| Operating system | iOS, Android |
|---|---|
| Type | Social discovery |
| Website | www |
Spoonr (formerly Cuddlr) was a social-meeting application where strangers who lived within walking distance from each other could meet up for casual, platonic cuddling.
Users could send nearby prospective cuddle partners an invitation to cuddle, which the fellow users could either choose to accept or decline within 60 minutes. The application provided real-time walking directions to cuddle partners, allowing them to meet up, either in a private or public setting. It was claimed the Tinder of cuddling. [1] Unlike Tinder, the age of all users (and, potentially, gender) was omitted. Additionally, users were rated by previous cuddle partners according to their cuddling techniques and spooning preferences, their communication skills, and their ability to respect boundaries. These ratings, which acted as a safety measure, were then made available to all Spoonr users. [1]
Cuddlr was launched on September 18, 2014. [2] The app was co-founded by Charlie Williams, [3] an American who now lives and operates out of England. Williams, a software engineer and founder of Charlie Roberts Williams Ltd., previously helped develop Shazam, a popular application that offers music identification services. Williams studied at Northwestern University in the United States and at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. [4] The concept behind the application is said to have started as a joke at a dinner party and was further developed once a need for such an app was identified. [5] Cuddlr's design was overseen by co-founder Jeff Kulak, [3] a Montreal-based graphic designer and illustrator. [6] Its media relations were managed by co-founder Damon Brown [3] who operates out of Las Vegas and is a professional speaker, business coach, and author of twenty-five books. [7] Brown has a Masters in Magazine Publishing from Northwestern University and sat on the board of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. [8]
As of March 16, 2015, Cuddlr reported that it shut down, stating "Cuddlr closes up shop and wishes you all the best". [9]
In September 2015 Cuddlr was acquired by Hiplex LLC, an NYC-based company, and rebranded as Spoonr. [10]
As of January 2017, Spoonr has officially shut down. [11]
Cuddlr has been featured on Tech Times, [12] Cosmopolitan , [13] BBC News, [14] and more. It hit the Apple App Store top 10 twice: In September 2014 and in January 2015, shortly after it was featured on the cover of the Wall Street Journal. [15] Approximately a quarter million users joined Cuddlr at its peak. [9] The application has been subject to numerous critiques. According to Alex Sevigny, a Canadian communications expert at McMaster University, for CBC Hamilton, the app commodified intimacy and made a private activity public. [16] Kate Bellamy, a journalist from Metro News UK, criticized the app for encouraging people to disrespect personal boundaries, which could supposedly potentially affect the lives of non-users as well. [17] UWIRE wrote that only people desperate for human touch would turn to technology to fulfill this human need with a stranger, and that, therefore, the application was supposedly unsafe. [18]
Online dating, also known as internet dating, virtual dating, or mobile app dating, is a method used by people with a goal of searching for and interacting with potential romantic or sexual partners, via the internet. An online dating service is a company that promotes and provides specific mechanisms for the practice of online dating, generally in the form of dedicated websites or software applications accessible on personal computers or mobile devices connected to the internet. A wide variety of unmoderated matchmaking services, most of which are profile-based with various communication functionalities, is offered by such companies.
OkCupid is a U.S.-based, internationally operating online dating, friendship, and formerly also a social networking website and application. It features multiple-choice questions to match members. Registration is free. OkCupid is owned by Match Group, which also owns Tinder, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and many other popular dating apps and sites.
This is a partial, non-exhaustive list of notable online dating websites and mobile apps.
Amanda Josephine Johnstone is an Australian technology entrepreneur. She founded Transhuman Inc., a mental health and emotion AI technology company, in 2014.
Grindr is a location-based social networking and online dating application targeted towards gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their recipients. The app has evolved from originally focusing on person-to-person photo sharing to presently featuring users' "Stories" of 24 hours of chronological content, along with "Discover", letting brands show ad-supported short-form content. It also allows users to store photos in a password-protected area called "my eyes only". It has also reportedly incorporated limited use of end-to-end encryption, with plans to broaden its use in the future.
Lane Moore is an American stand-up comedian, author, writer, director, actor, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist living in New York, New York.
Tinder is an online dating and geosocial networking application launched in 2012. On Tinder, users "swipe right" to like or "swipe left" to dislike other users' profiles, which include their photos, a short bio, and some of their interests. Tinder uses a "double opt-in" system, also called "matching", where two users must like each other before they can exchange messages.
Whitney Wolfe Herd is an American entrepreneur. She is the founder, executive chair, and former CEO of publicly traded Bumble, an online dating platform, launched in 2014. She is a co-founder of Tinder and was previously its Vice President of Marketing.
GetYou is an iOS and Android application that enables users to find out how people around the world perceive them and their characteristics at first glance.
Styloko was a fashion discovery engine based in London.
Bumble is an online dating and networking application launched in 2014. Profiles of potential matches are displayed to users, who can "swipe left" to reject a candidate or "swipe right" to indicate interest. In heterosexual matches, only female users can make the first contact with matched male users, while in homosexual matches either person can send a message first. The app is a product of Bumble Inc.
Switch was a mobile-only job-matching app that connected candidates directly to hiring managers. Candidates could upload their resumes and connect their social and professional media profiles, but remain anonymous while searching. Users received a daily set of job recommendations that fit their backgrounds and salary criteria, and swipe right to apply. Employers post many jobs on Switch directly, which eliminates the need for third-party job boards and recruiters, and connects job seekers to hiring managers. Switch reveals a candidate’s identity to one employer at a time, only after the candidate matches with that employer. When candidates and employers match, they can chat within the app. Switch is available for iOS, with an Android version in development.
Founded in 2012, Mallzee is a fashion mobile commerce company and shopping application. Its application allows online shoppers with a smartphone to access millions of products from over 100 fashion brands around the world. The mobile app was launched in September 2013 and uses a 'like' or 'dislike' swiping interface and has since been labelled as the 'Tinder of fashion', in reference to the Tinder app. In 2015, the application was launched in the US.
Match Group is an American internet and technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It owns and operates the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, OurTime, and other dating global brands. The company was owned by IAC until July 2020 when Match Group was spun off as a separate, public company. As of 2019, the company had 9.3 million subscribers, of which 4.6 million were in North America. Japan is the company's second largest market, after the United States.
Feeld is a location-based online dating application for iOS and Android that facilitates communication between people interested in ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, casual sex, kink, swinging, and other alternative relationship models and sexual preferences. According to a review from The New York Times, over a third of users are on the app with a partner, and 45 percent identify as something other than heterosexual.
A online dating application, commonly known as a dating app, is an online dating service presented through a mobile phone application. These apps often take advantage of a smartphone's GPS location capabilities, always on-hand presence, and access to mobile wallets. These apps aim to speed up the online dating process of sifting through potential dating partners, chatting, flirting, and potentially meeting or becoming romantically involved.
Snap Inc. is a technology company, founded on September 16, 2011, by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown based in Santa Monica, California. The company developed and maintains technological products and services, namely Snapchat, Spectacles, and Bitmoji. The company was named Snapchat Inc. at its inception, but it was rebranded Snap Inc. on September 24, 2016, in order to include the Spectacles product under the company name.
Yubo is a French social networking app developed by TWELVE APP in 2015. It is designed to "meet new people" and "create a sense of community". The app had 60 million users as of 2022.
Hinge is an online dating application. Using an algorithm, the app displays potential matches, allowing the user to dismiss or attempt to match by responding to a specific piece of content on their profile. The service emphasizes uploading user-generated content in a variety of formats, such as photos, videos, and "prompts" as a way to express personality and appearance. The app is fully owned by Match Group as of February 2019.
