Created by the co-founder of Tinder, Bumble gives women the upper hand
Getting a mutual ‘like’ gives you 24 hours to initiate conversation before the connection disappears – it’s all about seizing the moment.
It isn’t big enough in Singapore. After a brief session of swiping left, I had completely run out of people to ogle. Even after three days, the app couldn’t find anyone for me – not even recycled users. And as for how Bumble compares to its nymphomaniac sibling Tinder, the kind of quotes that were in the profiles of my potential matches were like outtakes from 9GAG. So, not that different.
Talent pool Lots of expats and local boys who studied overseas. Almost all the photos were of them at the beach or in sportswear – basically, any situation where they didn’t have to wear a shirt. Pictures also featured a lot of lion cubs and elephant-riding – the animals-attract-girls strategy is a lot more endangered than the fuzzy golden retriever here. I also encountered a guy or two I knew had girlfriends – that’s a turn-off, people.
Grindr
A dating app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people, Grindr is the perfect online gateway for the LGBTQ community to socialise and connect. This geo-social networking app uses your phone’s location to pick up fellow Grindr males in your area. It’s safe space for those looking to come citas calientes ateas out of the closet, meet like-minded people and navigate through the queer world.
Happn
Happn tries to capture the romantic idea that your next squeeze could be the stranger you just passed by. Profiles pop up on your screen when you cross paths, and if you both give each other ‘hearts’, you can start chatting.
Despite being a lot quieter than most of the other apps, I’m giving Happn kudos for having more better-looking users (I’m not always that superficial, just sayin’). Oh, and one guy offered me a job interview that may or may not have been a disguise for a date. Here’s looking at you, Brandon – try LinkedIn next time!
Talent pool Our office’s CBD ‘hood scored a lot of chefs, finance guys and lawyers in their late 20s and 30s, all clothed.
Best line ” My masculine sixth sense told me [you were American]. Guess it’s not very accurate xD. I wish you were American.”
Coffee Meets Bagel
This app takes itself very seriously, almost to a fault. In some ways, it takes full advantage of the dating ‘game’, with its in-app currency of coffee beans. You spend them to ‘Like’ profiles that appear on your discover page as you only get a small number os suggested matches each day.
Upon matching, the chat stays open for a week, forcing you to trade numbers or go on a date ASAP instead of playing the texting game. If you don’t hear back from your matches, there’s an option to reopen the chat – it feels like the equivalent of sending out a Facebook invite to a game that no one wants to play, and smells a little of desperation.
Talent pool So shallow it’s basically a puddle. There’s a good balance of locals and expats, but no one really got my pulse racing. For some reason, lots of goody-goody Christian types on this app – if that’s your thing.
Blindfold
Blindfold masks or blurs profile pictures based on the premise that online dating can be embarrassing. In reality, hiding your face is not so much for discretion as it is about being unsure about how attractive the opposite sex will find you.
Every morning the app delivers a match, including a lot of ‘bonus matches’. After about four unanswered greetings, I came to the conclusion that without some kind of attraction to your potential match, it was just as good as talking to a robot, minus the spelling accuracy. The only people I can imagine actively using this app are Quasimodo and the Phantom of the Opera, both of whom are fictional.
