01
South Korea
KakaoTalk
Built their own.
Since 2010
A social network
ChaiTalk is a modern social network built in the Middle East for the Middle East. Real stories, voice on the timeline, and a feed that finally feels like an evening with chai. Launching summer 2026, leave your email and we'll send you the invite the day it goes live.
500
pilot users
EN+AR
from day one
'26
MVP this summer
Built for
CairoRiyadhDubaiBeirutAmmanDohaCasablancaTunisKhartoumBaghdadMuscatKuwaitManamaAlgiersTripoliSana'aRamallahDamascusAlexandriaMarrakeshCairoRiyadhDubaiBeirutAmmanDohaCasablancaTunisKhartoumBaghdadMuscatKuwaitManamaAlgiersTripoliSana'aRamallahDamascusAlexandriaMarrakesh
Why we exist
Every region built its own. Now it's our turn.
Korea has KakaoTalk. China has WeChat. Russia has VK. We grew up using platforms built for someone else, in a language that came second. ChaiTalk is our turn at the table.
02
China
Built their own.
Since 2011
03
Russia
VK
Built their own.
Since 2006
Middle East
ChaiTalk
Finally building ours.
2026
Why ChaiTalk
A feed that finally feels like ours.
Three things every other app gets wrong about the Middle East. We started from these.
01
Arabic, first-class.
Real RTL, real Arabic typography, real bilingual mode. Not a half-baked translation switch tacked on at the end.
02
Stories that feel like ours.
24-hour stories with quick reactions, replies, and emoji that actually reflect how we talk. The killer feature, polished from day one.
03
Talk on the timeline.
Recording comments. Hold to record a voice note, send it. Because typing isn't how we tell a story, and you know it.
Killer feature
Stop typing. Talk on the timeline.
Every post on ChaiTalk accepts voice. Hold the mic, record what you would have said anyway. Replies feel human again.
REC · voice on the timeline
Sara · Cairo
12 min
Best koshary in Downtown? Asking for a serious investigation tonight 🌙
- K·❤️0:12
- N·0:08
- O·0:04
- L·🔥0:23
Stories
A 24-hour window into your people.
Stories are the heart of ChaiTalk v1. React with a voice note, reply with a sticker, share with the friends who actually matter.
Y
S
K
L
O
N
Sunset over the Nile. Same sun, every evening, never the same.
❤️ 24Send a reply…
Made by Arabs, for Arabs
We didn't wait for someone else to build this. So we built it ourselves.
Every social app you use was designed somewhere else, for someone else. The Arabic was an afterthought. The culture was a translation. We grew up watching our friends, our families, our streets, get squeezed into someone else's template. ChaiTalk is the opposite of that. Built in the region, in our language, with our humor, our hospitality, our long evenings. A social network that finally feels like home.
— Yapoey, founder · yapoey-bit
What ships when
Honest, public, version-by-version.
We're bootstrapping. No empty promises, no fake screenshots. Here's the real plan.
MVP — Stories + feed
- Auth, profile, follow
- Timeline, posts, events, polls
- Stories with reactions
- Push notifications
- EN + AR
Voice + chat
- Recording comments on timeline
- 1-to-1 chat
- Group chats
- Voice messages
Discovery + creators
- Search v2
- Trending stories
- Creator profile
- Light, opt-in ads
Communities
- Topic communities
- Live audio rooms
- Events RSVP
- Local meet-ups
Be there from day one.
We're going live across MENA this summer. Drop your email and we'll send you a TestFlight invite the day iOS lands.
No spam. No noise. Just the launch ping.