Totally agree - this is why we want to maintain anonymity (unlike online dating). So would you find our app "less creepy" since we only show you dots on a map (with no contact details, chats...etc)?
But it isn't a friend-finding app. It's a dating app that happens to have a friend-finding feature (that until now I had no idea existed). People's perceptions follow on from that.
My wife would have no problem with it. But what if one of her friends saw me on the bus with Bumble open on my phone? If she spoke to my wife she'd be able to clear up the confusion. But what if she didn't? What if there ended up being a persistent rumour that neither myself nor my wife could clear up because no-one told us about it?
I'm not saying it's not sad, but it's the actual reality we live in. Social lives are complex in ways we can't really control.
Having a majordome to manage your phone and online presence is quite fancy, I’d date, assuming of course the pictures and information given are genuine.
I'm not really focusing on the dating use case and have already solved that for myself, and for you, and I'm not sure why you are overthinking it aside from your upcoming expensive of buying a new phone and additional cellular plan. The practicality is already there.
IMO it would ideally be separate from any dating app. Not just because of profile overlap, but also because as a married man I really don't want Bumble to be on the home screen of my phone. No matter how innocent my use of it, I wouldn't want anyone to see it on my phone and get a bad impression of me as a result.
It doesn't even have to be because it would actually cause conflict. Even the mildest bit of embarrassment - an opportunity for a little joking at one's expense, for example - can be a pretty powerful deterrent.
That said, I think for most of us the potential deterrent is much greater than that. My partner would absolutely mock me a little bit (because mocking each other is how we show love), and then probably sign up as well. My co-workers, on the other hand, would start gossiping. Having that icon seen on my home screen could be a career-limiting move.
Not saying that a dating app shouldn't include such a feature, but the association is going to be a huge headwind toward it becoming a pervasive platform for finding non-romantic friendships.
I don't want to be matched up chatting with friends (I can do that anytime) and I don't really want total strangers (it gets creepy and dirty). However, this could be great if it connects you to friends of friends. You could then spend the time figuring out how you two are connected.
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