Amanda Bradford has said the idea of an “in-person first date” is dying, as her dating app The League launches its new live video feature.
League Live automatically pairs each user with three singles for back-to-back video dates, lasting just two minutes, at 9pm every Sunday. After the short conversations, the couples can match and continue the interaction if they both agree they’re compatible.
The new mode is designed to prevent people wasting time and money by going out on numerous first dates, adding an additional screening layer before moving the relationship offline.
It can also stop catfish and scam accounts so users can be completely sure who they are talking to.
Bradford believes the random matching system simulates chance encounters, a romantic moment that is beginning to die out as online dating becomes normalised.
She is also optimistic that future technological developments, such as virtual and augmented reality, could lead to people having dates in bars or restaurants without leaving their house.
While speaking to Quartzy, Bradford said: “What we would like to build is the ability to organize meet-ups more automatically based on where people already are, versus trying to organize something in advance.
“This will ensure serendipity can still be achieved in the mobile dating app era and that ‘meet-cutes’ don’t die, they simply grow in number as they become better enabled with smart technology.”
Live video products like Omegle and Chatroulette have always had issues with people exposing themselves without consent.
The League is trying to combat this by only allowing users with a high ‘League Score’ to take part, data that reflects how well they has previously behaved while using the app. For example, anyone who has already been blocked by a match will be prohibited.
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