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100 million users worldwide
5 million messages sent daily
40% Female | 60% Male
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This geo-location-based dating app made our list because it’s doing something a bit out of the ordinary. Instead of showing you a bunch of faces, names, ages, and cities, Happn takes your near-exact location and connects you with people you’ve passed by in real-time—by happen.
Whether you just walked to the store, post office, school, or wherever, these are people that might just have the same routine as you—the people you would normally bump into back in traditional times, chat it up, and go on a date with.
If you still want to enjoy the roulette-style like or pass matchmaking process, you can do so with Happn. Based on your search criteria, you will be presented with local profiles in a grid format.
Once you and another member have mutually liked each other, you can start a conversation. The only exception to Tinder and other similar dating apps is that they will be a lot closer to your proximity.
Matches based on encounters
Great for people that are out and about often
The ability to hide your location
Only for people in populated areas/cities
Need a Facebook account to sign up
Per month: £19.99
Total: £19.99
You can sign up for Happn through your Facebook or Apple ID credentials. Don’t worry about your friends or family members finding out that you signed up for a dating app because that information doesn’t cross platforms.
After that, you will fill in some information that includes your name, gender, date of birth, and the gender you are interested in seeing. You also need to upload at least one profile photo of yourself. Happn then wants to know what type of relationship you are looking for—be it something serious, nothing serious, or the “I’ll know it when I find it” option.
If knowing how well someone cooks is important to you, Happn asks that question as well, right after you answer how tall you are and what your exercise habits are. We’re guessing this is a good conversation starter—something to break the ice.
If that isn’t enough information to make an informed decision about a potential match, you also select which type of vacation you prefer, your nightlife preferences, your smoking habits or lack of, and finally whether you have kids or not. If you don’t want to see anyone that does or doesn’t do any of those things, you can select dealbreakers.
The top countries that use Happn are the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. In the UK, there are an estimated 500,000 members. Because it’s not the most populous dating app on the market, it would be best to use the app in larger cities. There’s also a large member base located in the Netherlands and France, so it might be a good app to utilize when you’re travelling as well.
From our experience, we mostly saw young tech-savvy professionals using Happn—typically between the ages of 24 and 35. If you’re in an older age bracket, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding matches in populated areas. And while men outnumber women, it’s not by much, so neither sex should have too much of a greater advantage. You’ll find that most members use Happn’s mobile app while out and about.
As mentioned, Happn works by connecting you with potential matches that you passed by. You will want to ensure your geo-location is enabled at all times so that the app works in the background. You don’t have to keep your app open for it to find matches for you. If you’d like your profile to get “Boosted” to the top of other members’ feeds for 24 hours, you can pay for the premium membership subscription plan.
In order to match with another member on Happn, it takes both of you to like each other. Once that match is made, the app will send you a notification that you can now start a conversation. That app doesn’t necessarily suggest people you have commonalities with but rather members that have crossed paths with you, which is the whole purpose of Happn.
Happn has some pretty cool contact features to choose from. These features can add more personality to your profiles and help you start conversations more easily.
For instance, you can ask more personalized questions based on people’s interests and prompts. You can sync your Spotify account to Happn and send tracks to your matches so you can have a conversation about music preferences. There’s also the ability to send voice messages (although you can’t video chat).
If you want to let someone know that you want to talk to them, you can also send them a Hello. This way, you don’t have to match to inform them that you are interested. Each new member gets a limited number of free Hellos. After those expire, you will need to upgrade to the premium subscription plan.
Another feature that can help you meet people while out and about is the “I’m up for…” line. You can say you’re heading downtown to meet some friends, go for pizza, or walk your dog in the park. You can announce what you’re going to do for the 6 hours.
If you would feel more comfortable hearing someone’s voice before meeting in person, Happn has a feature for that too. Click on the audio in their bio and you can get a better idea of what they will be like in person. Record your own voice also so that other members can get to know you better.
Happn can only find people you’ve crossed paths with if you download the app. Using the geo-locator in your phone is how Happn’s algorithm can find people in your proximity. The app is available through the Apple and Android app stores.
There’s a lot to like about Happn. Especially if you’re looking for something unique and fun, Happn has tons to offer. With over 100 million members worldwide, it’s definitely grabbing attention and catching on. In a way, the app kind of brings people together in a classic way. After all, running into people while out of the house is how couples always met before. Plus, these people might have similar schedules and routines as you if you’re constantly crossing paths. We think that’s a pretty neat concept to check out if you live in an urban area.
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