Valentine’s Day needn’t be a day of loneliness and singleness for you, and dating apps are one of the best ways to ensure it isn’t.
There are various dating apps across many platforms, and some of them are pretty dull, mainstream and downright confusing.
Most apps follow the same general formula: create a profile, explore, swipe left if you’re not interested, right if you are, and then you usually have an option of swiping up if you seriously like the person’s profile.
The apps also generally hold back a lot of the perks, which you end up having to pay an arm and a leg for if you want more than just the standard app.
In this short list, I have chosen three dating apps that I’ve tried, which I felt were my top three.
They are not necessarily the best, but I enjoyed them.
Note that the tests were carried out on a 2015 Huawei P8 Lite on an Android 6.0 Marshmallow system and a Huawei EMUI 4.0.3 user interface.
One of the most widely used and downloaded dating apps on the market, Tinder has been matching people since 2012.
The app was one of the first ‘swipe apps’ where you either swipe left if you don’t like, or swipe right if you do, and also features a ‘super like’ feature where you can swipe up to super like someone.
When I tried the app, the interface was clean and simple, which is always a good start.
The basic setup is also pretty simple, swipe right, left or up.
A lot more options become available when you opt for the paid versions of the app.
You can sign up with your Facebook account, or start from scratch and enter all the info yourself.
One thing that did bother me about the app is that it’s not particularly personal, and you’ll only come across people in your area, not necessarily ones who ‘match’ your preferences. There are also quite a few fake accounts on Tinder that often fill up the profiles that come while you’re swiping.
Overall, it’s a great app, but I feel it could be a bit more personal.
Bumble is not as common as a lot of dating apps and platforms out there. It was only launched in 2014, but has done rather well since.
It runs on the same principles as Tinder; swipe right if you like, left if you don’t and they’ve also got the option of swiping up if you really like someone’s profile.
What sets it aside from Tinder for me, is that it has a Bumble BFF option, where everybody is there for the same reason you are – to make friends.
The standard Bumble sets you up for dating, while Bumble BFF is only for friends.
This way, you avoid all the creeps you might have encountered on Tinder or normal Bumble while just trying to make friends.
OkCupid is the oldest online dating platform in this list, debuting in 2004.
It started out under the name ‘Spark Match’, a branch of the online educational platform, Spark Notes.
The app offers a much more personal feel to the users you see on your screen.
It features numerous questions on varied topics from politics to dating, and compares you to other users and shows them on your screen according to your match percentage with the person.
It features an option where you can swipe, which is often limited, as not many users might match your parameters.
There is also an explore option where you can set search parameters which provide you with profiles who match you, and are within your parameters.
The paid versions of the app also provide you with more filters that you can apply to your searches, not limiting you to searching based on distance from you. It also lets you search based on who’s been online recently, thus avoiding attempts to connect with someone who doesn’t use the app anymore.
All in all, they are all good apps, but I preferred OkCupid, as it gives the user a more personal experience and also lets you find users who are most likely to match with you.
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