The unfortunate thing about getting older is that it gets harder and harder to meet new people. Meeting new people in college takes almost no effort because you’re in a social bubble where everyone is so willing to make new friends. Almost immediately after you graduate, the difficulty of meeting new people that you actually want to hang out with after work increases exponentially. Getting a date in real-world settings combines a lot of luck with right timing and location. You also have to juggle limited time that can either be used to spend with friends or going out with a stranger.
Dating has changed a lot with the increasing popularity of dating apps. Tinder is the first dating app that comes to mind that became extremely popular with younger people. It seems like out of nowhere, all my single friends were actively using Tinder. You could see them tirelessly swiping right and left any time they were on their phones.
Swiping through hundreds of potential matches is tiring. If you’re looking for a more laid-back dating app you might want to consider Coffee Meets Bagel.
How it works
Coffee Meets Bagel is a mobile-only dating platform that gives you a limited number of matches (Bagels) each day. The unique algorithm matches you with friends of friends, rather than complete strangers. The matches are curated to your preferences that include age, height, distance, ethnicity, and religion. The app uses your Facebook account to help figure out the algorithm to match you with friends of friends.
You create a profile where you give information such as age, height, and ethnicity. You can go into further detail about yourself by adding what you like to do, hobbies, and what you appreciate about your date. You can add up to nine pictures of yourself. Coffee Meets Bagel advises you to add as many pictures as possible because it increases the likelihood of a match.
The Discover section shows potential matches that may not fit completely into your preferences that you may still be interested in. These matches cost Beans, which is earned through in-app purchase or continually using the app.
The bulk of your time will be spent on the suggested section of Coffee Meets Bagel. These matches are highly curated and pre-selected based on your preferences. The experience varies from male to female. Guys will like or pass based on the matching algorithm. Females have it a bit different. Females will only receive Bagels from people that have already liked them.
New Bagels will show up in your suggested queue every day at noon. You’ll have more Bagels based on where you live. I live in San Diego, which is a bigger city and I receive 21 Bagels per day. Once you match, you’ll be able to talk with any of your Bagels, but only for a limited period of time. Coffee Meets Bagel allows you to chat with your match for only a week as an incentive to either exchange numbers or meet in real life. You can spend extra Beans to extend the chat if you need more time with your Bagel.
Impressions
I understand why dating apps are so popular. Realistically, there is not much time during the weekday to go around meeting new people. Dating apps expose you to a large pool of single people, where you can quickly see if you have similar interests. This allows you to talk to more people, which increases the chances of meeting someone you would actually want to date.
Coffee Meets Bagel is a nice change from the endless swiping that you find on other dating apps. I only have to go through 21 potential matches each day which gives me the opportunity to read through people’s profile and see what their interests are. Dating apps like Tinder feel like a numbers game where you mindlessly swipe based on appearance.
Coffee Meets Bagel gives an easy template to create a detailed profile. You start off with basic information such as height, ethnicity, occupation, and education. The next section allows you to give more detail about your likes, personality, and what you appreciate about your date. It feels a bit like writing a resume, but I found that it’s a great way to learn more about your matches. This makes it easier to have a conversation when you do match with a Bagel. I don’t know how many profiles I’ve come across Tinder where the only information in the profile is the girl’s Instagram handle or Snapchat username. The lack of detail makes it difficult to start a meaningful conversation.
The limited time you can chat with a match is a great concept. It gives a sense of urgency for matches to talk to each other. Days of radio silence can go by in other apps before you get a one-word response that goes nowhere.
The algorithm really does match you up with friends of friends. I have yet to come across someone in my close group of friends. It’s always people who have only five mutual friends on Facebook that show up in your suggestions.
If you find someone that you are interested in the Discover section, it will cost you a good chunk of Beans. You can earn these Beans without paying money, but it is very very slow. You can earn extra Beans by participating in Photo Lab. This is where you’ll see two pictures of a person and you’ll choose which picture looks better. You will be awarded one Bean every time you choose between a set of pictures.
Overall
Coffee Meets Bagel is a great app for people who don’t want to spend a ton of time swiping on potential matches. The general vibe feels more serious, so if you’re looking for something casual you might want to check other apps. The extra detail found on profiles makes it easier to start conversations with matches, which increases the chances of it working out. The limited pool you pick from every day also encourages you to read through profiles rather than mindlessly swiping. If you’ve been looking for love in all the wrong places, why not check out Coffee Meets Bagel.