As Kevin Malone from “The Office” once said, “Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?”
For Julia LeStage and Lisa Le, the creators of a new dating app called LoveJack, finding love online doesn’t have to feel like filling out a mountain of paperwork. Sometimes, all you need are a few carefully chosen words to spark a connection.
LoveJack profiles look like those on other blind-dating apps, but with a twist. Instead of blurred or hidden profiles, users see five words chosen by potential matches. When users press and hold on their phone screens (the app doesn’t use swiping mechanics), profile pictures are then revealed.
The five words can be anything from personal traits and jokes to current feelings or even random details, such as the ingredients in their lunch sandwich — an entertaining tactic that we saw one beta user try during our testing.
The idea is that the five-word constraint allows users to be creative while also challenging them to be concise and clever, encouraging more witty conversations and moving away from mundane questions like “What do you do for a living?” or overused pickup lines.
LeStage and Le decided to create LoveJack after being frustrated with the way online dating profiles often resemble job resumes — complete with posed photos, filters, and carefully crafted bios that can feel exaggerated.
“This is not LinkedIn. Where has the fun gone?” LeStage told TechCrunch, reflecting a sentiment shared by many online daters, which may explain why dating giants like Tinder have faced challenges in recent quarters.
LeStage got the idea while working as a judge for the Webby Awards, which notoriously limits winners to five-word speeches. The app also takes inspiration from The New York Times’ popular Wordle game.
She shared with us that when she re-entered the dating scene, apps sucked the fun out of the experience, noting that traditional platforms emphasize superficial judgments based on appearance. So she decided to use the five-word challenge on her dates to spice things up, which helped her realize that people tended to use words that “advertised” their way of thinking.
“It’s the stories behind the words that matter,” LeStage explained. For instance, she spoke with someone who mentioned the word “disco.” When she asked him more about it, she discovered that he had written about the history of disco. “I was like, ‘Well, aren’t you Mr. Interesting?’” she said.
Other standout features include the options to either “Bet On” or “Hold” a match. Betting is similar to liking a profile, but the key difference is that users must place a bet by entering a five-word opening line. This gives the match something interesting to respond to.
Users are limited to a maximum of five matches per day, so they need to be strategic in their choices. This is where LoveJack’s “Hold” feature comes into play, allowing users to bookmark a profile if they’re unsure about someone.
Additionally, the five-word descriptions can be updated every day, adding a social aspect to the app. LoveJack archives all previous entries, allowing users to scroll through everything they’ve written.
“You can see in real time, day to day, how they’re revealing themselves through their five-word updates…Your story is going to change every day, all day, like your mood and the weather,” LeStage added.
In the future, there will also be a premium subscription that will include an “All In” button, the app’s version of a “Super Like,” but in this case, it’ll use all five bets on one person so they can’t match with anyone else for the rest of the day.
When it comes to unmatching someone, LoveJack says it tries to minimize ghosting by requiring users to write a preset message when they set up their profiles. The goodbye note is automatically sent to anyone they unmatch.
Another interesting aspect of LoveJack profiles is that users are encouraged to use fake names to protect their identities. While using pseudonyms on dating platforms is common, it can elicit mixed reactions from users. Some individuals may question the authenticity of potential matches, while others might prefer to keep their personal details private until they become more familiar with the other person.
LoveJack states that it implements a selfie verification process to confirm that the person behind the profile is indeed who they claim to be.
Other safety features include reporting and blocking capabilities, as well as censorship of banned language and explicit photos, and an emergency feature that enables users to contact the police and safety hotlines. (These features were unavailable during our beta testing but are expected to be included in the official version.)
LoveJack is set to launch its iOS app next month. It’ll launch in London first, with plans to roll out to U.S. markets next, including Boston, New York, San Francisco, and others. An Android version of the app will launch in India in late summer.
Starting today, users can join the waiting list for early access by signing up at lovejack.app.