【gloomy eroticism】

Striking up conversations with people you see at your local coffee shop sounds easy,gloomy eroticism but it can actually be pretty intimidating. Dating app Match is trying to make it a little easier with Missed Connections, a new feature they're launching today.

It works by showing you people you’ve crossed paths with IRL that are also well-suited to you in other ways. It relies on location data from your phone (don’t worry, you have to opt-in, it won’t start tracking you automatically) and then shows you other users who’ve recently been in close proximity to you.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

While we all love to know as much as we can about potential mates, Match CEO Mandy Ginsberg told Mashablethis isn’t just about giving you more information: "The whole point is starting these relationships out in the real world."

She explained that if you’re living in a certain area, frequenting a specific cafe or music venue, you’re likely to have something to talk about with others who are doing the same thing. Users who tried Missed Connections in the company’s test markets had two times the amount of conversations as those not using the feature.

Of course, there are already a number of dating apps that rely on your location, obviously. So what’s your incentive to use yet another one?

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Ginsberg says that the difference in their product is that they use their finely-honed matching algorithms on top of location data. You’re not just seeing who goes to the same Starbucks as you, you’re seeing people who are compatible with you on many levels. Match profiles are also far more detailed than, say, Tinder’s are. So location is just one tidbit on top of a lot of other modes you’ve got to evaluate someone.

The obvious concern here, or anytime your location is revealed, is the creepy stalker factor. But Ginsberg told Mashablethat Match has been obsessed about making the feature as safe and secure as possible -- especially for women. The first layer of protection is that your location data is not revealed in real-time. Other users can only see where you’ve been in the past. Hence the name: Missed Connections.

There is also a robust blocking feature that's very easy to find and use. The reports are monitored constantly, and users who are flagged are immediately booted out of the system. They can only be reinstated after their case has been reviewed for safety.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Match says the steps it has taken to make users feel secure seem to have paid off. In their test markets of Dallas and San Francisco, they’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm for the product. More than two-thirds of people opted in, and women are opting in the same rate as men and using it and initiating conversations as well.

It remains to be seen whether “I can see from this app that you come here often" will replace the classic “Come here often?” But if nothing else, when that guy or girl who you always see at the bar pops up in your Missed Connections, you'll now have an readymade way to chat them up.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Can dating apps be used to catch fugitives? You bet.

---

• Digital Culture
• Tech
• Games
• Shopping
• Social Good
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Life

• Lego free Valentine's Day Heart: How to get free Lego
• With Melville in Pittsfield by J. D. Daniels
• Bose deals: Save on Bose earbuds, headphones, and speakers
• Apple Vision Pro vs. Meta Quest 3: How much does $3,500 really get you?
• Nickelodeon announced 'Tiny Chef' was cancelled. The internet can't handle it.
• How to edit videos
• Encyclopedia Brown: A Story for My Brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman by Emily Barr
• Encyclopedia Brown: A Story for My Brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman by Emily Barr
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for January 28, 2025
• How to watch Wisconsin vs. Purdue basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming deals

• Lovehoney Singles Day sale: 11% off sex toys, advent calendars, and more
• Notes are disappearing from iPhone devices for some users — but there's a fix
• Apple Watch Series 10 deal: Save $50 at Walmart
• Best Black Friday coffee machine deal: Save 31% on De’Longhi Magnifica Evo
• Apple's new iPhone update is locking law enforcement out of phones
• Wales vs. Fiji 2024 livestream: Watch Autumn Internationals for free
• Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames 2024 livestream: Watch NHL for free
• Best Black Friday speaker deal: Sony XV500 is $100 off at Best Buy
• I'm a Celeb 2024 livestream: Watch I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! for free
• NYT Strands hints, answers for November 11

• Five Free VPN Services You Should Check Out
• Apple Vision Pro: 5 tweets that show it’s a game
• What If We’re All Self
• A Conversation with Louise Erdrich by Sterling HolyWhiteMountain
• Best early Prime Day Fitbit deals 2025
• Apple Vision Pro: 5 tweets that show it’s a game
• Texas to feral pigs: It's time for the 'hog apocalypse' to begin
• NASA's TRAPPIST
• Best free gift card deal: Get $10 Best Buy gift card with $100 Apple gift card
• The Darkest Week of the Year: Fosse’s Septology by Sean Thor Conroe

• Elon Musk's DOGE.gov website can apparently be edited by anyone
• Mark Zuckerberg knocks Apple's new App Store policies
• “We’re Never Alone” by Tobias Wolff
• Essay on the Sky by Vincent Katz
• Then and Now: 5 Generations of GeForce Graphics Compared
• KU vs. UH basketball livestreams: Game time, streaming deals, and more
• Best iPad 10th gen deal: Get two years of AppleCare+
• Prince and the Afterworld: Dorothea Lasky and Tony Tulathimutte Recommend by The Paris Review
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for January 19: Tips to solve Connections #118
• Ananda Devi and Callie Siskel Recommend by The Paris Review