I recently stumbled upon a Reddit post titled, “What is your best advice for dating apps?” My first thought was, “Are people actually still relying on the apps to find love?” I gave up on them a year ago, which, honestly, helped me form an actual in-person connection with my now-boyfriend.
Many of my single friends have also deleted the dating apps in hopes of forming connections through events like speed-dating meetups or running clubs.
However, the apps aren’t entirely off the radar for singles. According to Reddit, there are several ways to increase your likelihood of success. Here are seven tips Redditors shared for making the most of dating apps.
1. Don’t Chat For Too Long
“If you feel like you are interested in each other, just meet up IRL for a walk or a coffee. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You meet up and find out you don’t really connect. Eh, no worries, all it will have cost you is an hour of your time and a few bucks. And if you do connect? Great! Onto the next date.” — Martin_NL
2. Be Strategic With Your Swiping
“For Tinder, here’s a trick that I believe still works. This is mainly applicable to male users looking for female dates: When you open the app, the first profile that it often shows you is a profile with a high amount of likes/matches. Typically, your swipes here will be a drop in the ocean to these women, so swipe left. The second profile that it shows you is usually the one that is most likely to match with you. And if you have gotten a like and you don’t have premium, then that second profile, 9/10, IS the one that swiped right on you. After at max 3 profiles, close the app, wait a day or so, and repeat.” — woodhawk109
3. Use Better Photos
“You need great photos, and should literally do zero swiping until you have that handled. Hire a photographer if need be.” — Think_Tradition3578
4. Don’t Overthink Your Openers
“Don’t fret your opening message much. In my experience, trying to come up with a unique and custom opener for everyone wasn’t worth it. Took way more time and effort and did not yield any better results. My go-to opener was a simple ‘hey, how was your day/week/whatever?’ It’s just enough to feel better than a simple ‘hey,’ but not a ton of extra effort.” — FearlessFrank99
5. Schedule a Ton of Dates
“Honestly, just go on a bunch of dates until you find someone you vibe with. I went on a ton of dates that were boring as hell, but I finally met a girl who I clicked with. We’ve been dating [for] over a year! All the bad dates were worth it in the end.” — bigdaddy1835
6. Write an Approachable Bio
“Keep your bio conversational and specific instead of just listing hobbies. Give people something to respond to.” — Downtown-Process-767
7. Background Check Your Matches
“Once you meet someone, whether on or off an app, research them by searching for their name on Google, finding them on LinkedIn or Facebook, and [doing] a background check using BeVerified. Additionally, verify their information in the sex offender database. There are people out there who want to take advantage of the vulnerable. Set yourself up for success and safety.” — Strong-Ad1405
Bonus Tip: Trick People Into Accidentally Matching With You
“Put your profile picture upside down, you get more matches this way when they flip their phone and swipe the wrong way.” — broadarrow39
