Until recently, we could easily say that for all material things, there’s technology to help us with online dating. Cut to 2015, where technology now helps us to find love, too! From matrimonial websites to online chatrooms to apps, the online dating landscape has changed quite a lot in India.
While some of us wait for our true love for a long time (before giving in to family pressure), some of us have a new love every weekend! Whether you belong to the later or the former, online dating is something that you definitely need to try if you haven’t, yet.
Tinder online dating apps entered the market in 2016 and brought with it a concept that was foreign to India- ‘online dating’.
Westernization hadn’t spared the Indian youth and soon, Tinder online dating app became so popular that according to reports, their userbase doubled within a few months of launching! This location based dating app took the market by storm and created a place for itself among the youth.
How online dating changed India:
For a country where people are allowed to piss in public but not kiss in public, introducing online dating was definitely a risk.
But come to think of it, the economical standing of the country during 2016 helped online dating to pick up pace. Where the institution of marriage was based on barter, compatibility was a word that had lost its meaning, or rather, ceased to exist.
Bollywood had done its fair part of introducing the concept of ‘love-marriages’ to the people of our country, but by and large, and more so in the parts of the country where Bollywood failed to stir the audience, love was something that “happened after you got married.”
Breaking all these shackles, online dating created a safe place for youngsters to mingle with the opposite gender and let go off what their parents call “sanskar”.
You may also like to read Arranged Marriage or Love Marriage-what the Indian Youth Thinks
Online dating in India:
- Here are some facts related to online dating in India which will help you understand What Young India Wants-
- In India, the online dating sector can be widely divided into- matchmaking (HAHAHA, YES.), Casual dating, or Hookups.
- The number of users who are ready to pay for online dating services has increased in the recent years.
- In our country, the dating pool is actually quite small, with women taking on 26% of the total user-base.
- The age-group of 25 years-34 years is most active on these platforms.
- The market of online dating is dominated by key players like Tinder, Cupid, TrulyMadly, and Bumble.
Top online dating apps in India:
Do you remember those movie scenes where a cringey guy drops in to a girl’s house and she is asked to tend to their b*llshit with a smiling face and a cup of tea? Well, gone are those days! Here are the top online dating apps that young India gives a thumbs up to:
1. Tinder – Online Dating App
Launched in 2016, this app created an example of acceptance by India in front of competitor platforms.
This is a location based dating app that requires you to sign up through Facebook ID or phone number, and helps you to view nearby profiles. Each profile states a display picture, age, sex, and a small description. If you swipe right, you “like” a profile, and a left swipe does the opposite.
If you are lucky enough, you will be swiped right by the same person whom you “liked”, and that is how things start and you can chat in private! There is also a paid version of this app that allows advanced features like super like, tinder gold, unlimited swipes, etc. However, there is no way to search users using their name or any other details.
2. TrulyMadly – Online Dating App
This platform is for people who are looking for “serious relationships”. The success of this app is based on research which says that more and more Indians are turning to dating apps to find a partner and take things forward.
Users have to link their social media accounts or Aadhaar card that can lead to a higher trust score. This score is a measurement of authenticity of users, and is taken very seriously by the creators as well as the users of this app. You can even ask your friends to vouch for you on this app, which will add to the credibility of your profile.
There are also several quizzes users are required to undertake for the app to understand a user’s personality and find compatible matches. This app also allows you to play games with your matches so that you can understand them better.
3. Bumble – Online Dating App
A new entrant into the online dating avenue, Bumble operates on the same lines as Tinder, where users are required to swipe each other’s profiles in order to like or reject.
The difference, here, is that the lady has the upper hand! Bumble incorporates the idea of women empowerment and liberation with online dating, and presents an app where the female has to chance to initiate conversation within 24 hours, failing which a match disappears. This time can be extended for one match per day. You can also find same sex matches on this app.
In India, Bumble is available only on iOS.
4. Happn – Online Dating App
The tagline of Happn is “find the people you have crossed paths with”, and that is exactly what it does! It creates your profile by linking your Facebook page, and then you have to select your age and the gender that you are interested in.
After this, it uses GPS tracking to show you a list of people near you, and if you have crossed paths with them. If you have, the app also tells you how many times you have done so! It gives you rough information about where you crossed paths, and their profile (name, age, profession, photos, etc.)
If you want to like someone’s profile, you can hit the red heart (VERY subtle), and if the other person likes your profile back, it’s a Crush! Following this, you can start chatting in private. You can also send secret “likes” without displaying your profile.
5. Hinge – Online Dating App
Did you recently meet your friend’s friend’s friend and felt sparks fly but do not have the courage or means to contact them directly? If yes, then Hinge is the perfect dating app for you.
A user has to link their Facebook profile to sign up on this app, after which they can view other user’s profiles. For you to find a match, it is important that you have a mutual friend on Facebook with that person.
While this is a tough clause, the makers of this app were of the idea that this would enable people to find more meaningful relationships rather than just hook-ups or casual dating. It gives profile suggestions based on friend chains.
After you create your profile, you are asked to answer a few questions and upload your photos. Using this information, Hinge creates a timeline for you. You are notified when someone likes something on your timeline. This app is free but also has a subscription plan.
India is now opening up to the western lifestyle. The success of Tinder in India clearly says that the youth of the country are trying to find suitable and compatible matches rather than simply getting pushed into love-less marriages. The online dating market in India is all set to grow at 5.7% p.a which will result in Rs. 539 crores in revenue till 2023. Yay for us!
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