I’m validating this dating app, would you hate/love about this?
Hi everyone,
I’m working on a dating app idea, but before building too much, I want honest feedback from people who actually use dating apps.
After reading a lot of complaints about current dating apps endless swiping, ghosting, meaningless matches, bad recommendations, lack of transparency, and low-effort profiles, I started thinking about whether a dating app could be designed more openly, with feedback from the community.
The idea is not “just another Tinder clone.” I’m trying to build something more like: designed by the people, for the people, with features that try to reduce the worst parts of modern dating apps while keeping the fun/social side.
Here are the core ideas:
⭐ Rating from 0–5 instead of only likes
Users could rate profiles instead of just liking/swiping. There could also be an option to switch back to a simple like system for people who hate ratings.
📸 Instagram-like media feed
Profiles would not just be static dating cards. Users could post photos/media, and the feed would recommend content based on stated preferences instead of a completely mysterious black-box algorithm.
💬 Rate/like/comment on specific pictures
Instead of only liking a whole profile, people could interact with individual pictures or posts, similar to social media.
🧾 Community feedback after interaction
After interacting with someone, users could leave feedback/comments that contribute to a trusted community reputation visible on the profile. The goal would be to reduce fake behavior, ghosting, scams, and disrespectful interactions.
🙈 Anonymous profile review
Users could submit their profile for anonymous community feedback. The feedback would only be visible to them, to help improve their profile/photos/bio without public humiliation.
🗺️ Map with past/future event pins
Users could place pins on a map for past events, like remembering where they met someone, or future events, like setting up a date idea or social activity.
🔎 Semantic search
Instead of basic filters only, users could search naturally, like: “tall guy who likes pets,” “girl into hiking and museums,” or “people nearby who like jazz.”
⚠️ Small rating penalty for not answering match messages
Not to force anyone to talk, but to make people more mindful about matching/swiping without intention. The idea is to reduce meaningless matches where nobody replies.
🔒 One-on-one match mode
When activated, you can only talk to one match at a time. The first person you message becomes your active match. If either person starts talking to someone else while this mode is active, the match is automatically disabled. The goal is to encourage more intentional dating instead of infinite parallel conversations.
I know some of these ideas could be controversial, especially ratings and public feedback. My goal is not to create a toxic “rate people like products” app, but to explore whether reputation, feedback, and more transparent interactions could make dating apps healthier.
So I’d love brutally honest feedback:
Would any of this actually solve real dating app problems?
Which features sound useful?
Which features sound dangerous, toxic, or likely to be abused?
Would you personally use something like this?
Or is this just another potential dating-app hellscape, and I should not waste my time building it?
I’m genuinely open to criticism and suggestions.