TeaOnHer launched earlier this week as a male‑oriented counterpart to the women-only app Tea, and it has already been flagged for serious security shortcomings. According to TechCrunch, the iOS app is inadvertently leaking user data – including usernames, email addresses, driver’s licenses, selfies, and self‑reported locations – via publicly accessible web links.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding both platforms (namely, Tea’s perception as a “ranking men” app followed by TeaOnHer being a direct clone of Tea in most aspects), the flaws were discovered almost immediately upon the platform launching. The app, published by Newville Media Corporation under the leadership of CEO Xavier Lampkin, counts around 53,000 users and presently ranks No. 2 in Apple’s Lifestyle category and No. 17 overall among free apps – but suffered a data breach within days of launching.
Allegedly, TechCrunch has been unable to get in contact with the developers to report on the breach, and the platform lacks a range of basic safeguards to keep user identities private. Alarmingly, even Lampkin’s own administrative credentials were found exposed on the same server, potentially letting anybody sign in to the app’s admin account.
Given the already confused situation regarding Tea’s data breaches and the addition of this new platform that has gained a surprising amount of users in only a few days, dating apps may be under more scrutiny going forward. While both platforms leaked data, TeaOnHer’s rapid rise and almost immediate breaches could be the driving force that app storefronts need to put stricter safeguards and limits on place.
