Tinder Inspires Wave Of Wannabe Online Dating Apps
Tinder, the geo-based dating app, has captured the attention of online daters across the world. It also captured the attention of wannabe app makers eager to cash in on Tinder’s success.
Tinder was initially launched in May of 2011 by Sean Rad, Whitney Wolfe, Jonathan Badeen, Christopher Gulczynsk, Joe Munoz, and Justin Mateen. For those new to the online dating app, the company website is happy to explain what Tinder does:
“Tinder is the fun way to connect with new and interesting people around you. Swipe right to like or left to pass. If someone likes you back, it’s a match! Chat with a match or snap a photo to share a Moment with all of your matches at once. Moment is a new way to express yourself and share with friends.”
How it accomplishes this is by utilizing Facebook profiles and GPS technology that enables users to set a specific radius where they can then find a match within that distance. Users swipe left and right through a series of photos to determine the level of interest based on what they see. From there, a user’s online dating experience truly begins.
Tinder was so successful in its unique approach that it won the coveted Crunchie Award for “Best New Startup of 2013” at TechCrunch that year. Fans of the hit HBO show Silicon Valley know exactly how important that award can be for any start-up company.
So with Tinder cornering the online dating market, what’s left for the competition to do but try to create their own version of the app. In fact, a quick browse through the internet find a host of apps claiming to cater to a particular niche in the dating world.
Luxy, for example, is the Tinder for the rich and luxurious, according to CNN.com.
“Billing itself as ‘Tinder, minus the riff-raff,’ the app, launched this month for Android and in May for Apple devices, is designed to play matchmaker for the rich and beautiful — all others be damned.”
Mixxer, meanwhile, targets uses tired of having to weed through potential Tinder applicants looking for relationships and target only those members looking to have sex. Mixxxer co-founder Michael Manes told The Daily Beast about his app.
“We thought we’d do what Tinder did but avoid the app stores all together and follow our own rules. There is a huge appetite in the market for this and the app stores can’t cater to it. We’re one of the first to say okay, basically Mixxxer is a mobile website with the feel of an app. We went viral overnight.”
Finally, there are even apps that utilize the same swipe features Tinder made famous to help users manage the content on their phone. Flic, for example, is “like Tinder for your camera roll,” according to The Verge. The app helps delete photos within your camera roll by simply swiping left or right.
