STI status sharing service iPlaySafe rebrands as free app Zults
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) home testing and status-sharing service iPlaySafe has rebranded as a new, free app called Zults, designed to reduce stigma around sharing STI information before sex.
In 2021 iPlaySafe was launched in the UK by entrepreneurs Georgia Di Mattos and Bianca Dunne (pictured below, Di Mattos on the left). To use the service, you paid up to $125 for an STI home-testing kit then received the results on an app, which you could then use to share your STI status with potential sex partners.
The app was sleekly designed and featured grinning models, in an attempt to counterbalance the somewhat clinical experience of receiving STI results over email from the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), which offers free home testing.
However, perhaps because it was competing with a free government-provided service, iPlaySafe failed to take off. This was despite mainstream media coverage – and The Times Magazine branding the founders “yummy mummies”.
Now the pair have replaced iPlaySafe with Zults. Crucially, both the Zults app and the STI home testing kit linked to it are free. The latter is provided by sexual health e-service Sexual Health London (SHL): an NHS healthcare provider.
Currently, you can only have your STI results uploaded to Zults if you live in an area of London served by SHL. Zults is working on expanding the service with more STI testing providers, so it can be more widely available. The longer-term plan is to launch it outside the UK, too.
To use Zults, you log into your SHL account, where you can generate a link to add to the Zults app. Your STI status will then appear in the Zults app, in the form of an image that looks like a credit card.
The card, or ‘rezults’, if you will, can then be shared with potential partners. You can simply show them the card on your phone, share it with them in their Zults app, or share it via link, Bluetooth or QR code. Your ‘rezults’ card can also be stored in Google wallet.
iPlaySafe and Zults co-founder Di Mattos told SEXTECHGUIDE that problems with the former brand came from having to provide home testing kits as well as the app.
“We needed to focus on the technology and reach more people to achieve our goal of changing how people talk about sexual health and reducing STI rates,” she said. “That’s when we decided to partner with Sexual Health London, a trusted and free home testing provider. This partnership allowed us to improve our tech communication tool and offer it as an add-on service to STI testing providers.”
She added: “The name iPlaySafe also caused problems. People thought it sounded like a ‘hookup’ or ‘sex app’, which wasn’t the image we wanted. Additionally, we faced challenges with our online presence due to restrictions on platforms like Meta. So, we spent a lot of time refining our name and branding, eventually choosing Zults. We believe this new direction and focus on sharing ‘rezults’ with Zults will help us achieve our goals.”
iPlaySafe’s founders wanted to integrate their service with dating apps, but had frustrations dealing with bosses at these apps.
Speaking of dating app managers, in 2022 Di Mattos told SEXTECHGUIDE: “They’re still pretending that sex is not part of their businesses, which is really disappointing… it’s crazy. Bumble has a feature where you can match based on people who have been vaccinated. On Tinder you can share your Instagram profile. Why not share your iPlaySafe profile as well?”
Di Mattos and Dunne are hoping that they will have more success with a free app with a slightly less ‘playful’ name. They plan to make the app profitable by introducing subscription levels with more functions at some point, plus adverts from sexual health and wellness brands.
They said that their ultimate stated goal with Zults is to “expand, incorporating a wide range of sexual health providers as well as dating apps into its platform.”
