Swoon imports your info from already existing social media profiles, but remains anonymous until you connect.
The case can certainly be made that technology is damaging our dating lives. Facebook stalking rarely leads to positive outcomes, the tone of text messages can so easily be misinterpreted, and new iPhones show exactly how long it took you to type that witty response. Seriously, Apple?
The good news is, some apps out there can actually help you. Here are two:
Swoon
It’s the first mobile dating app available on both iPhone and Android, meaning a larger pool of potential mates. In case you’re unfamiliar with the lingo, mobile dating apps are basically low maintenance online dating platforms. Instead of having to put together a whole profile, Swoon links directly to your Facebook page and pulls photos for other users to see. Once you’re connected, the app lets you browse though pictures of potential matches and presents a count of similar interests and mutual friends. Yes, it’s not that much info to go on, but as anyone who’s struggled with putting together a dating profile can tell you, sometimes less is more.
Swoon is totally anonymous until you and another user “like” each other and then the app allows you to chat. Although Swoon pulls some information from your Facebook, don’t worry, there’s no sign on your page that you’re using the app — just in case you’re private about those sorts of things. And ladies, the maker of the app assured me they’ve spared no effort to attract “high quality” men.
Snapchat
Have you been wanting to send some nudie pics but you’re nervous about them living in someone’s phone forever? With Snapchat (for both Android and iPhone), the pics you send last for 15 seconds then get deleted. The app markets itself as “a new way to share moments with friends,” but I think it’s pretty clearly for your more scandalous selfies.
The slight caveat with this app is that more tech savvy users can probably find ways around the pictures’ self-destruction or even ways to recover deleted images. But if you’ve gotta show some skin to someone special, Snapchat is definitely the safer way to sext.
Amber Madison is a Manhattan-based relationship expert and dating coach. She is the author of ‘Are All Guys Assholes?’ for which she traveled the country, spoke to more than 1,000 men and discovered that the answer to this question is no. You can follow her on Twitter @ambermadi.
