TWIBS

We created TWIBS because we were tired of constantly being hassled by other dating apps to pay for premium features, only to be stuck at home swiping all day. We launched as a public benefit corporation with the special purpose of "balance social benefit with profit in developing social networking software that promotes non-addictive use patterns and destigmatizes payment transparency in order to prioritize user experience over shareholder value." Our hope is to create a dating app that people actually enjoy using, that helps users actually meet in person, and that makes it easier to be financially transparent about one's expectations.

I like the idea of using a point of interest as a call to action or potential meet up catalyst. But what about making it even more passive? How about building the experience around trying to link up while you're already out with friends? You swipe, you match, but you aren't expected to try and initiate small talk. Instead, you can tell the app when you're out with friends and willing to potentially link up with someone that you've matched with. If they're in the area or interested in heading that way and are also down to potentially link up then your matches will be notified which may prompt them to hit you up. I also don't know how I feel about the whole, "payment transparency" thing. Seems like it opens the door to more awkwardness. I pretty much always pay but if someone is straight up rude to me, I don't want to feel like I'm somehow contractually obligated to buy whatever they want. It gets fishy. If you say you're willing to pay, do you now have to enact a limit to prevent someone from taking advantage of you?

@jeff_wish We're working on an AR-live matching feature which may be more in line with what you're imagining. I think the immediacy of linking up when you're in the area is great but people also like planning dates ahead of time and knowing where they're going. And that's a fair point about the payment transparency. It definitely changes the dynamic and if you commit to paying for an expensive restaurant than you have to go into the experience with the expectation that you'll be paying even if things don't necessarily go as planned. I hope for whatever awkwardness that opens people up to it will also manage expectations and help people meet up and match