Dating redux

In early October, Hinge and headspace announced a new partnership with pre-dating meditations, for all to access. Found on the hinge platform, the meditations aim to calm down any last-minute dating jitters, targeting disempowering behaviours and emotions like negative thoughts or self-doubt. Voiced by Eve Lewis, Headspace’s director of meditation, the sessions last for roughly 5 minutes, giving users a quick and easy resource to turn to when in need. Noticing that the pandemic has left many feeling slightly anxious, the move aims to help singles forge new connections in calm and relaxed ways.

Also encouraging more mindful connections is the dating platform String. Launched in September, the app prioritises a more intimate approach to dating than normal apps. String ditches the traditional texting format of online dating, where messages are misread, and creating good conversation can feel strenuous. Instead, users are only able to communicate to one another through sending voice notes.

Dating with your voice strips back the normal sense of anonymity often associated with dating online and creates room for a more intimate and intentional experience – where users have to consciously create and remember conversation and maintain a vocal rapport with matches. “We are in a new generation where voice noting is becoming increasingly popular between families, spouses, friends, etc.,” String creator Karan Janjuha tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence. “So we thought, ‘well why couldn’t it work between two people getting to know each other?,’” he says. “String aims to take things back to basics using only voice notes to bring those fun, interesting and organic conversations. You can truly connect with your match before even going on a date.”

Opting for a more meaningful dating environment too is Flutter, which arrived on the online dating scene in March this year. Flutter prioritises authentic and genuine connection, a concept many apps miss with mindless swiping left or right, sending quick and often thoughtless messages and exiting the app only to repeat later. The app only allows user action on Sundays, allowing users to be more purposeful and considerate in their interaction with others, knowing that they can only view, match and communicate once a week.