Finding Love the GPS Tracking App Way
13 Feb 2013
In honor of St. Valentine, today’s post focuses on love — matched with GPS tracking.
We all know that GPS technology can help us both to navigate and track things, whether that’s people, cars, or animals. In fact, the applications are practically limitless. But can it help us find love? Well, some new developers — and there are quite a few — of GPS tracking apps are hoping that it can.
GPS tracking apps, like Crazy Blind Date, Singles Around Me, Zoosk, OKCupid, Plenty of Fish, How About We, MeetMoi, and many others, on smart phones are the newest thing to hit the online dating scene. People looking for love can download one of these apps onto their phone, have their own location tracked, and find others in the area — or perhaps in the same coffee shop line.
A New Twist on an Old Strategy
The link between technology and finding love is by no means a new concept. In fact, computers have been used for dating since the 1950s and the Internet has been used since the 1990s. GPS tracking is simply the newest way to connect singles; this time, it focuses on matching locals.
A common complaint by individuals using dating sites is that when they find someone interesting, they live too far away. App developers have remedied this problem by creating dating apps that will use the phone user’s GPS tracker to follow their location on a map. Others with the same map who are within a specific mile radius will see them on the map and be able to contact them. You can set how many miles you’re willing to travel to meet a potential single, such as one or two miles.
“It’s revolutionizing the way people are using their phones in order to meet people in the real world,” said Aaron Schildkrour, co-founder of the “How About We” app.
Different dating apps that use GPS will work in slightly different ways. One app might produce an interactive map of all singles in the area, while others have check-in features to show other users exactly where they are and when. Like dating sites, users of the apps can set up a profile with a picture and personal information they wish to share.
Exercise Caution When Using GPS Dating Apps
While the benefits for dating apps and using GPS technology for finding love are obvious, users should also be aware of the downsides. The biggest drawback to GPS tracking for singles is the danger factor. Although it makes it easier to locate singles in your area, it also makes it easier for dishonest and often dangerous people to find you. Therefore, it’s essential that anyone using a GPS tracking dating app practice caution.
Another disadvantage to these location-based dating apps is that you might be approached by someone you aren’t interested in speaking to. Some apps show an exact location of singles being tracked, so at any moment they could be approached and forced to carry on a conversation with this person. Not only might the user of the app be in a situation where they aren’t interested in having a conversation, but being approached by strangers is an can be a clear downside for some.
But some GPS tracking dating app developers fixed that. Some dating apps will offer the ability to turn the GPS tracking feature off when they’re not interested in being approached or communicated with. For example, if someone is at work or studying in the library, they might not want to be tracked. On the other hand, they can turn the GPS tracker on when it is a convenient time to talk to someone new.
As long as users practice caution and think logically, GPS dating apps can provide a fun and potentially rewarding experience for those searching for love in the digital age
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