![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/swerv-light.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSwerv, the location-based dating app, is set to launch in Denver in January.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSwerv, the location-based dating app, is set to launch in Denver in January.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Hannah Metzger<\/p>\n
Before there was Tinder<\/a> or Bumble<\/a>, there was PhoneFling.<\/p>\n Released in 2005, PhoneFling was among the first mobile dating sites in the United States. Twenty years later, a co-creator of the pioneering platform is on a mission to save the dating scene<\/a> from the damage caused by online services like his.<\/p>\n \u201cModern dating apps<\/a> have made the process 100 percent digital,\u201d Scott Demyon says. \u201cChemistry, personality and body language have been stripped from the process. Our brains have been rewired to make quick, shallow decisions, thinking there\u2019s another option right around the next swipe. We\u2019re passing on people who, had we met in person, might\u2019ve been a good match.\u201d<\/p>\n How does Demyon plan to correct this predicament? With another app, of course.<\/p>\n Demyon\u2019s new dating app, Swerv<\/a>, is set to launch in Denver this month. On Swerv, there\u2019s no swiping, almost no messaging, and photos are entirely optional.<\/p>\n Rather than choosing dates and chatting online, the app is designed to facilitate organic in-person meetings. When users are active, their location is visible as a pin on a map. Singles can use the location information to determine where they\u2019re most likely to bump into a special someone IRL, whether at a bar, a coffee shop or even a grocery store.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s say you\u2019re heading to a bar on a Friday night,\u201d Demyon says. \u201cWhat if you could see that there are only four people in that bar who match what you\u2019re looking for? But there\u2019s a bar across the street that has 23? You \u2018swerve\u2019 your plans to the bar across the street, and you have a higher chance of naturally crossing paths with one of those people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a guarantee, it\u2019s not a pre-set up meeting,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s giving you higher odds of being at the right place to meet people the old-fashioned way.\u201d<\/p>\n Users are anonymous by default. Clicking someone\u2019s location pin only shows basic info like their age, gender and match score, which reflects how well a pair\u2019s preferences, personalities and relationship goals align.<\/p>\n However, users can also choose to make their name and photos visible on their location pin, making it easier for potential matches to find them. They can even set introduction prompts, such as, Join me for a coffee at Weathervane<\/a>, or Come ask me about my dog, Bella.<\/p>\n Communication on the app is limited. Users can only send each other messages when they\u2019re within a few hundred feet of one another to help them meet up in person. Demyon says this feature is meant to prevent ghosting, scam bots and matches that never advance into actual dates.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want people interacting electronically to get to know each other,\u201d Demyon says. \u201cTrying to get to know somebody over a text message, I equate that to trying to get to know somebody through a wall.\u201d<\/p>\n As a safety feature, users must press a button that says \u201cgo online\u201d to make their locations visible. Locations are updated every five minutes, not in real-time. If a user is moving, their location will not be updated until they are stationary, Demyon says. Users are also prompted to set up \u201cprivacy areas\u201d where the app will automatically disable location tracking, such as around their homes or workplaces.<\/p>\n Does It Work?<\/p>\n Whether Denver singles will find success with Swerv entirely depends on how many people give it a try.<\/p>\n Demyon has been working on the app since 2016 and did a pre-launch for the platform in 2023. Today, there are nearly 10,000 users signed up nationwide, he says. But it only works when users are grouped together.<\/p>\n Swerv\u2019s initial pre-launch campaign was focused on San Diego, where around 7,000 people signed up, Demyon says. In a city of 1.4 million people across 372 square miles, those 7,000 members were spread thin. Plus, unlike traditional dating apps, the user pool is further limited to those who are online at the same time. Singles can\u2019t simply scroll through a stockpile of profiles at any hour.<\/p>\n Online<\/a> reviews<\/a> for the app largely praise the concept, but criticize that \u201cnobody\u201d is on it, with one review calling the user base \u201cdrier than the Sahara.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe timing needs to be right,\u201d Demyon says. \u201cWe got really good feedback [in San Diego], but kind of ran out of marketing capital at that point. I\u2019ve recently relocated to Denver, so we\u2019re ramping up to do a launch here.\u201d <\/p>\n Denver could be a better venue than San Diego. The Mile High City has half the population with a much smaller, denser downtown, making it more likely that users will be near one another and able to take advantage of the app\u2019s location features. <\/p>\n Demyon says he is also partnering with local events and dating services, like Pitch-a-Friend<\/a>, to help spread the word.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very different, very unique,\u201d Demyon says. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m still a little ahead of our time, but I think people are ready for something new.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/View-Feeds-e1767393214346.png\")
How user locations are displayed in the app.<\/p>\n