How This New App Creates Safe LGBTQI+ Spaces For Online Dating

Since Grindr burst onto the scene in 2009, many of us have lost countless hours exploring the brave new world of modern online dating.

When Tinder launched three years later there were seemingly more options for everyone.

However as the years have worn on and the market has become saturated with new products, many of us have become tired of the same old tropes consuming the world dating apps.

“Everything has just become so toxic”

It wasn’t until a year after the meteoric rise of dating apps that single man ‘Tom’ (name has been changed) downloaded his first app, and started exploring.

It’s been hit-and-miss for Tom. He says he’s tried many of the apps over the years, but twelve months ago he decided he was done: “I deleted them all.”

“Everything had just become so toxic, I just couldn’t do it anymore,” he recalled.

Tom had given all the different apps a go, but felt he was just encountering the same problems over and over again.

“The old apps always involve both users starting with saying ‘hi’ and asking how are, and then you just get ignored,” he lamented.

“There’s also the endless frustration of being asked for pictures from blank profiles or accidentally ‘tapping’ someone without realising it when you’re just checking out their profile.”

But it wasn’t just the frustration that emerged from those accidental interactions, often it would lead to aggressive responses that left him shaken.

“Then you’ve accidentally got the attention of someone who isn’t interested and suddenly you’re getting abusive messages from these strangers,” he shared.

If it wasn’t abusive messages, he would often find himself at the receiving end of something far more disappointing: fake messages.

“One of the biggest problems that has evolved in the last few years is the bots,” he explains.

“So many times you get a message from someone with a profile you think you’re interested in, and suddenly you read the message and realise it’s just a spam bot.

“Then to make it worse, the addition of the paid subscription fees made the free versions even harder to use.

“It felt like the advertisements had doubled, interrupting you when you’re chatting and making it even more difficult.”

“I finally decided I was done.”

Hukup: Creating safe spaces for online dating

It was stories like Tom’s that prompted the creators of Hukup to design something unique, inclusive and community-focussed.

Merging some of the best features of the other apps and some unique features of their own, Hukup was created to ensure a safe and user-friendly space for anyone – including features that specifically cater to the LGBTQI+ community.

Hukup is designed to ensure that it is user-friendly for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals and couples, as well as heterosexual users.

Users can set their profiles to match their identity, and list their preferences in a partner, then Hukup will adjust their user feed to ensure a best match is displayed.

Filters can be set up and adjusted based on likes and interests to ensure there is a higher chance of matching with someone you’ll actually want to talk to.

For those who are feeling a little more shy, the ‘Private Me’ feature – something often paid for on other apps – allows users to browse privately.

Safety is also a priority. Users can hide themselves from people they haven’t interacted with yet, and also choose who they wish to share their information with.

Other features built into the app encourage conversation between users rather than the mindless back-and-forth ‘Hi, how are you’ small talk that often plagues dating apps.

And if you’re struggling to find a way to start a conversation, Hukup includes their own selection of image and text ice breakers, to help you invite the person you’re interested in to chat.

“Going on a date”

One of the specific features of the app is focused towards building connections and ensuring safety for all users.

Once two users decide they might like to meet, the ‘Going on a Date’ feature can be activated, and all of the chat history between the two users will be saved.

This means if something goes wrong, even if the chat is deleted by the other user or they are blocked, all of the content of their conversation is saved. This helps to create a sense of accountability and security between the two users.

Other security features include setting specific privacy settings to individual images and galleries, as well as image expiry features.

It’s these and a raft of other features that make Hukup stand out from the sea of dating apps to currently choose from.

This young and refreshing take on online dating will provide a safe and secure online dating space for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, shifting the focus back to genuine conversation and connection in our communities.

For more information, visit the Hukup website or download the Hukup app: here from the Apple Store, and here from the Google Play store.