Friends and Connections

Friends are people you have connected with. They appear on the Friends tab, in the friends row on Home, and as shortcuts on the Start tab.

Open Home > Friends > +, or Friends > Add someone.

Search is by username only. Type at least 3 characters.
Email and phone lookup are not supported — Bonded refuses a query that looks like either, and returns the same answer whether or not an account exists.
Results show whether you are already connected, have a request pending, or can connect.
Tap Connect to send a request. If they had already requested you, connecting back accepts it immediately.
Tap Cancel on a request you just sent to withdraw it. The other person is never told either way.

You will only appear in someone's search if Settings > Discoverability > Let people find me is on, and you have not blocked them.

Incoming requests appear at the top of the Friends tab, and as a badge on the tab icon.
Accept adds you both to each other's circle. Ignore dismisses it silently — the sender is never told.
Requests you have sent appear under Sent. Cancel any of them there.

After a ritual with someone who is not yet a friend, Bonded offers to connect on the completion screen.

Each row in your circle is four controls in one card:

Control	What it does
The card itself	Opens their profile.
The pill	Sends a ping (Premium).
⋯	View profile, mute pings, remove friend, report, block.
Long press (on Start)	Hides that face from the shortcut grid only.

Long lists show the first 20 and expand with Show all.

Action	What happens
Remove friend	You stop seeing each other in your friends lists. They can send a new request later.
Mute pings	Their pings still arrive in your inbox; your phone just does not light up.
Block	They cannot ping you, find you in search, or connect with you. They are never told. Undo it in Settings > Safety > Blocked people.

Problem	Meaning	What to try
"Nobody matches that"	No discoverable account has that username prefix.	Check the spelling, or ask them for their exact username.
"People are found by username only"	The query looks like an email or phone number.	Search by username instead.
"Type at least 3 characters"	The query is too short.	Type more of the username.
`SEARCH_RATE_LIMITED`	Too many searches in a short period.	Wait and try again.
A partner is not in your circle	The request was never sent, is still pending, or was ignored.	Check Sent, or send a new request.
You cannot find someone at all	They may have discoverability off, or have blocked you.	Ask them to check Settings > Discoverability.
A friend's profile will not open	One 403 covers not connected, blocked, banned, and no such account.	Nothing to do from your side.
Friends do not load	The account or network request failed.	Confirm you are signed into the right account and retry.

Next steps