Match group killed most dating apps years ago when they acquired as many as possible and turned them all into tinder clones, literally removing useful features, not even including them in "premium" versions.
Hinge was the last to hold on to being "acceptable" to those that used it (I need more profile than pictures so I didn't care for it) but I guess that's changed now too.
Monetizing human needs never ends well... Seeking a partner is a human need and these corpo fucks know it and drooled over the prospect of exploiting it. I gave up on them a few years ago so I'm just staying single I guess.
Ok, here's how it works. You and me, we're going to care for each other, and be there for each other, and support each others dreams, and hug each other, and have wild kinky sex!
What? You too are also male?
disappears into the bush homer simpson style
.......wait, that bush thing could be taken out of context.....
OKCupid was alright before the buyout. I won't say it was great, but I went out with several people thanks to that site and met my current partner of 12 years there.
Probably not great ever, but Plenty of Fish yielded some decent prospects when it was nothing more than a web based classified ad. But those days are long gone.
I think at this point actual human interaction is probably more positive than dating apps. Which is a pretty sorry state of affairs and I'm not keen on it. I don't want to meet people I want algorithms to do it for me, we're supposed to live in the future damn it.
I never really had trouble getting dates on Tinder, etc., but very few of those led to second dates. Of the people I've dated that I met without the help of apps, I probably would've "swiped left" on most of them. As another user said, general human interaction is my current route, focusing my energy on social interactions where I can meet people the old fashioned way: mostly friends of friends. That can range from get togethers at someone's house, happy hours, general meetup groups, volunteering, hobbies and/or classes.
This, I think I had over 100 first dates and maybe 10 second dates. I’m not a catfish by any means, but I think people just come off differently over text than in-person, it can be kind of a whiplash.
I found my girlfriend last October on hinge. What really made that app work for me are the ice breakers. Putting effort into a profile that highlights who you are will at some point attract the right people. And using ice breakers prompts to start a conversation was always kind of fun to check out the conversation vibe.
But it really took some effort getting started, working on my communication skills and exploring what I really like in a partner and what I like about me. It took me a year and tons of dates that weren’t a fit though.
Going out, doing stuff you like and talking to people. I love raves, so that's where I generally meet people for dates. I've gotten dates at board game evenings, doing sports, or in a museum.
You just gotta talk to someone who has caught your eye. Make sure to let them know you find them attractive and if it's mutual you've got a thing. Rejections are normal and okay, at this point I'm more comfortable with them than actually going on a date :P
The best dating app is not being interested in having a relationship and playing video games until you randomly stumble across a switch gaming discord and randomly fall in love with your best friend and they like you back 🥴