Date Like a Pro
Seven apps for discovering love in the digital age.
n a digital world in which everyone's eyes are constantly glued to their phones, it only makes sense that we use our devices for life's most awkward yet unavoidable activity—dating. We use apps for everything from job hunting to ordering takeout, after all, so why not also use them to find love? Lucky for you, today there's an app for just about every romantic pursuit out there. Dating apps can facilitate anything from a casual coffee date to a one-night stand—whatever floats your boat. If you're like me, and you're just dipping your toes into online dating, you might find these seven apps helpful. If nothing else, you'll have some good stories to tell your friends. Here are the basics: OkCupid Dating (Free) If you're looking for an app that gives you lots of background info about potential partners, OkCupid is a good one to start with. When you initially sign up, you answer a few basic questions, such as “Is smoking disgusting?” or “Are you looking for someone to have kids with?” To make setup faster, you can choose to link your account to Facebook. You then see a grid of potential matches along with a percentage indicating compatibility. Profiles contain a lot of information—more than any other app on this list—and questionnaires can get very involved. The match percentage can be helpful in determining whether you could have some major lifestyle and personality differences right off the bat, whereas other apps often give you almost no information. Tinder (Free) Tinder is a favorite among dating apps for one main reason: it's simple. The app links to your Facebook account and shows you people within a distance and age range of your choosing. If you think someone is cute, you swipe right; if not, swipe left. If both parties swipe right, it's a match! You can now chat and arrange to meet up. If you're looking for a relationship, beware; this app is a notorious hookup app with no vetting process. In fact, according to a 2015 survey by research firm GlobalWebIndex, only 54 percent of Tinder users are even single.