Blog / Safety

Myth: once you delete the app, it is too late to report a date

You can report a date to police even after you delete the app. Police can ask the dating platform for information and investigate with or without it.

3 minute readUpdated 2026-09-30

You can report a date to police even after you delete the app. Police have the power to ask the dating platform for information about the person, and they can investigate whether that person has blocked or deleted you.

Reporting to the app is not the same as reporting to police

Many people think that once they delete a dating app, the evidence disappears with it. That is not how it works. The dating platform still holds messages, profile information, photos and metadata on its own servers. Deleting the app from your phone only removes your local copy.

Reporting someone to the dating platform is useful: it helps the app remove a harmful person and protect other members. But a report to the app is not a report to police. The app is not an investigator. The app removes a profile or blocks an account, but it cannot press charges or bring anyone to justice.

Police can request information from the dating platform

When you report to police, they can serve a legal request on the dating platform for information about your date. ¹ Police can subpoena the profile details, the person's account history, messages, photos and the times and dates of conversations. The platform must comply.

This works even if your date has deleted their account or blocked you. The information is already stored on the dating platform's servers. Deleting an account does not erase the history police can request.

There is no time limit in Victoria

In Victoria, there is no time limit to report a sexual assault or sexual offence to police. You can report years later. This matters if you needed time to process what happened, talk to people you trust, or feel ready to involve police. ¹

Other parts of Australia have different rules. In New South Wales, sexual offences have a 10-year reporting limit in most cases; in other states and territories, the limits vary. If you are outside Victoria, contact your local police to learn the rules where you are.

Keep screenshots while you can

Screenshots matter. They are your first copy of what was said, sent and done. Police will request information from the platform, but screenshots help your account in the meantime. They show police what happened in your own words, without waiting for the platform to respond.

If something alarming happens in a message, take a screenshot before you delete the app or the conversation. Keep it somewhere safe, such as backed up to cloud storage or printed. Do not send the screenshot to your date or post it online without legal advice.

What to do now

Keep any screenshots or photos of messages, the profile or photos they sent you.
Tell someone you trust what happened: a friend, family member or counsellor.
Report the person to the dating platform if you have not already. This protects other members.
If you want to report to police, contact your local police or call the non-emergency number for your state or territory. They will take your report and decide next steps.
Ask police about victim support services they can connect you with.

When you call police, you can expect to tell them what happened, describe the person and share any information you have: messages, photos, or their name if you know it. Police will take your details and may ask follow-up questions later.

I would like to report something that happened to me on a dating app. Someone I met there did something that hurt me, and I want to make a report.

Why some people do not report

Research shows that people who experience sexual violence through a dating app are more likely to report it to police than in-person sexual violence. ² But some groups face barriers. LGB+ women experience high rates of violence on dating apps but report at lower rates than others, often because of negative experiences with police in the past.

If you are worried about how police will treat you, or if you have had a bad experience with police before, reach out to a victim support service first. They can explain what to expect, help you prepare, and sometimes go with you to police or attend with you in a video call.

You have choices

Reporting to police is one choice. Learning how to report and block on the dating platform is another. Talking to a counsellor or support service is a third. Telling a friend is a fourth. You do not have to do any of these things, and you do not have to decide today.

What matters is that you know you have options, and that deleting the app does not close them off. Police have the tools to investigate long after you thought the evidence was gone.