Finding romance has been a mixed bag for Thomas Nguyen. Using traditional swipe-based dating apps for over a month.
“It’s kind of like gambling. It’s like you. You swiping, you kind of like you find yourself kind of looking back. Kind of hoping for someone to match with you, right? And if it’s someone to swipe back,” said Nguyen.
He’s given up on apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge after multiple ghosting experiences.
“It feels bad, and you know you are kind of left wondering like why, like what what I do wrong or like you know what could I have done differently,” he explained.
Thomas Nguyen. (Leo Cruzat, CityNews)
But a new Edmonton-made app wants to change that.
“If they don’t have a feeling first, they just won’t care about you. They won’t show up with intention,” said Annie Poirier, the founder of Oops Social.
Poirier says the idea for Oops Social came in 2023, replacing swipes with voice notes.
“There’s no texting, so you really have a good idea of the person that’s on the other side. And you get to learn about someone through three different energies. So if you run to someone’s profile on the listening feed, you can listen to them on a fun level, deep level, and attraction level,” said Poirier.
Different modes in the Oops Social app. (Leo Cruzat, CityNews)
Poirier says the app is still in its early days, with 300 invited users testing the app.
“The goal was for people to find love easier and especially not waste for people not waste so much time,” said Poirier.
Oops Social voice note. (Leo Cruzat, CityNews)
For Nguyen, he will consider looking at the app once it is available.
“That just sounds cool. I think it sounds like it adds like a level of like spontaneousness,” said Nguyen. “It sounds interesting, but I think I want to really, I want to meet someone in person. I think that’s just who I am.”
The app is still not public and is in testing, meaning only those who have the link can log on. A nationwide testing plan is scheduled for later this summer.
Oops Social app. (Leo Cruzat, CityNews)
Keep it Factual
Add CityNews Edmonton as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
