The A-Z of Dating Apps in 2015 – S to Z

All week I’ve been covering the weird and wonderful world of dating with an A-Z of all the Dating Apps available in 2015.  You can check out the three earlier instalments – A to F, G to L and M to R here.

S is for an insane number of dating apps!

Siren

Asymmetrical app, similar to Antidate.  Part of the rise of ‘female empowerment’ apps.  Susie Lee, the founder of the app, recently paired up with Durex Labs to work on mobile sex technology.

Sway

Not, as the name may suggest, a swinging app … The Sway website is rather vague about it’s USP … but if you type Sway into Google it seems their marketing approach in the States has been to check people out on LinkedIn, and then contact them, telling them a mystery colleague at their work has a crush on them.  Not an approach that seemed to work, as the app has been branding the ‘spamming’ app.

Sweet Discreet

Marketed as a ‘discreet adult dating app’ this screams affairs to me.

Spark

One of my personal favourites, though yet to pick up much traction in London, Spark works on bluetooth so you can use it underground.  If you spot someone you like in real life, send him or her a ‘spark’.  It only delivers once you’ve left the vicinity.  If they’re interested, they can send you a message.  If not, the spark disappears at the end of the day.

Stitch

A dating app specifically for older daters.

Singles Badge

The app lets you know if there are other singles in your close proximity.  Slightly oddly the marketing campaign suggests you can ‘turn yourself into a celebrity’ by simply using the app.  Not too sure about that one!

Swoon

Defunked dating app which closed down in 2014 … possibly due to Tinder’s rise.

Snapbu

THE app to help you with your dating profile – get random members of the public to rate your profile photos and help you decide which dating photos to use.

Scruff

Gay chat and dating app.

Singles Around Me

Similar to Single Badge, the app shows you singles in the near vicinity.

Skout

The veteran of social apps, Skout has been around since 2007.  It’s not limited in any way by location.

T is for Tinder

The app that really needs no explanation.  Previously the undisputed king of dating apps, in recent years it’s become plagued with prostitutes, married people and cock shots.  Bought by the owners of Match.com, the app took too long to monetise, and chose the wrong model – rightly charging people to undo ‘left swipes’ (where users had got rid of a match)- but wrongly expecting users to pay a monthly fee for the privilege, rather than just a small amount each time.  This ‘Tinder Plus’ function created international furore, when they announced two price plans – including  a far more expensive one for daters over 28 in England, and 30 in the United States.

Trueview

Winner of best new dating app at the UK Dating Awards in 2014, the app provides a more advanced user profile, including details of interests and height.

Tingle

Available in Canada and the US, it’s hard to differentiate the description of this app (or the rather similar name) from Tinder.

Twoo

Erm … a social network for singles …. Recent reviews on the Android app store suggest it’s really buggy.

Ten

Brand new app launching in London this week – users will be able to rate other users out of ten, so that people of a similar attractiveness are matched up by the app.  Described as Tinder meets Hot or Not.

3nder

The official threesome app, started by a rather crazy young Russian (I’ve seen him speaking live, and he’s hilarious) who wanted to have threesomes with his partner.  In his words ‘just because you downloaded our app, doesn’t mean you’re gonna get laid’!

Tagged

Dating site with an accompanying app.  According to Wikipedia, the site (which launched last year) claims it has 300 million members.  I wonder where?!  Apparently you can share ‘tags’ and gifts on the site.

U is for Uniform Dating

App attached to the site for firefighters, members of the military and anyone else who either wears a uniform, or fancies people who do.

Up for It

Apparently thousands of naughty singles are up for hot dates in the United States!  With a titty shot on the home page, this is definitely a casual sex and hook up app … in case the name didn’t already say that!

V is for VoiceCandy

Choose an icebreaker question and hear your match’s spontaneous reply.  Unlike other voice-driven dating apps (RevealR and Fuzzy Banter) you can see the other person’s photo as well as hear their voice.

Verona

Dating app named after the setting for the Montague/Capulet feud in Romeo and Juliet, this app seeks to connect Israelis and Palestinians, looking for either friendship or love.

W is for Wyldfire

Another app from the ‘female empowerment’ angle – men can only get onto the site if they’re invited by a female member.

Willow

Answer questions posed by other members before you see their profiles.

Would Like to Meet

Safety conscious dating app, where you are required to record a (private) verification video to prove you are who you say you are.

Whim

Currently in it’s private beta phase, this app focusses on real life meet-ups, promising to send you out on real-life dates in a few taps.

Who’s That

Group dating in real life – similar to Grouper.

X and Y are for … no apps I can think of

Z is for Zoosk

The popular online dating site, available in over 80 countries, also has an accompanying app.