Why we don't build in-app chat (and external-messaging is better)

Most platforms default to in-app chat. We chose not to. Here's the reasoning:

Families are already on Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, and Email. Building our own chat means pulling conversation away from where they already live.

For low-frequency, high-stakes conversations (the kind tutoring platforms have), speed and trust are paramount. Familiar messaging apps win on both.

Data privacy is simpler. Sharing one email address is auditable; storing chat history is complicated.

This is unusual for a marketplace app. But it's also why tutors and parents aren't confused about where to find each other — they already know.