With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, find yourself a perfect match with one of the following apps. May it be fine dining, a cup of coffee, or just a casual stride at the beach, discover a lover – or even a friend – in and around Macao.
Bumble
Best for: Women
Language: English
Range: Global, based on user’s location
Cost: Free
Designed to give women more control, Bumble is one of the most popular dating apps out there. After setting up a profile and answering a few simple questions, you can start browsing potential matches near you. It takes just a few seconds: swipe right on people you’re interested in and left if you are not.
Once you get a match – where two people swipe right on each other – women get to decide if and when to start a conversation. In heterosexual matches, the woman can begin chatting anytime in a 24-hour window (with the option to extend), while same-sex pairs can extend at any time.
Another key feature is the filter mode. Depending what you’re looking for, you can filter the suggestions by sex – age, casual dating, serious relationships – or even change the search mode from dating to business partners, mentors, BFFs and more.
Eatgether
Best for: Foodies
Languages: Chinese and English
Range: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao
Cost: Free
If you love food – and are ready for romance – then Eatgether might be the best dating app for you. There’s no ‘matching’ system on this Asia-based app. Instead, you simply input your interests, hobbies, favourite foods and preferred dining budget (from MOP 100 to 5,000), then browse other profiles to see who strikes your fancy. When you find a like-minded profile, you can ‘follow’ their profile or invite them to meet up in person for a coffee, cocktail or Michelin-starred meal together to see how well your tastes align.
OkCupid
Best for: Efficient matches
Language: English
Range: Up to 805km from user’s location
Cost: Free
OkCupid stands out from the pack thanks to its finely tuned matching system. Before getting started, the app requires users to fill out 15 hyper-detailed questions about values, politics, religion, personality traits, romance style and the characteristics you’re seeking in a partner. You also need to be explicit about what you are looking for – be that marriage, a quick hook up, or a platonic new friend.
With this intel, the app can filter through thousands of profiles to find the best matches for you, based on a “compatibility” score. Once accepted, you can then strike up conversations in the app or take it offline for a little one-on-one time.
LesPark
Best for: Lesbian, bisexual and queer women
Languages: English
Range: Global
Cost: Free
Designed for gay and bi women, LesPark helps users find new friends, flings and long-term partners. It’s kind of like Instagram, in that you post a stream of photos and videos, comment, share, rack up followers, and send direct messages to connect. LesPark also helps you narrow down potential partners, by suggesting women who seem like a good fit for you.
What many users love about this app are the myriad communication channels. For instance, you can have a private chat, join multiple chat rooms, make voice calls, live stream, and even host video get-togethers. And even if you are not looking for love, the app offers a great sense of community by posting new LGBTQ content every day and hosting meetups throughout the year.
Grindr
Best for: LGBTQ people
Languages: English
Range: Global
Cost: Free
Boasting a million active users worldwide, Grindr allows users to quickly and easily connect with LGBTQ people in your locale – or internationally when travelling. Unlike other dating apps, which ask lots of questions upfront, Grindr requests just a few bits of intel: a photo, location and ‘fun fact’ bio.
Grindr’s ‘matching’ mechanism is more straightforward, too. The location-based app lets you know who is within 100 metres of your current location, then you tap a button to express interest. In addition, users appreciate the app’s daily LGBTQ lifestyle content and group chat capabilities.
Tinder
Best for: Volume of potential matches
Languages: User’s choice
Range: Up to 160km radius for local use; ‘Passport’ global option
Cost: Free
As you probably know, Tinder is one of the most popular dating apps in the world. Founded in 2012, the app is considered the crème de la crème of dating networks, thanks to the sheer number of users, easy-to-use interface and countless success stories.
First, set up a profile – age, preferred language, location, sexuality and interests – then start swiping through potential matches: right if you’re keen, left to pass. Swiped too soon? Simply hit the yellow ‘rewind’ button to reclaim a person you accidentally rejected.
Once you have a match or two, you can start chatting up potential partners to see if there’s a spark. When you’re ready, take it offline and meet in real life.
