New apps to find a date - or dump one
Dating apps can be as plentiful and puzzling as Tinder profiles. Here's some help weeding through the offerings, courtesy of The Washington Post's Solo-ish blog:
Happen shows users the people they cross paths with in their daily lives (within a 250 meter - 820-foot - radius, that is). Walk from your office to a fast-casual lunch place, for example, and someone else dining there might pop up. Click on their face, and you can scroll through a handful of photos, Tinder-style, and click yes or no. Each profile also shows a map of the general area where you crossed paths and the time it happ (e) Ned. If you both click yes, a screen pops up so you can exchange messages and theoretically make plans to cross paths on purpose.
The concept feels more natural than sitting at home browsing through OKCupid profiles, but it's also a little creepy. Because, uh, you might find out where I live or work before we've even said hello. Yet when it comes to connecting with people you have something in common with - a gym, a commute, a favorite lunch spot - it might be that nudge you need to actually meet up in real life.
Bottom line: Kind of creepy and cool at the same time. Free. iOS and Android.
Bumble
As someone who publicly encourages women to ask men out, I had a hunch that Bumble and I would click. On this dating app, if there's a match, it's up to the woman to make the first move - and they have only 24 hours to do it. (For same-sex couples, the 24-hour limit still applies, and either person can send the initial note.)
Whitney Wolfe, founder of the "social pollination" app, believes that when there's no pressure on men to initiate contact, they're less likely to send nasty or insulting messages to women. "When rejection and pressure are removed," Wolfe says, "the risk of aggression is reduced greatly."
That puts the pressure on women to send messages against a ticking clock, which some might find stressful. A 37-year-old female Bumble user in San Francisco told me, however, that the time limit helps her clarify whom she really wants to go out with. "I prefer to make the first move," she says. "The problem I'm trying to solve is: How do I avoid being harassed while I'm looking for a partner?"
Bottom line: For that, Bumble is a good place to start. Free. iOS and Android.
Her
Her, a women-only dating app that started in Britain, offers little more than photos; a user's profile is essentially a mini Instagram feed. It's kind of sweetly organic: When you "like" a user's photo, she gets a notification and then has the option of chatting with you. If you both like photos on each other's pages, it's a "match," and you are prompted to chat: an accelerated version of what might happen between two strangers giving each other the eye at a club.
You can choose how to "identify" from a drop-down list of 12 options, but the choices are so vague that they end up not quite doing the job for gay ladies. The app took me out of my usual tunnel-vision of what I find attractive in a woman, however. I even liked the photos of women who seemed like they'd make great friends. "Women tend to meet in a social and friendship way first," says founder Robyn Exton. "Loads of our users stay friends because they want queer friends as well as someone to date."
Bottom line: If this app were a match, I'd give it a three out of five. Free. iOS.