This dating app will let you video chat with matches before you waste your time IRL
If you thought FaceTiming with your family was awkward, just wait.
Badoo, the international dating app that boasts somewhere north of 330 million users, today introduced the option to video chat with someone before you commit to meeting up IRL.
This comes on the heels of many of the other major players in the dating app space adding some form of video. Earlier this summer, Hinge added video clips to profiles. Bumble announced a video feature earlier in the year (though it’s not yet available), and Match recently launched their own video product Stories.
AdultFriendFinder — readers’ pick for casual connections
Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups
But Badoo’s version sets itself apart by being a real-time way to actually interact with someone, as opposed to just let them see a recorded version of yourself. You have to send at least one text message with a match before you can move into video chat.
Engadget reports that the feature is being presented as an added layer of security -- so you can get a sense of what you’re dealing with. And on one level, that’s true. It’s honestly just nice to be able to interact with someone (and determine if they have a completely irritating giggle or are totally lacking a sense of humor) before you commit to spending several potentially awkward hours with them.
On the other hand, though, this does give people a way into your real life. Dick pics are already a plague, and it’s very hard to imagine that something similar won’t be an issue when you open the door to real-time chat.
Brace yourselves.
Cassie Murdoch is Mashable's Culture Editor.. Before coming here, Cassie was Senior Culture Writer at Vocativ. She previously wrote for Jezebel and The Hairpin. Cassie spends most of her time thinking about and consuming cheese in all its glorious forms.
