Pros & Cons of Dating Apps

This post is made from too much firsthand experience and a grand total of zero dates, so take it with a grain of salt. But what I lack in actual connections, I make up for in a wide range of apps and an ability to use them.

Warning: There are quite a few reasons that you shouldn’t use dating apps. If you wouldn’t consider yourself a stable person, I would avoid it. If you can’t stand rejection, get upset over a lack of replies, will feel unattractive if you’re not spoken to, or have a more attractive roommate also using dating apps, don’t do it. Using dating apps can be very bad for your mental health, a huge means of procrastination, and sincerely mess you up.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about the different apps, their pros and cons, and what your chances are of actually finding other UVic students on the app.

1. OKCupid – A simple dating app with match compatibility based on questions you can answer if you want to.

Pros

• There’s nearly an inexhaustible supply of questions if you’re really bored. (I think my record of questions answered is in the 400s.)
• There are LOTS of UVic and Camosun students on the site/app.
• It allows you to look through extensive profiles based on a prompted set-up that most people actually take the time to fill out.
• You can say what you’re looking for on your profile and change it super easily.
• Match percentages allow you to figure out whether or not you’ll get along with someone based on more than their appearance and what they wrote down.
• It’s actually the closest I got to having a real date.

Cons

• Anyone can speak to you, even if you have no interest in speaking to them. If you’re not good at ignoring people, probably not the app for you.
• You have to pay to see who likes you (although you can see mutual likes)

2. Bumble – Tinder-esque. Swipe right for a like, swipe left for a pass.

Pros

• You can only speak with people you have liked and who have liked you back.
• Girls speak first, always. (Unless it’s a same-sex match. Then either party can speak first.)
• Bumble BFF allows you to find friends in your area if you’re not looking to date or if you’re already taken.

Cons

• Very few people use the app – although you will find UVic and Camosun students on the app.
• Matches only last 24 hours, so if you’re not going to check it obsessively, you might end up missing someone you really liked.
• Very few people write in their profile and there’s no compatibility rating.
• Bumble BFF only gives you people of your gender (and, in my experience, doesn’t end up matching you with very many people).
• It’s hard to carry a real conversation through the app.
• The app is very glitchy. It works on a “match queue” which gives you blurry images of everyone you’ve matched with and then essentially matches you with one person per day for a 24 hour period. However, the more I used the app, the match queue would disappear completely for no reason and then come back at random times. It deletes matches faster than 24 hours and gives you more matches sometimes and none at other times.

3. Happn – An app that matches you with people you’ve crossed paths with in real life.

Pros

• You can only speak with people you have liked and who have liked you back.
• If you’re on campus, you’re likely to match with other students and people your age with your interests.

Cons

• Very few people use the app and on top of that you need mutual interest to connect.
• I honestly can’t remember if this app has profiles or not – it may only allow you to have a very shallow understanding of the person you’re looking at (ex. job, university degree).
• Easy to get discouraged from using.

4. Badoo – An app that uses the passerby method of Happn but also allows you to search through profiles.

Pros

• A wide range of people use the app.
• You can only speak with people you have liked and who have liked you back.
• Prompts you as to what might be a good conversation starter and allows you to add interests to your profile.
• You can be very clear about what you’re looking for on your profile.
• Most people actually fill out their profile.
• It judges your pictures so you can know whether or not they’re working and also tells you how popular your profile is.
• Allows you to see who likes you so you can like them back.

Cons

• There are a lot of weird people on Badoo. Be careful.
• Ambiguous whether or not you have to pay for superpowers? And if you do, I’m not sure how to turn it off and it’s automatically on and may be charging your iTunes account.
• It doesn’t really care about where you are in the world and often gives you profiles from people halfway across the country or in different countries.
• There aren’t a lot of UVic or Camosun students on the app.

You’ll notice the obvious lack of Tinder from this list, but that’s only because I’ve never used it. There’s a glitch/error in the Tinder app that makes it impossible to get phone number confirmation for some users.

Some other honourable mentions go to Score (cool concept, no one in Victoria is on it), Dragon Fruit (great concept, no one uses it), and Tastebuds (which is honestly just near impossible to use). I know people who have used Plenty of Fish with success, but couldn’t get past its aesthetic, personally (also, it doesn’t allow you to state that you’re bisexual, at least not on the initial profile) and Cupid.com also was an aesthetic problem for me.

Staying Safe: Some Tips

• As always, be safe online and be careful who you meet up for.
• Don’t be nervous to ask to Skype first or ask for a more recent picture from someone who wants to go out with you.
• Take friends with you on the date if you’re nervous (even if they’re just secretly in the room, ready to get you out of there if need be).
• Be aware of your own limitations and warning signs.

Trying to date without apps might be better for you personally or dating apps might work. Everything is worth a try once, right?

Happy dating!