SwoonMe’s ‘voice-first’ dating app replaces photos with avatars

0
SwoonMe appropriate

A new “voice-first” dating app that uses cartoon-style avatars instead of photos has launched. The app is available to download from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

SwoonMe, a San Francisco-based startup, says it is aiming to “eliminate superficial dating” by focusing on sound bites and avatars rather than profile photos. “We want you to be swooned not by looks but by personality”, the company says on its site.

Using SwoonMe requires you to submit a photo of yourself, which is converted into a cartoon style avatar by the app and then used as your profile image. Rather than writing a profile biography, you record a voice clip about yourself and what you’re looking for in a person, plus answer questions about dating.

When a profile match is made, you can can exchange further voice messages with your match and interact with them on ‘icebreaker’ games.

Matches are not completely photo-blind. As you continue to communicate, the avatar on your profile slowly reveals the image it was based on to your match.

Screenshot 2021 07 12 at 14.32.34
SwoonMe screenshots

Tanvi Gupta, SwoonMe’s founder and CEO, said she was partly inspired to create the app after watching the US reality TV show Love Is Blind. In the Netflix show men and women talk to each other but cannot see each other, then the men can decide to propose marriage to a woman on the show, before finally meeting them face to face.

“Appearance-based dating has been normalized in our culture but I have always felt that this has been the biggest pain-point in dating,” Gupta said. “It feels like we are assessing our options in a virtual ‘meat market’ on all the online dating apps.”

She added: “I have always felt that I wanted to change this dynamic and experience in the mainstream dating market. I wanted to build deeper meaningful connections between human beings… we can tell so much about a person by simply listening to their voice: personality, sociability, emotionality, and so much more.”

Gupta said that SwoonMe’s focus on voice messages was influenced by the recent rise of the Clubhouse audio and social app.

“Platforms like Clubhouse have shown that taking video and looks out of the equation allow[s] people to lean into actual topics,” she told TechCrunch. “It creates new levels of intimacy and interaction, and we’re basically trying to capture this with SwoonMe, but in the dating world.”

SwoonMe joins an increasingly busy dating app market. Over the past year a slew of video-led apps such as Lolly, Feels and Snack have launched, each with the long-term aim of toppling the established likes of Tinder and Bumble from their perches.

Read next: Tinder left in ashes? TikTok is fuelling a new generation of dating apps

Affiliate Disclosure
Some articles contain affiliate links that allow us to earn money if you decide to purchase any of these products or services. This does not cost you any extra, and it allows us to continue to run this independent website without ads. Affiliate links have no relation to review ratings or other editorial coverage. You can read the full policy here.

Jamie F
Jamie F

Jamie is a freelance writer, contributing to outlets such as The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, CNN and Vice, among others. He is also the creative force behind the Audible podcast Beast Master.

Be the first to leave a comment

Leave a reply

SEXTECHGUIDE
LATEST
Comparisons
20+ Best VR Porn Sites
6+ Best Gay & Trans VR Porn Sites
10+ Best AI Porn Generators
3+ Best AI Girlfriend Apps
9+ Best XXX Cam Sites
15+ Best Chromecast Porn Sites
13+ Best Porn Apps
9+ Best iPhone Porn Sites
Ultimate Sound-responsive Vibrator Guide
6+ OnlyFans Alternatives
10+ Best Toys for People with Disabilities
14+ Best Mini Vibrators
13 Sex Tech Solutions for Premature Ejaculation
7-Step Guide to Camming
Watch VR Porn on Any Headset
Consent 101