Valentine’s Day is great if you have someone to share it with. But for the lonely hearts out there, seeing couples enjoying all the love and the happiness and the not-being-perpetually-alone-for-eternity can perhaps pour a little salt on a long-standing wound.Fortunately, and as with everything else in life, the internet has the answer to your loveless woes.
Considering you have run out of time to secure a warm V-Day body, the time for formalities has passed, and the immediacy of location-based, mobile dating apps is what you need. There’s a plethora out there at your disposal, and each comes with its own special flavour of clientele — be they hookup-minded or in it for the long haul. So pick your poison below and hope for the best. Or, you know, cats can be fun too.
Blendr: Essentially a heterosexual replica of the famed Grindr (which, of course, is also an option and owned by the same company), Blendr is designed to get you and the object of your desire together as quickly as possible. The app displays your potential partners based a little on a short interest survey and a whole lot on who’s currently nearby and willing. You can set how precise your displayed location is, meaning you can get as creepy or aloof as you want. [iOS, Android] [clear]
Tinder: Tinder’s user interface is simple and relatively clean compared to the other free dating apps floating around, and there’s a definite emphasis on anonymity, which turns out to be great for both privacy and pride’s sake. You anonymously pick who intrigues you nearby based on their picture. If your object of desire reciprocates, you’ll both be alerted. If they decline, you’ll be blissfully ignorant. It’s almost like a game, except no one loses! At least as far you’ll know. [iOS] [clear]
Skout: Skout’s teen section caused a world of trouble, but it’s since retooled its privacy settings, and it still hosts a massive population of eager would-be romancers. The app doesn’t know much about you other than basic, necessary facts like age and gender, but who cares about personality at a time like this. You’re kept keenly aware of who’s checked you out and who liked what they saw. So if you’re just looking to dull the pain tomorrow night and leave it at that, you may have a winner here. [iOS, Android] [clear]
OKCupid: For the traditionalists among you, OkCupid’s comprehensive app might make you the most comfortable. You’ll get all the perks of the traditional, web-based OkCupid matchups, with the added option of broadcasting your general location and your willingness to… uh… make a new friend. All you have to do is switch on the “Locals” option, and you can send messages to anyone else in the area who has done the same. You get to feel less creepy by pretending its not just an app for finding nearby sex buddies but with all the perks. [iOS, Android] [clear]
Crazy Blind Date: Another offering from OkCupid but very different in execution, Crazy Blind Date takes more adventure-seeking, non-discerning approach to dating. You can only schedule dates up to a week ahead of time — which means the user base is primed for on-the-fly relationships — and you have no idea what your match looks, thinks, or acts like. Of course the added mystery comes with an added risk of despising the person sitting across from you. But even if you hate each other, you’ll be hating each other together. And that’s what it’s all really about. [iOS] [clear]
Picture: Shuttershock/NinaMalyna