We’re sorry to hear that your photo was rejected. We know it can be frustrating to have your favorite photos taken down.
Hornet follows strict content rules required by Apple and Google, and our own Hornet Guidelines help us keep the community safe and welcoming for everyone.
Because of this, all uploaded photos go through moderation, and any that break these rules must be removed. We review over 100,000 photos every day, so we are unable to provide individual explanations for each rejection. However, this article will help you understand the most common reasons.
For the full list of rules, please review the Hornet Guidelines.
Common reasons your photo may be rejected
1. Sexually Explicit Content
This includes:
- Visible genitals or buttocks (even if covered by emojis, effects, or objects)
- Sexual acts or implied sexual acts
- Focus on the genital area, touching/grabbing, erections, or clear outlines through clothing
2. Unpleasant Content
Examples include:
- Bodily fluids (blood, semen, urine, feces, vomit, or anything that resembles them)
- Violence, cruelty (including to animals), or depictions of death
- Weapons or firearms
- Indecent, dirty, or insulting gestures
3. Discriminatory Content
Anything that can be classified as an attempt to discriminate, humiliate, mock, or reject a person or a group of people based on different biases, personal likes/dislikes, or beliefs.
4. Authenticity
Your profile photos must be of you, and you must not impersonate someone else. We understand that it may not be safe to publish your personal photo in your area. To be safe, crop the original photo in a way that it will be impossible to identify you, or simply take a picture of a landscape and use it as a profile photo. We won’t remove it.
5. Copyright
You must own the photo or have the right to use it. Marked or copyrighted images may be removed.
6. Private Information
Sharing someone else’s private or identifying information is not allowed.
7. Commercial Activities
No advertising or promoting products, services, events, apps, or websites.
8. Illegal Activities
This is a very serious violation and usually involves showing drugs, drug use, or paraphernalia, including in a State or Country where it may be legal. This category also includes different perversions (zoophilia, pedophilia, incest, etc).
9. Malicious Behavior
Photos containing hate symbols or slogans, such as nazi, neo-nazi, or extremist organization symbols. This category also includes using offensive language in the photos. If the photo aims to harass, threaten, bully, or troll another person, or make humiliating or offensive remarks about Hornet users or its staff.
10. Minors
Photos containing children may be removed for safety reasons.
11. Spam and Scam
Any photo used to mislead, deceive, or promote scams.
12. Other
Photos may also be rejected if:
- The content is unclear or extremely close-up
- The image is mostly text (allowed as feed photos)
- It includes an authorized use of the Hornet logo
- It looks like profile photos from other dating apps, especially with clear watermarks
Serious vs. Minor Photo Violations
Serious Violations
Serious violations almost always result in the photo being removed, and repeated serious violations may eventually lead to your profile being suspended. Some examples of this category include:
- Full nudity (genitals or full buttocks visible)
- Sexual content or graphic sexual acts, including drawings or cartoons
- Violence
- Cruelty
- Human waste
- Anything gore
- Weapons or firearms
- Minors alone in the photo
- Drug use
- Depictions of underage drinking
Minor Violations
Minor violations will still cause the photo to be removed, but they do not carry the same weight as serious violations and are less likely to lead to further action unless they happen frequently. Some examples of this category include:
- A child is present in the photo with you
- Partial buttocks, cropped nudity, covered genitals
- Photos of others (celebrities, exes, etc.)
- Obscene gestures and/or lewd behavior
- Tight clothing that very visibly outlines genitals
- Sex toys/props and sexualized non-sexual objects
- Crotch-focused photos, especially with excessive exposure of the pubic area
- Extreme close-ups
- Image used for advertising purposes
- Copyrighted or photographer-marked images or illustrations
- Written profanity or curse words
- Only or mainly text
- Bodily fluids or anything that resembles them
Important: The more of your photos get rejected (especially if the violations are serious), the higher the chance of your profile getting blocked.
Still need help? Email us at feedback@hornet.com. Please include your username so we can find your account faster. It appears on your profile page, at the top center of the screen, and begins with the “@” symbol.