3 things to know about a new Pokemon dating app

PokeMatch seeks to capitalize off the popularity of Pokemon Go

With the launch and immediate popularity of Pokemon Go, app makers started thinking about the social implications. A new app called PokeMatch was recently launched to add a dating element to the craze. Here are a few things to know:

1. It launched for Android only, but now is available for iPhone

According to this release from PR Newswire:

PokeMatch co-creator Rene Roosen needed a date while wanting to catch Pokemon. He teamed up with his friends Pim de Witte and Troy Osinoff to Create PokeMatch. PokeMatch is an app that allows you to find dates or friends that play Pokemon GO. After launching Android-only, the app went crazy on Reddit and was covered by major news outlets such as CBS and Forbes. PokeMatch has already created more than 10 THOUSAND matches! Today, the app was released for iPhone.

Pim de Witte, co-creator of the app says: “We’re seeing insane growth. Something I’ve never seen before is happening to us, and it is feeling kind of surreal. People are using our app all over the world. With the launch of our new iOS app, we hope to connect every single Pokemon GO player.”

Even before the app went live, there was speculation about the dating-related possibilities of Pokemon Go.

2. Could finally bridge ‘the gap between digital dating and real-world encounters’

According to this article in The Verge:

The concept is as straightforward as it is inevitable: you fill out some basic information online, say when you’re free to go pokémon hunting, and then the site matches you up with potential dates. It’s certainly not the first matching service of this sort; it’s actually just an extension of Project Fixup, which eschews algorithms for human matchmakers. And others have launched dating apps around niche interests like dogs, cats, and marijuana smoking. But PokéDates could succeed in actually bridging the gap between digital dating and real-world encounters — something that so many others have failed to do.

3. ‘Significantly more social than any dating app’

According to this article in Thrillist:

This is no alone-in-your-bedroom swiping! In spite of requiring users to stare at their phone screens, Pokémon Go is significantly more social than any dating app — and it lets you see exactly who the person is IRL before you commit to anything.

In the most famous Pokémon Go-related dating thread so far, Reddit user UnityTreeOfSavior had this to say:

‘I was about to start walking back home then some girl asked, ‘hey, are you playing Pokemon Go too?’ Then we just talked about Pokemon. I didn’t play Pokemon past Ruby version, so my knowledge of Pokemon was a bit dated, but I think we still had a good time… But the important thing is that I am meeting her again tomorrow! I asked her out on a date and she said yes! Thank you Pokemon Go!’ [sic]