Love is blind: Dating app Tribal promises a match without seeing your partners face

Gone are the days of endlessly swiping on dating apps, quickly judging a book by its cover before making a split-second decision to swipe left or right.A new dating app called Tribal has entered the chat, and it blurs users’ profile photos for 72 hours.This unique feature encourages daters to focus on the person behind the screen and foster deeper conversations, leading to more meaningful interactions, according to Tribal’s founder, clinical psychologist Rachel Harker.It comes in response to the dramatic rise of loneliness and the mental health implications that come with that.“Everyone owns a smartphone, yet people are more disconnected than ever before,” Harker tells news.com.au about the app, which has a dual purpose as both a friendship-finding tool and a dating platform.Harker witnessed her friends and colleagues trapped in a frustrating cycle with traditional apps, often feeling defeated by ghosting, “swipe fatigue,” and surface-level interactions.“I kept thinking there must be a better way to use technology to connect people in a more positive, authentic, and meaningful way,” she reflected.From there, the idea for Tribal was born almost four years ago.Harker notes that many dating apps have missed the mark in this area, leaving users disillusioned and hopeless in their search for partners.Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update.

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Never miss a story.In her opinion, traditional apps have become both “superficial” and “unethical”.With hidden algorithms and subscription fees for better matches, the dating landscape has devolved into purely a numbers game.“Gamifying the process hasn’t helped either,” she adds.Swipe culture has conditioned people to believe that the next best connection is just one swipe away, affecting not just dating but also real-life re...