Tired of Tinder? Why put up with clogged-up dating apps when you can just create your own? It's actually quite simple.
photo credit: "Dating app mock ups" by Prakhar Neel Sharma
With Valentine's Day past us, the desire for love is love is stronger than ever. However, people, these days aren't trying to reconnect with their high school sweetheart, their searching for love on the internet.
It’s fast, easy, allows you to screen people (without the need for awkward blind dates), and you can swipe for matches while you’re at work or on your morning commute. Almost 60% of people surveyed believe that online dating is a good way to meet a match, and around 20% of committed relationships began through an online dating service.
Why Should You Create a Dating App?
When there are already multiple popular dating apps, why should you go through the effort to create your own? There's a list of reasons:
- It’s a fun coding experience
- You make the rules
- Most online dating apps are clogged up
- You can make money (The online dating market brings in almost $2 Billion a year)
photo credit: "Tinder for iPhone X" by Alberto Conti
Tinder and other apps like MeetMe and Badoo are okay, but they've become clogged up with fake accounts and advertisements that leave much to be desired. You can create a dating app that doesn't have these pitfalls. You get to make all the rules, it's a fun and educational coding experience, and if your app becomes popular, there's the potential to make a lot of money.
Key Features of a Good Dating App
With so many dating apps on the market today, people are picky. They want something that looks good, that’s simple, and that’s spam free.
Geolocation
This is the hallmark of any dating app. Most people who live in New York City have no interest in dating somebody from Ohio. You need to set your app up to work with the GPS systems on their phone. This way, your users will be able to meet their match locally and set up a date. Let the cupids do the rest.
Keep It Simple
Tinder became the most popular dating app in the world for one reason; it was simpler than the others. When your users are using an app, they don’t want or need something with a thousand different features. It’s confusing, makes their phone slow down, and makes online dating seem a lot less natural and a lot more computerized.
Keep Spam Away
Modern dating apps have become laden with spam. Fake accounts and advertisements will ruin your reputation. When you’re coding the app, make sure that you create a feature that requires users to verify their email address, or implement the Facebook API to allow users to use their existing Facebook account. If you receive complaints about a fake account, take quick action and delete it.
Submit Your App
The final step after your create a dating app is to put it out there for the world to use. Once you're sure that the app is functional, secure, and looks good, it's time to submit it. The most popular app stores are the Google Play store (Android) and the Apple App Store. You can easily create an account and then upload your application files using their developer toolkit. Once the application has been approved, you're in the green.
Final Thoughts
If you want to create a dating app that’s going to be truly successful, then you will need to put in a little bit more effort. People need to know about your app to use it, so you’ll have to do a lot of advertising. Push it on social media, tell your friends and family about it, and try to get a good review in a reputable tech magazine. If you play your cards right, then you could be sitting on top of the next online dating goldmine.
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