Tingle dating app aims to make online dating a safer experience

The Vancouver company behind a dating app is aiming to make the online dating experience a safer one.

Tingle, which first launched in 2009 but is re-launching again this year, is one of the fastest-growing dating apps worldwide.

One of the features involves realtime voice and video calls where the users do not have to give up their phone numbers or email addresses. It’s one way Tingle allows users to give out as much or as little information as they want.

“I would say safety is our number one priority,” said Kim Bowie, chief marketing officer with Tingle. “Obviously, we want people to be successful and find people that they can have long, lasting relationships with but we really do feel like there is a gap in the online dating world right now when it comes to transparency, anonymity and overall safety.”

“Especially for women.”

Tingle has about 350,000 users right now, with many in the U.K., but it is growing steadily in North America.

“We can take the best of all the apps that exist right now, and hindsight being 20/20, and put together an app that hopefully fills the gaps between all the other apps out there,” said Bowie.

“The features that really do set it apart, I would say, are the radar feature. It lets both users know if a mutual match is nearby, without saying exactly where they are. It can encourage those real-life meet-ups as opposed to perpetual texting.”

Another feature is called Teleport, where the user can search for singles in a city they are going to be visiting.

Bowie says if people have a “bad match,” anyone can block someone and they won’t be able to contact that person again or see them.

“We’re not saying we’re eradicating all forms of danger with online anything, but we’re doing our best to increase the likelihood of people finding matches that they’re happy with and know that they’re doing it in a safe way and the person they’re meeting is ultimately someone they want to meet.”