the free trial, up to 3 per week on the annual plan — so one missed day doesn't erase weeks of momentum.

Yes — one subscription covers both partners. Tether offers a 7-day free trial with full premium access. After the trial, you can subscribe at $6.99/month or $49.99/year. Only one person in the couple needs to subscribe for both to get premium features. There's also a free tier with limited card access.

Tether's 500+ card library spans six themes: Intimacy (deepening emotional and physical closeness), Dreams (future plans, hopes, and goals), Gratitude (appreciation and acknowledgment), Conflict (navigating disagreements constructively), Play (light, fun, and silly questions for levity), and Growth (personal development and how you've each changed). Cards rotate through all themes to keep conversations varied.

Paired has 8 million downloads and pioneered the couples card format, but its cards repeat because there's no personalization engine — users frequently report seeing the same questions. Tether adds AI-driven card selection that adapts to your reaction history and guarantees no repeats for 60 days. Tether also includes the mutual mood reveal mechanic, which Paired lacks — neither partner can see the other's reaction until both have responded.

Tether is currently iOS-only. Android support is planned but no release date is confirmed. To get notified when Android launches, email us at support@vertostudios.com with 'Android waitlist' in the subject line.

After reading today's card, each partner taps one of five mood reactions privately (😊 Happy, 🥰 Loving, 😢 Moved, 😤 Challenged, 😌 Calm). Neither partner can see the other's reaction until both have submitted. The mutual reveal creates a shared moment — and over weeks, the AI surfaces patterns about which card themes produce the strongest emotional responses for your couple.

After 7 days, you'll be prompted to choose a subscription plan ($6.99/month or $49.99/year). If you don't subscribe, Tether moves to a free tier that gives you 3 daily cards per week — enough to maintain a lighter habit but limited compared to the full experience. Premium features (unlimited cards, streak freezes, insights tab, card library bookmarks) require an active subscription.

Yes. The Library tab lets any user browse card titles and categories. Bookmarking cards for date nights is a premium feature. Browsing is available to all users — you don't need to answer today's card first.

Tether's card selection algorithm uses your couple's reaction history — which themes produced the strongest mood responses, which categories haven't been visited recently, and which specific cards you've both seen before. It blends theme affinity (favoring your strongest categories) with exploration (introducing undervisited themes periodically) to keep the ritual feeling fresh. No card repeats for at least 60 days.