Soul
Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.
Overview
Soul is a Chinese mobile app for interest-based conversation, where a person appears not under a real name and photo but under an avatar of their own. The operator is 上海任意门科技有限公司 (Shanghai Renyimen Technology); the company says it was registered in 2015, with the app released in 2016. The core of the product is the feed of short posts 广场 (guangchang, "the square"), voice and text rooms 群聊派对 (qunliao paidui, "party rooms") and matching people through a personality test.
The platform describes itself as an «AI+ 沉浸式社交平台» — a platform for immersive communication with artificial intelligence — and as China's first social network where everyone interacts through an Avatar; this is the company's claim about itself, not an independent assessment.
For marketing, one thing has to be clear from the start: Soul is not built as a shop window for a brand. The agreement permits non-commercial use of the service only, and any commercial use requires the company's prior written permission. There are no public advertising cabinets, creator programmes or open API on the pages we checked.
Who's here
The platform publishes no recent audience data on its open pages. Its only figures of its own are in the company history section, which says that in 2018 the number of daily active users passed 1 million, and in 2021, 10 million. Both numbers were named by the company, refer to the years given and have not been updated on the site since.
App stores provide measurements of their own. On the date of our check Google Play shows more than 1 million downloads, 28.3 thousand reviews and an average rating of 2.6 — these are Google's figures. The Chinese App Store on the same day shows 3.24 million ratings, an average of 4.8 and 7th place in the "Social Networking" category — these are Apple's figures.
The interface is Chinese, the site has an English version; the App Store lists Chinese plus two other languages for the app. The company names offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Changsha (contacts page). There is no publicly available breakdown of the audience by country, sex or age.
Getting started
Registration is by mobile phone number with a password; you can log in with an SMS code, an account-and-password pair or a third-party account. The key restriction: the agreement states plainly that the service is provided only to adults aged 18 and over, and a younger user will not be able to register (user agreement). The stores' age labels confirm this: the App Store gives 18+, Google Play USK: Ages 18+.
One account is created per phone number, and it works on only one device at a time. Some features, such as creating a group room, require identity verification with documents. The account itself belongs to the company; gifting, transferring, renting out, selling and sharing it are forbidden (sections 2.1–2.2 of the agreement).
Business presence is mentioned in a single line: a corporate user who has passed organisation verification (called 品牌号, "brand account", in the text) is obliged to moderate the comments under their posts. Neither the conditions for getting the status, nor its price, nor an application form appear on the open pages; for commercial enquiries the site gives only the addresses [email protected] (advertising) and [email protected] (partnership) on the contacts page.
What you can publish
The basic formats the platform lists are text, voice and video chat, random matching with a conversation partner, adding friends and publishing posts; stickers, a camera with effects and the personality test are named separately (agreement, section 1). For each post the author sets visibility (in the "square" feed, on their own page, for themselves only, for strangers only) and rights (no downloading and no reposting).
The prohibitions that matter most to commercial accounts are set out in 《Soul用户行为规范》 — the code of conduct built into the agreement: in posts, in the images attached to them and in the background of a personal page you may not place phone numbers (including as a watermark), WeChat numbers, QR codes, images of documents, texts and images of a marketing, "entrepreneurial" or network-marketing nature (including 微商 — trading through messengers), or logos of advertised products. A separate clause forbids distributing commercial advertising and "come-on" messages for the sake of traffic and gain.
The platform publishes no numeric limits. It does, however, describe in detail the duty to label AI-generated content: the author applies a visible label, and the platform itself adds explicit and hidden markers that must not be removed.
How to grow
The platform explains organic reach in one sentence: an AI-based recommendation system selects posts for the "square" by interests (home page). There is no documentation on the algorithm, the ranking criteria or statistics for the author.
The platform does have advertising, but it is not sold self-service. The company history says that commercialisation began in 2019 and the company started earning from advertising services in 2020; Google Play marks the app as containing ads. The agreement reserves the platform's right to show commercial messages "anywhere in the app" (section 6). The only public entry point for an advertiser is the address [email protected] on the contacts page; the platform does not disclose rates, formats or minimum budgets.
Path to monetization
There is no creator payout programme on Soul's open pages — no thresholds, no conditions, no payout geography. The flow of money goes the other way: the user pays the platform.
The internal currency is Soul币 (Soul coins). The agreement states plainly that they can be spent only on services inside the platform, that they cannot be exchanged for money, cannot be passed to another person and that outside deals are forbidden (section 5). If an account is deleted voluntarily, everything bought is treated as abandoned without compensation.
The subscriptions are described in the App Store by the developer itself: 超级星人 (chaoji xingren, "super star person") — 30 yuan a month, 68 yuan a quarter, 218 yuan a year; the 飞行权益包 package (feixing quanyi bao) — 12 yuan a month, 30 yuan a quarter, 98 yuan a year. Charging goes through Apple, with auto-renewal a day before the period ends. Google Play notes the presence of in-app purchases, but does not show their prices.
Tools and automation
We found no open API for Soul: no developer portal, no documentation and no link to either from the corporate site. The agreement works directly against automation — reverse engineering and the use of "robots, spiders and other programs or devices" to work with the platform's materials are forbidden (section 7). And since only non-commercial use is permitted, any third-party scheduling would require the company's written permission. We found no service with confirmed Soul support.
Limits and rules
Soul is a service under Chinese jurisdiction. In the site footer the operator lists its licences: for telecommunications services, for network culture, for producing television and radio programmes and for distributing audiovisual programmes (footer of the home page). The agreement obliges the user to comply with PRC legislation — the cybersecurity law, the copyright law, the "Provisions on the Governance of the Online Information Content Ecosystem" and others.
What a violation brings: a warning, a period to put things right, feature restrictions, a temporary and a permanent block. The phone number used to register a permanently blocked account cannot be registered again. There is also a clause on deleting "zombie accounts" without warning — those with no posts, no paid services, no verification and no login for over 2 years. The author keeps copyright, but the platform is granted a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free and sublicensable licence to use what is published (section 7.3).
Who it's for
Soul suits you if your goal is to study how a young Chinese audience talks about emotions and interests, or if you are negotiating a media placement on the Chinese market and are ready to work through a manager at [email protected]. Non-advertising grounds for partnership are offered by the research centre Just So Soul and the social projects programme.
Soul does not suit self-directed promotion: there is no self-service advertising cabinet, no creator payout programme, no API, and the rules explicitly forbid publishing contacts, QR codes and marketing texts.
Verified data
The checked data this deep dive rests on.
About the platform
the platform describes itself like this: «Soul App是中国领先的AI+ 沉浸式社交平台。我们基于用户兴趣和个性，而非现实身份或外貌，依托先进的AI模型及算法，创建了一个温暖的情绪绿洲。»
Self-description: this is the platform's claim about itself, not an independent assessment
source, checked 2026-07-28
the operator is 上海任意门科技有限公司 (Shanghai Renyimen Technology); registered in 2015, the app released in 2016
The company states this about itself on the "About us" page
source, checked 2026-07-28
the platform describes itself as an «AI+ 沉浸式社交平台» and as China's first social network where all users interact through an Avatar
The company's statement about itself, not an independent assessment
source, checked 2026-07-28
the company's offices: Shanghai (Pudong, Lujiazui), Beijing (Haidian), Changsha
Contacts page
source, checked 2026-07-28
Who's here
the company reports that in 2018 the number of daily active users passed 1 million
The figure was named by the company in the history section; it refers to 2018
source, checked 2026-07-28
the company reports that in 2021 the number of daily active users passed 10 million
The figure was named by the company in the history section; there are no more recent numbers on the site
source, checked 2026-07-28
the Chinese App Store: 3.24 million ratings, an average of 4.8, 7th place in the "Social Networking" category, size 477.2 MB
Apple's data as of 2026-07-28
source, checked 2026-07-28
Google Play: more than 1 million downloads, 28.3 thousand reviews, an average rating of 2.6
Google's data as of 2026-07-28
source, checked 2026-07-28
Getting started
registration is only for adults aged 18 and over; a younger user cannot register
The agreement was updated on 30.12.2025; App Store 18+, Google Play USK 18+
source, checked 2026-07-28
Account and access
Some features are closed until identity verification is passed. Verbatim, clause 2.1.3 of the user agreement: «Soul App中的某些功能和/或服务，如创建群聊派对等，会要求您提供额外的信息，包括提供身份实名认证信息» (our translation: certain features and/or services of the Soul App, such as creating a group chat party, will require you to provide additional information, including real-name identity verification data). Two hard restrictions stand alongside: clause 2.2.2 — only one account is registered per phone number and signing in is possible from only one device at a time; registration is available only from the age of 18
The «Soul App用户服务协议» in the revision of 30 December 2025 was read in full on Soul's official documents domain (themis.soulapp.cn). The agreement gives no full list of features requiring identity verification — it says «for example, creating a group chat party», so no more can be listed.
source, checked 2026-08-07
The condition is 实名认证, identity verification with an identity document. The agreement names no thresholds in subscribers, friends or posts, and describes no manual review of an application to lift restrictions
The condition is named by the agreement itself (clause 2.1.3). In addition clause 2.2.8 shows that the platform treats identity verification as a sign of a live account: accounts with no posts, no paid services, no 实名认证 and no sign-in for more than two years are declared «僵尸» — «zombies» — and may be deleted without notice.
source, checked 2026-08-07
registration is by phone number; one account per number, working on only one device at a time
Sections 2.1–2.2 of the user agreement
source, checked 2026-07-28
some features (creating a group room, for example) require identity verification with documents
Clause 2.1.3
source, checked 2026-07-28
Business terms
public business addresses: [email protected] (advertising) and [email protected] (partnership); the support phone number is 400-9030057
The only public entry point for an advertiser
source, checked 2026-07-28
the agreement mentions a corporate user with organisation verification (品牌号, "brand account") obliged to moderate comments; no conditions for obtaining the status are published
The status is named, the procedure for obtaining it and its price are described nowhere
source, checked 2026-07-28
Content
AI-generated content must be labelled: the author applies a visible label, the platform adds explicit and hidden markers; removing or faking the markers is forbidden
Clauses 3.2.5–3.2.10
source, checked 2026-07-28
for each post the author sets visibility (in the "square" feed, on their own page, for themselves only, for strangers only) and rights (no downloading and no reposting)
Clause 7.2
source, checked 2026-07-28
Advertising
the company reports: commercialisation began in 2019, earning from advertising services since 2020
The company history section
source, checked 2026-07-28
the agreement reserves the platform's right to show commercial messages anywhere in the app; Google Play marks the app as containing ads
Section 6 of the agreement plus Google's label
source, checked 2026-07-28
How the money works here
the internal currency Soul币 can be spent only on services inside the platform; exchanging it for money and passing it to another person are forbidden, as are deals on third-party platforms
Section 5 of the agreement
source, checked 2026-07-28
Pricing
the 超级星人 subscription: 30 yuan a month, 68 yuan a quarter, 218 yuan a year
The prices are given by the developer in the App Store description
source, checked 2026-07-28
the 飞行权益包 package: 12 yuan a month, 30 yuan a quarter, 98 yuan a year
The prices are given by the developer in the App Store description
source, checked 2026-07-28
Limits and restrictions
measures for violations: a warning, a period to put things right, feature restrictions, a temporary and a permanent block; the phone number of a permanently blocked account cannot be registered again
Clause 3.1.3
source, checked 2026-07-28
accounts with no posts, no paid services, no identity verification and no login for over 2 years are deleted without warning
Clause 2.2.8
source, checked 2026-07-28
Restrictions
it is forbidden to place phone numbers, WeChat numbers, QR codes, images of documents, marketing and network-marketing texts and images, or logos of advertised products in posts, images and the page background
《Soul用户行为规范》, clause 3.2.12
source, checked 2026-07-28
the service is permitted for non-commercial use only; commercial use requires the company's prior written permission
Clause 3.2.15
source, checked 2026-07-28
Moderation
«如您对您的账号封禁情况存有疑问，可以通过官方通知的申诉链接或本协议第13条中的联系方式进行申诉» (verbatim; our translation: if you have questions about the blocking of your account, you may appeal through the appeal link in the official notice or through the contacts in clause 13 of this agreement): the appeal goes through the link in the official notice of the block, or through the §13 contacts: the email [email protected], the in-app channel «设置-帮助和反馈» (Settings → Help and feedback) and the phone numbers 400-9030142 (complaints) and 400-9030057 (support).
source, checked 2026-08-07
«我们将尽快审核所涉问题，并在收到您请求后的15日内完成核查与处理» (verbatim; our translation: we will review the issues raised as soon as possible and complete the check and processing within 15 days of receiving your request).
The period comes from the Soul user agreement (the contacts section, §13).
source, checked 2026-08-07
Legal
the operator lists its licences: for telecommunications services, for network culture, for producing television and radio programmes, for distributing audiovisual programmes
The footer of the home page
source, checked 2026-07-28
the author keeps copyright, the platform is granted a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable and sublicensable licence to use what is published
Clause 7.3
source, checked 2026-07-28
Languages
the interface language of the home page: zh-CN
The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang
source, checked 2026-07-28
the site exists in Chinese and English; the App Store lists Chinese and two other languages for the app
source, checked 2026-07-28
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