Perfect Match: Dating App Review

It seems that in the not-so-distant future, all romantic stories will begin with the phrase: "It was a match at first sight." Well, or somehow approximated, because today the popularity of dating applications is difficult to overestimate. Someone is looking for friends there, someone is looking for the love of a lifetime, and someone just wants to chat and kill time. Everyone has their own goal, but let's be honest, algorithms do a pretty good job of satisfying our need for communication and love. 

Most dating apps work on the same principle, but when you're looking for something (or someone), you first need to know where to look. This is where our selection of popular dating apps will come in handy. How they work, how they care about the safety of users and what disadvantages they have - find out in the review!

Tinder

The app is one of the most popular in its niche. In world, Tinder has been operating since 2015 and during this time managed to win the favor of users. First of all, thanks to the simple functionality, and also several interesting features that facilitate the search for new acquaintances. 

Principle of operation. The app works by geolocation, meaning it suggests you users who are nearby. In the settings, you can choose your current location or specify a different one, as well as change the search range for dating. That is, the application can offer you people who are at a distance of 2 km to 161 km. There is also a global mode that allows you to search for a pair all over the world. You can find more information about freehookup at the our website.

In the free version of Tinder, the user has two options: to like or ignore someone's profile. To do this, you need to swipe left or right, respectively. If you choose to ignore someone, this person will no longer appear on your Tinder, but if you liked them, there is a chance to move on. When both users like each other, they are matched, become a potential couple and can exchange messages. 

For users of the paid versions of Tinder Gold and Tinder Platinum, there are several additional features: 

• you can cancel the last reaction and re-view the person's profile;
• you can send a superlike to a person - so your profile will immediately appear in the selection of cards of a potential couple;
• you can view those who liked your profile before sending them a reaction (in the free version, you don't know who sent you a like until you reciprocate);
• you can display your profile in priority for a certain region and thus increase your chances of finding a couple;
• you can receive a daily selection of top offers with couples that suit you best.

Security and privacy. Not so long ago, a documentary film was released "Tinder Scammer". It tells the stories of several women who fell into the trap of the Israeli conman Simon Levayev. With the help of Tinder, the man was looking for acquaintances with women, pretended to be the son of a billionaire and, through manipulation, extorted large sums of money from them.

After the tape was published, it became clear that Tinder, like many dating apps, has a lot of room for fraud, which can be avoided thanks to security and privacy settings. In addition to advice on what information should not be shared with other people, what user behavior may be suspicious, and how to arrange a meeting in real life, Tinder has created several tests for knowledge of such rules. The platform also allows you to send complaints about inappropriate user behavior, remove people from pairs, and check profile photos (verified photos are marked with a blue checkmark).

In the privacy settings, you can temporarily hide your profile or configure the application so that Tinder does not offer you acquaintances and friends. For the latter, you need to allow the application access to contacts and choose the one you want to avoid. As a result, the application saves blocked contacts so that you do not accidentally run into your ex. 

Advantages and disadvantages. Probably one of the biggest advantages of Tinder is that the application is the most popular, and therefore there are more chances to find cool acquaintances here. However, you will have to search for them among thousands of other offers, which quite often do not meet the request. 

At the same time, the application has a relatively good security system: you will not receive annoying messages until you like a person's profile yourself, or you will not be called on a video call until you are ready for it. In short, the culture of consent on Tinder is at a pretty high level. 

Among the shortcomings that are most often mentioned by users in reviews is the subscription system and blocking of accounts. A person may face the problem of unsubscribing or find that a few days after payment they need to register in the app again. 

The story of Alexandra

When I created an account on Tinder, I was more driven by curiosity than by the desire to find my love. And I'm not the only one. Although Tinder positions itself as a romantic dating app, people sign up there with completely different goals. Someone is really looking for a future wife, someone is promoting himself as a certain specialist. For example, there are often profiles of photographers who offer their services directly in the application. And someone just collects followers on Instagram. The latter, as a rule, start a casual dialogue themselves, then offer to go to a social network and subscribe to their profile, and later stories with advertisements for various products appear in your feed. 

My worst match is a guy who, after I agreed to a one-on-one date, sent me a picture of fried potatoes the day before the date with the caption, "You're next." Of course, after such a message, I canceled the meeting. But I also had adequate acquaintances and dates. They even talked with one guy for quite a long time. 

In fact, Tinder and similar applications are a good opportunity to meet and chat with different people that you might not have crossed paths with in real life. I met people who started a family after meeting on Tinder. So, anything is possible. However, one must always remember that a person on the screen and in reality can be completely different. And you will never guess what goals your match is pursuing. Therefore, it is better to choose a crowded place for the first meeting.

Badoo

Against the background of Tinder, this application looks a little easier to use, although the principle of operation is practically the same. After all, Badoo is also among the most popular dating apps. 

Principle of operation. The application works by geolocation and offers you the most suitable users - taking into account the purpose of acquaintance, interests and preferences. For this, there is a "Nearby" block, where you can view all options. If you like a user, you can open his or her profile, view information and respond. 

Separately, Badoo has a "Dating" block, where the application randomly suggests one or another user. Unlike Tinder, there are only two options: to like or ignore a person. Without any super likes. Instead, the free version has an option to undo the previous reaction.

A paid subscription in one volume or another allows: 

• find out who liked your profile;
• additionally show your profile once a week;
• additionally show enthusiasm once a day;
• see if your chat message has been read;
• give priority to sent messages;
• swipe profiles without restrictions;
• cancel random reactions without restrictions;
• set an unlimited number of filters;
• view profiles anonymously;
• remove ads 

Security and privacy. Badoo has a security section where the user can confirm their profile (a blue checkmark appears next to a verified account), enable incognito mode, and manage their privacy. Also here you can get help from Badoo and advice on how to react to insults and fake profiles, how to prepare for a date, dos and don'ts when dating online, how to avoid anxiety, etc. 

The application uses the "Photodetector" function, which automatically hides unwanted photos with explicit content. That is, the system will blur the picture, and then you can decide for yourself: open the photo or complain about the person who sent it. But, unlike Tinder, there is one nuance in Badoo: here the user can send you messages even if you have not reciprocated. After correspondence, a person can also call you via video, even if you are not ready for this. In this case, you can stop communicating with the person or complain and block them. 

Advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage of Badoo is the large number of users of the application. Also, among the positive reviews, the verification of profiles, a simpler interface and a greater number of free functions are most often mentioned. 

At the same time, there is some bias in the policy of paid subscriptions in favor of female profiles: female users are more likely to get Badoo Premium for free for a certain period of time than male users. Also, users often complain about the large number of bots in the application.