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Finding love through swipes: How to get dates in free dating apps?

Last Update : October 24, 2018 by Thaïs

Internet dating is on the rise! Every day more, and more Canadian singles give a vote of confidence to online dating. The latest digital advances in mobile apps and the introduction of social networks have shaped the way people in Canada actually find love. Free dating apps have emerged as the perfect solution for those singles who seek to succeed in their love life, and get an instant date.

Since it was release in 2015, Tinder has positioned itself as the leading dating app across the globe in terms of downloads and matches created, accounting 20 billion and increasing. Its popular swipe technology has become the favourite daily pastime for many singles in Canada and in other places around the world in the search for a partner. Some celebrities like Katy Perry or Eminem confessed they had fallen for its addicting swiping game, but even it may sound unbelievable, there is life beyond Tinder.

Since the mobile matchmaker giant released the paid version, many singles have turn to other free alternative dating apps. What are the best free dating apps at the moment? Are Canadians keen to pay for dating-on-the-move services? Is it possible to find a long-term partner in a free dating app?

Millennial singles in Canada love free dating apps

Singles in Canada love to meet singles through mobile dating, and that’s a fact! What online dating brought to the table when it first appeared was immediacy and comfort. You can meet interesting singles from your area in just a few clicks from the comfiness of your home. A dating apps is the next level!

Why waiting to come home to log in to your favourite dating sites and read messages from other singles, when you can find your potential match while on the go?

A lot of singles in Canada, in particular those who are over 40s, still prefer to use the desktop version of dating sites. Most of them look for a partner while online at home, so they don’t need to download an app to chat and flirt with other senior daters looking for a romantic encounter.

Younger generations are just the opposite. Everyday more, and more millennial singles are turning to dating apps. Millennial singles usually go online at any time and in any place. They love to publish on Facebook or Twitter, chat with their friends in WhatsApp, upload a photo in Instagram or play games while on the way to uni or the office. And obviously the like to meet new people and get dates through their phones.

Younger daters are not as financially settled as senior ones, this is why free dating apps are so popular amongst them! They can connect, chat and flirt with other singles who share the same interest and romantic expectations without to worry about how much getting a date can cost.

Geolocation dating apps are very successful among younger Canadian singles!

Currently, there are dozens of free dating apps in the market. In all of them you have start by registering with an email address or your profile in a social network like Facebook.

Next you create a profile, and upload some photos to catch the attention of other singles. Registration is shorter and simpler than when you sign in through the desktop version.

After that, the process varies depending on the service. Some free dating apps work like Tinder. There is a carousel of profile photos accompanied with basic details like age, and location.

You then have to swipe right or left (on some dating apps you just need to click on “like or not”) to show your interest in particular users. If there is a match, and that means that you both are into each other, then you can start chatting in private.

Other popular free dating apps are the ones based on geolocation. These apps require you to activate the GPS from your mobile. The idea is to connect you with people who live nearby, but also with singles you have crossed paths. These dating apps don’t reveal your exact location, just the area, so you don’t need to be concerned about your security or privacy.

This is a very useful tool if you want to start a conversation with that beautiful stranger that you see in a daily basis. That guy or girl that you see in the train every morning while on the way to work, but to whom you never have the courage to introduce yourself to. The idea of connecting with other singles in such small space of time, and while you are on the move has attracted thousands of singles in Canada.

Undergraduates are particularly enthusiastic about dating apps, and online dating in general. Canadian university students prefer to meet other singles through mutual friends.

However, you can hardly find someone in a campus that doesn’t have a friend who has met a partner thanks to online dating. Some even use free dating apps in a daily basis with the intention to get potential dates. Luckily, for many of them it is the perfect solution to boost their romantic life!

Why free dating apps can save your dating life?

In a world where we digitally communicate with our family, friends, and workmates, and where we get our food, clothes, furniture and flight tickets online, it was a matter of time that we also get potential dates through our mobile phones. Some singles, especially those who are senior, are a bit hesitant about using free dating apps. Nevertheless, they can really be a good resource for daters.

Conventional dating is starting to be a bit outdated. Going out to a club, and approaching to a group of women/men with the intention to get a date sounded like a good plan a few years ago. For some even still works nowadays, but dating has evolved, and most Canadian singles look for their significant other in several different ways: from online matchmakers and dating apps to events for singles, and speed dating sessions.

Online romances play a key role in here. For most Canadians, free dating apps and dating sites are the first option when looking for their soul mate. For many singles these two are the only options. This is not an irrefutable proof telling you to stop trying your luck in a bar or nightclub, but it is a clear sign that suggests that alternative dating opportunities are available somewhere else. And these options are highly effective!

Conventional dating vs online dating through free apps

Dating in a nightclub brings a sense of rejection if it doesn’t go according to plan. Going out with your friends, and spending time spent searching for a potential date in a club, observing if that person is available, planning a great seduction strategy, and then put it into practice… your night can be ruined if your efforts are in vain!

The experience is completely different with free dating apps. You may not find your potential match at the first attempt, but sadness from rejection can be easily ignored as you can quickly get in touch with other hundreds of singles. There is no need to wait for another night out plan to use your seduction tricks, all you need to do is to go to the next match! Love can be found anywhere, and sometimes when less expected!

Most Canadians can land a date without much complications, but they would need to kiss dozens of frogs before finding their prince charming/perfect woman. Free dating apps can ease the dating process by presenting you to singles who have a lot of potential to become your next long-term partner! Knowing in advance how your matches are can save you a lot of time and disappointment. You can even skip some awful first dates!

Those matchmaking apps with geolocation can also provide you with some dating opportunities that you may haven’t considered. The element of surprise and spontaneity! You can wake up one morning with no plans for the day, and end up going out on a date that has been planned a few hours ago when you were matched with someone online!

Paid vs Free Dating Apps: Which way to go?

One of the most frequent questions amongst singles who haven’t tried online dating yet or who are back in the market after some years in a serious relationship, is if free dating apps can really be useful to find love.

Paid dating apps give you certain guarantee. A promise that you securely can find users with serious intentions -no fakes or romance scammers- and that you can receive matches that have personally selected for you. Does this mean that your opportunities extremely multiply in a dating app where you have to upgrade to a Premium subscription to chat with other users? It depends on the service, and how you use it.

You can also meet dozens of singles, and enjoy a few dates thanks to free dating apps. The main disadvantage of apps where you don’t need a subscription is that is more difficult to have a meaningful connection. You are more likely to engage on several conversations. Private chats, are in fact, their best feature.

However, you can eventually become a victim of ghosting. This dating trend refers to the practice when, after you exchange a few messages with another single, you are ignored, and never hear about that person again.

There is also the risk of finding users who are not really into dating. Free dating sites are perfect for those who love to abuse on the free messaging service to the extent of spamming. Their idea is contact a lot of users at the same time by using the same predefined message, just to spend some time chatting. There is no genuine intention of initiating any kind of romantic relationship nor inside or outside the platform.

Finding your perfect match in a free dating app can be possible. You will need to deal first with plenty of singles who use online dating just for fun, and then filter those who really want to go out on a real date.

Key features of free dating apps

Using a dating app for free has its benefits and inconveniences. Some singles feel that paying for a subscription can give them more opportunities to find their perfect match!

In spite, that fee-dating apps (and dating sites as well!) promise a minimum number of contacts, here are some of the best features about free dating apps:

  • You don’t need to pay to send messages to other singles.
  • You can play some entertaining matching games like “Hot or not” / swiping to show your interest
  • Creating your profile take you just a few minutes
  • Geolocation: you can get matched with people who you crossed paths with (some dating apps)
  • You can meet and mingle anywhere, at any time
  • Notifications are sent instantly: you can receive push notifications in your mobile
  • No restrictions on who can use its services: you can find different types of singles
  • It is easy to use, and communicate with others as you have basic features: simple profile, visits, chat/messaging service, and tool to show your interest in others (like or not, swiping…)

5 effective tricks to succeed when using free dating apps

People use to say that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and free dating apps are good tools for finding them. Scoring a date in a free platform is much more laborious than in a paid dating app. However, nothing is impossible! Here are some tips to make sure you accomplish your goal when using free dating apps.

Some of these tricks can be used in paid-dating apps, but some of them work best in free ones:

  1. Select the most captivating photo for your profile: People love free stuff, so you will eventually find that the quantity of users in these platforms is huge. Sometimes, there are more singles on free dating apps than on the ones you have to subscribe. To stand out from the crowd you would need a photo that reveals that you are unique. Mainly because your profile photo is what other singles look at first. The idea is to capture their attention, so the visit your profile rather than others’. Make sure that in your photo you appear doing something interesting like for example playing an instrument or in remote location, that shows that you are fun to be with and that you love adventure!
  2. Clearly describe in a few words what relationship you want: A free dating app is not like a regular dating site where you can describe in detail who you are, what you love to do in your spare time, and what your ideal partners looks like. People usually don’t like to spend much time reading descriptions when using their mobile phone, so the best is to go straight to the point. Use a couple of sentences to describe yourself, and a few words to tell what you are exactly looking for in the platform. If you focus on these aspects, it will be easier to find someone (or someone finds you!) who meets your expectations.
  3. Be selective! Only send messages to those who you think may be a fit for you: Even though having a free messaging service to connect with other singles sounds tempting, this doesn’t mean that you have to get in touch with every user you see in the platform. If you real intention is to have a date that, in time, leads to a serious relationship, then we suggest you start contacting just a few users, those who you believe may have a real change with you, and then see where the conversation goes. If you write to dozens of users, then it will be harder to keep track of every single conversation and you can end up giving up on some of them. Better to choose on quality rather than quantity.
  4. Read profiles before contacting your match: That may sound as an obvious thing to do, but many users using free dating apps contact other singles considering just the profile photo, and avoiding their description. Most of them then find out that they don’t have things in common. Best to find this sooner than later! As we mentioned earlier, a photo can seduce, but the real treasure is in the profile description. The information provided in the “About Me” can be very useful to break the ice with someone who has caught your attention. So, here’s a small reminder: check the photos, and read profile descriptions before reaching your potential matches!
  5. Know the essentials, and manage to get a first date offline! The purpose of free dating apps is to help you connect with singles who have similar interests, live in the same area, and want to go out on a date. Make sure you use it that way! When you find someone you fancy, simply exchange a few messages to know key information, but just the basics. The ideal is to discover if you can have some potential together, but as soon the opportunity arises, ask your online date out! After all, the goal is to get to know each other while enjoying an unforgettable first date!

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