Speaking as someone who spent my formative years in a small Southern suburb, I have always been baffled by the idea of big-city dating. I’ve tried (and have subsequently been frustrated by) the dimly lit, dubstep-droning bar scene, and it feels like most career-driven twentysomethings spend more time in front of their MacBooks than they do mingling at mixers.
Like many iPhone-slinging singles who have grown sick of crowded clubs, I’ve turned my attention to a handful of novel apps to help steer me toward a meaningful relationship. And while I certainly understand the hesitation that might come with waving an iOS device around like a date-demanding divining rod, I’ve come across a few urban dating apps that make meeting new people a bit less complicated.
OKCupid’s Locals feature makes location-based meet-ups a breeze.
Popular offering OKCupid (free) boasts an iOS app that’s both feature-packed and user friendly. Many of the features are carried over from the website, but it’s the GPS-based Locals function that has earned it a spot on my Home screen. Locals lets members find nearby matches on the fly, and even has a built-in text chat function to help get the conversation started if a potential partner catches your eye.
Alternatively, it never hurts to try a more streamlined approach, and HowAboutWe (free) is all for getting you out and about without wading through pages of dating drama. OKCupid is more about meticulous match percentages and algorithms, while this app focuses on the act of dating, with users posting sentence-long ideal activities that potential suitors can then follow up on. It’s online dating, but drama-lite.
Call it a “micro-dating” app, but don’t call HowAboutWe’s ever-active users boring.
But if leaping headfirst into anonymous adventure isn’t quite your speed, you might be better served by taking a location-based approach to the social scene. Picksie (free) is a Yelp-like digest of urban hotspots, but with an emphasis on you and your personal preferences. By ranking restaurants, clubs, and entertainment venues with a thumbs up or down, Picksie calculates locations near you that might be a perfect pick for, say, a first date.
So that solves my “what” and my “where,” but I’m still not quite satisfied with the “who,” which brings me to Sonar (free), the mobile social app to end all mobile social apps. By syncing my Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts, Sonar cherry-picks the fruits of my social networking labor by showing me who’s checked in to popular locations nearby, and what friends we might share. Talk about an automatic icebreaker.
Awkward evening have you eyeing the exit? DateEscape’s got your back.
And while the threat of a bad date is inescapable, thanks to your iPhone, the date itself doesn’t have to be. DateEscape ($0.99) lets you create and set fake phone calls and texts from any number of customizable contacts. Did your date let slip that the cocktail they just ordered is a parole violation? Excuse yourself for a quick moment, program a “The house is on fire!” or “Your dog ran away!” (or “Your dog is on fire!”) text from a fake roommate, and make your escape moments later.
The dating scene has and always will be an intimidating affair, but thanks to an abundance of dating apps, meeting like-minded individuals in the iPhone Age has never been easier—whether you’re on the hunt for a casual drink with new friends or a stepping-stone toward a long-term commitment.
