From apps for flirting to apps for making friends to apps for business networking to apps for long-term relationships, there’s a dating app out there for all kinds of appetite. Moreover, a few of these apps are specifically designed to cater to the LGBT community. Some of them function similar to Tinder while others take a unique approach to online dating. Happn is an app that boasts of a very interesting concept. Stay tuned to learn more about the service.
What is Happn?
Founded by Didier Rappaport and established by FTW & Co., Happn works as a location-based search app that let’s you like or dislike profiles and chat with them in case of a mutual like. However, this service is unlike the other “hot or not” type dating apps in that it recaptures the essence of “chance encounters”. Rather than suggesting matches who’re located miles away from you, Happn enables users to reach out to people they have crossed paths with at least once. You may be taking a leisurely stroll around your house, working at a café, climbing down the elevator at work, or sipping on your favorite cocktail at a bar; there may have been times when you bump into someone you find really attractive but did not have the nerve to approach them. And who knows, you may never have the opportunity to meet them again. That’s where Happn comes to your rescue, provided your potential match is on the app too! In my opinion, this service is brilliant because the person you match with will definitely have something in common with you. Plus, chances are, that this person lives close by; making it easier to arrange meetings in the future. With Happn, you can create your own “fate” rather than wait for it to make something ‘happn’. As of today, Happn boasts of over 45 million users with an exceptional user rating of 4.4 on the Play Store and 4.1 on the App Store. You should also try other hookup apps.
Who Is It for?
If you’re too tired of waiting for destiny to show up at your door, Happn could be perfect for you as it let’s you carve your own destiny so you no longer have to wait. It caters to a very broad range of audience. No matter what you’re looking for, as long as you prefer to connect with people around your location, you’ll enjoy the service As stated earlier, you could use Happn to touch base with someone you’ve encountered and liked, go out on a date with them, and even take it further to pursue a more meaningful relationship. Its for people who are too shy to approach somebody without first knowing what they think about them. Happn gives you that confidence boost and serves as a safe place to get started. However, if you’re a homebody who prefers to indulge in online dating mostly from the comfort of your home, this app may not be for you since its very concept requires you to be out and about in order to get more matches.
Pricing:
Downloading Happn and using it is largely free. However, if you wish to augment your experience, you can either earn credits/purchase them from within the app or upgrade to the newly introduced, premium subscription. Credits can be earned for free by simply inviting your friends to join the app; you get 5 credits for every person you invite. The Premium subscription starts at $22.99/month. You can either opt to pay on a monthly basis, half-yearly basis, or annual basis. Note that if you pay for 6 months/1 year at once, the per month cost will be significantly lesser. Also, the subscription price varies from one country to another. You can choose to cancel your subscription at any point, if you wish to discontinue their services. Make sure that you turn off “auto-renewal” from Settings to avoid being charged in future. Recently, we have also reviewed Tinder app.
Features:
If you subscribe to Happn Premium, here are a few benefits that you’ll get to enjoy –
Browse profiles and other features without getting interrupted by ads. Enable “invisible mode” if and when you don’t wish to be bothered by other users. This will hide your profile, so you wouldn’t cross paths with anyone. Keep your private information private from your matches, until you decide to reveal it. This information may include your age, distance, or last active date. Get access to 2x CrushTime games, doubling up your chances of getting a crush. See all the users who have liked you without reciprocating their likes. Send up to 10 charms (Hi) daily to make your presence felt.
If you’re not a Premium subscriber, here’s what you can still do on Happn –
Like or dislike a user’s profile See how many times you have crossed paths with them See where you crossed paths with a user (by means of GPS) Set preferences based on parameters such as gender, and age range. You can block a user or report their behavior if required Send them a message in case of a crush.
Availability & Supported Devices:
Happn is accessible in several countries around the world including the U.S, the UK, Canada, Australia, India, etc. in various languages including English, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Dutch. Despite its widespread availability and a colossal active user-base, Happn works better in urban cities compared to sparsely populated areas or the countryside. You can use the app across a bunch of platforms including iOS, Android, and Windows.
Interface:
Happn sports a minimalistic design with an easy-to-use interface. Setting up an account, navigating the app, and browsing profiles and other features are pretty much all self-explanatory and take little to no time to figure out. Syncing information onto your Happn profile from other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook is no tall order either. Just a couple of clicks, and you’re done! My overall experience on the app was both, fast and smooth, with hardly any noticeable flaws. In case you’re wondering, the GPS is quite accurate too! Don’t worry, Happn never displays your actual location but only an approximate point at which you may have crossed paths with somebody. If you choose to go with the basic version, be prepared to embrace the advertisements. That’s perhaps the only fly in the ointment. You may also like best apps like Tinder.
How to Sign-up?
The process of signing up on Happn is a quick and easy one. It will literally take you less than 2 minutes to create a profile. Here’s a step-by-step guide: For iOS – For Android – For Windows – And voila! You’re all ready to start dating.
How Does It Work?
After setting up your profile, Happn will start suggesting profiles of all the users with whom you have crossed paths at least once, using GPS. It will also display the number of times you two have had an encounter. What’s more? You will also be able to see the time or date at which you bumped into them. Then, if you like someone, you can let them know by tapping the “heart” icon to the right. If they happen to reciprocate your “like”, it will turn into a “crush”, which basically means that you two have matched. You can then start a conversation and take it forward from there. However, if you want them to notice you faster, you can even send them a “charm”. This will notify your potential match immediately and make them notice you faster. This feature is quite useful because like it or not, the competition is huge, especially for women. People get profile suggestions all the time and yours can easily go unnoticed. If you don’t like a profile, just tap the “X” icon to the left of your screen. They will never be shown if you cross paths with them, nor will they be able to send you a message.
Pros:
Super fast account set-up. Free functionality for the most part. The option to use “credits” for sending charms comes pretty handy to make your profile appear on the top. Concept of “reciprocity” reduces the chances of spamming and harassment. Makes online dating seem more “real”, thanks to proximity-based matching algorithm. An extensive user-base.
Cons:
Expensive subscription for an ad-free experience Stalkers may linger around the location where you’ve crossed paths in order to strike a conversation or observe you while you go about performing your daily activities. This can be very uncomfortable for most of us, especially if you haven’t liked them back. Even if they don’t actually stalk you, just encountering them (whether on your daily commute, at work, etc.) can lead to awkwardness in case you never match. Profile suggestions are based solely on proximity so there’s no chance of gauging compatibility based on personality or interests. Plenty of “ghosting” instances, as per online reviews. Not enough users in sparsely populated areas.
Conclusion:
Just like any other dating app, Happn has its own sets of advantages and disadvantages. However, it does set itself apart in that it takes a unique approach to facilitate dating. If you believe in creating your own fate or feel too nervous about talking to someone you like and have rubbed eyeballs with quite frequently, this maybe the app for you.
