happn

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Happn is a dating app that was launched in 2014 in Paris, and very soon expanded to the UK, USA, and other countries. Happn is a free dating app, that helps users to meet potential dates within a 250m radius. Their motto is: why using dating sites to meet new people when you can meet many new singles in real life, especially when you have crossed paths with them.

Happn is an app that will help you not to miss any possible connection, so you have a chance to make contact with that cute girl or guy that gave you a smile in the coffee shop or the bus station. It actually notifies you when someone that matches your preferences is nearby.

Since users of the Happn app, usually occupy the similar space, users can have the perfect ice-breaker and talk about the app and their shared interest or place.

Number of active members: 10,000,000+ members
First founded 2014
Average members’ age: 20 – 40
Gender Proportion (Men to Women): 49% – 51%

Happn expanded to few countries like the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. Since these are multicultural countries it can be translated in multiple languages like English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German and other.

Pricing
Most of Happn’s features are for free, and if you want some additional features to enhance your experience, you can buy or earn credits. These additional features include “Charm”, “I’m in” or the possibility to remove ads. Credits can be purchased through iTunes, Google Play, or through the Microsoft account depending on what device you are using. On the other side, credits can be earned, by sending invitations to your friends to join Happn and every accepted invitation will bring you 5 credits.

10 credits £1.49
300 credits £23.49

What do you get with the free membership?

Happn Free Membership Additional costs
– Create A Profile (Connect with Facebook, Instagram and Spotify)
– The app won’t post anything on Facebook
– Enable your device’s location
– Edit your profile
– Import photos from Facebook or Instagram, or simply upload photos from your phone gallery
– Set your preferences
– Invite friends
– Manage app settings
– Say Hi to someone
– Send a crush
– “I’m in” option

When creating your profile on Happn, you will be asked to connect your Facebook account, although Happen will never post anything on your Facebook profile. After that, you have to set your preferences like the gender you are interested in and the age range.

GPS Location
Happn, using your GPS location, will present you a list of people you have crossed paths in real life. On the list, you will see only people that match your preferences and share the same interests, that were near you. You won’t see people that don’t match your criteria like age and gender, and this also means that you won’t appear in other lists if you don’t match their preferences. You can quickly change your preferences in your account settings. This list also gives you information whether you’ve crossed your paths once or several times during the day with them, their photos, age, and profession.

Interactive Map
Another exciting thing on this list is the interactive map that can tell you roughly where you have crossed your paths over the past week, and also allows you to tap locations, that you have visited over the past week so you can see the profiles of other users that attended the same spots.

Notifications and Messaging
When the phone app is switched on, you will get a notification, if you are close to someone that also has their app switched on. If you like the match that Happen sent you, you can like it by clicking on the red love heart button, and if the other side also shares the same feeling, you have a “crush,” and you can start messaging each other. If you don’t like the offered match, you can skip it, and you will not see that match again on your list; also you won’t be visible for them if you cross paths again.

There is the possibility, where you don’t have to wait for mutual like from both sides, you can just send “charm.” If you don’t receive a response or crush after that, you can assume that this person is not interested, since receiving charm is something that the other side will definitely see it.

When it comes to the messaging on Happn, users can message each other only when they have mutually liked each other. Also, there is the option to send a song, or an emoji, and even a voice recording of 1 minute. Like on every dating app or site, communication is the key in becoming closer before seeing each other in real life. Even though there is no pressure to see each other right away, usually when using a dating app, the common thing is that it is better if you two meet sooner rather than later.

Pause Option
Another feature of Happn is the one where you can pause Happn for 8 hours so you won’t be getting any notifications and feature for viewing your declined or blocked matches.

Personalize Your Profile
Another interesting feature on Happn is the possibility to personalize your profile by adding the “I’m free to … ” option. This option can be added on the lower right-hand corner of your home screen and can be used to inform your potential matches on that day, what you’d like to do. For example, go for a walk, grab lunch or coffee, etc., so people that cross paths with you can react on your suggestion in the next 6 hours. So you’ve got yourself an instant-date.

Dating on the Move
Since most of the dating apps have an advanced search engine, Happn app does not have a standard search. Instead, the app is using the GPS of the user’s devices to connect them if they cross paths within a 250m radius.

One of the downsides of Happn is that you have to be in busy places or areas to get matches, otherwise, if you are in a small city, or you stick to the same routines and places you won’t get a lot of matches. Probably it will be the same people over and over again. This app probably is not a very good option for people who are enjoying the digital dating world from the comfort of their house.

Operating Systems
Happn app is available on iOS, Android and Windows devices, and can be downloaded accordingly through App Store, Play Store, and Windows Phone Store.

Happn is a simple app, with its layout easy to use and navigate through it. Happn’s profiles are basic like most of its features. Each profile contains few photos that are imported from Facebook or Instagram, few personal information regarding the employment, education and short description, and the option to connect your accounts of Instagram and Spotify.

Signing Up
Signing up Happn is very easy and quick, it takes less than a minute since you have to connect your Happn account with your Facebook profile to verify yourself. This is a pretty effective way of eliminating fake profiles and profiles that don’t have pictures. It might be a bit uncomfortable since you have to share a lot more information, but Happn app will never post to your Facebook page.

Instagram connection
Since Instagram popularity rises from day to day amongst the younger generation, connecting your Instagram profile on Happn can be quite valuable. Happn will import 30 of your recent photos, giving other members an insight of who you are – someone who wants to travel, a foodie, gym addict, etc.

Link to Spotify
Connecting Spotify accounts help Happn users to meet through their shared love of the particular type of music. This integration helps the user to send songs to one another, or add songs to their profile to express their taste in music. So you can meet your fellow music fans right here on the Happn app.

A lot of people are a skeptic of using Happn because of its GPS function, stating that it can be “a stalker dream.” However that is not the case since when you are close to another user, there is a notification that you are in a 250m radius, but it doesn’t flag up your exact location on the interactive map of the app. This is a precautionary measure so another user can’t show up in front of you and find you in real time, of course, if you don’t want to.

As another security measure is that if you don’t want someone to show up in your matches, you can skip the offered match and you won’t cross your paths again on Happn. Also, another user can’t contact you, unless you choose to like them and click on the red heart button and hope that you will like users who are not stalkers, but if it turns out that particular person is showing inappropriate behavior, you can easily block them.

Like it was mentioned before in this review, connecting to Facebook helps to eliminate fake profiles and every user can easily edit the permissions to restrict access.

Happn has an extensive FAQ on their site, but if you don’t find the answer to your question, you can contact Happn through their contact form or through Facebook to ensure that your question will be handled promptly and adequately.

Positives
Very easy to set up an account through its Facebook integration
Happn app is free
App used by the young population
Professions are included in the users profiles – which might give you an idea if you have a mutual interest
Sending charm without waiting for mutual like

Negatives
Since the app covers radius of 250 m, it doesn’t work very well in small towns
App for instant hookups and not ideal for serious relationships
Users can’t do searches by themselves
Profiles are simple and does not have detailed information.

The main competitor of Happn app is Tinder, who changed the ways of online dating. The difference between these two apps is that through Tinder you can browse profiles of people that are kilometers away, and the goal of Happn is to bring more reality into the online dating, with presenting only people that you have crossed paths in a radius of 250m.

On Tinder, there is swipe left or right, if you are or are not interested in a person, while on Happn you have to hit like if you are interested in someone, and then contact the other person only if there is a mutual match.

Happn app Tinder OkCupid
Free app
Premium service costs: £1.49 for 10 coins to £23.49 for 300
Simple design
Shows people you have crossed paths in the real world
More information on the profiles

Too large radius – 250 m
To contact someone you have to buy charm
App for quick hookups
Free app
Premium service costs: £14.99 a month
Large database
Search by area closest to you
Simple design
Swipe left to reject possible matches, swipe right to accept matches
Notified when the other side also likes you
In-app messaging

Superficial app (only showing photos of people)
Tinder Plus fees (under 28 £3.99 a month, over 28 is £14.99 a month.
App for quick hookups
Free app
Premium service cost: £9.99 per month or £39.99 for 12 months
Advanced matching algorithms (offering matches by your preferences)
Offering feel like in social network
Database of people looking for serious relationship

High monthly and yearly costs

Happn with its simplicity has a fast-growing user base, and its pragmatic approach in finding a suitable match in the places you usually go really contributes to this growth.

This app according to its founders is trying to put the spontaneously back into the real life dating. Perhaps, someone you like works in the same area, but you have never been able to approach them, and this is a great way to say hi. Happn helps you discover the people you cross paths every day.

When using Happn, make sure that you paused the app at certain times or places to save you from potential embarrassment like being matched with your colleagues.

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    Dating Site Rating

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    Nick Evans

    Features Editor
    Rating
    6.7 /10