A new dating app lets you find singles you’ve crossed paths with
Picture this: You’re in a café, and notice an attractive person on the opposite table. There’s a slight flutter in your heart, but before you can make a move, the person has settled the bill and is on his/her way out. Bam. You don’t have to end the story there, with Happn — a new dating app that helps you ‘locate’ singles within a radius of 250 metres.
ADVERTISEMENT
Developed by entrepreneur and co-founder of Dailymotion, Didier Rappaport, the app’s tagline reads: ‘Find the people you’ve crossed paths with’.
How does it work
Happn works on the idea of proximity, with the understanding that you’re more likely to have something in common with somebody who is at the same gig or a club as you are, than with a random stranger
miles away.
Sign up
Create your dating profile by syncing the data with your Facebook account (just like Tinder). Rest assured, your virtual footprints have been taken care of. You will need to activate the location on your phone, as the app uses GPS tracking to present you with a list of people near you.
Once done, you are ready to see people who’ve crossed your path, once or several times. Happn gives you a rough map of where you crossed paths, along with their photos, name, age and profession.
If you see someone you like, you can secretly like them by hitting on the ‘heart’ button. If the feeling is mutual, you have a ‘crush’, and can start messaging. If you are the bolder sorts, ‘charm’ them to send them a notification. There’s a also new ‘see you there’ feature, where you are able to see if someone has indicated they are free for an activity. Eager to see what makes it different from Tinder and OKCupid, we give it a try.
Trial
We log in from Tardeo, and are greeted with a grid view of our latest encounters. We’ve crossed our paths with 10 men in a span of 10 minutes. Most are professionals in their mid-twenties and early 30s, their fields varying from cinematographers to techies.
Goaded by curiosity rather than attraction, we hit the secret heart button on a certain profile. Twenty minutes go by, with not a single notification on our profile. And then, a message pops up: ‘You have a crush’! We pass the option of a chat. The next morning, we have five matches from around the neighbourhood. We could get used to this.
However, to experience Happn’s real serendipity, users need to be out and about, to be exposed to people in different locations. Couch surfers, there’s not much for you in here.
Verdict
While the concept seemed creepy at first, we recommend giving Happn a try. After an entire day of browsing, we did not come across any sleazy profile.
The app might just give you a second chance at talking to someone you may have noticed before but were too shy to approach.
Happn is available for free for on iOS and Android
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
