SafeDate: to send your friends your location

It’s the age-old dating question: do opposites attract or is it better to go for someone who’s the same type on paper? So Syncd believes it’s a combination of the two – and claims to have found a compatibility formula that works, with proven results (see: the site’s successful love stories catalogue).

The science-focused app is based on the 16 personality types theory, using a free five-minute test to determine your personality type and then matching you with others who are compatible. It promises to pair couples who have just enough similarities to understand each other and just enough differences to create a spark.

The Sauce: to swipe sustainably

Sick of swiping? Here’s an incentive that’ll make Greta proud: this month, video dating app The Sauce announced it will plant a tree for every match – an important step towards its mission of becoming a carbon neutral company.

“This is an issue we care about greatly and we’ve spoken to thousands of our members who are also hugely concerned about the dire environmental trajectory we are on,” says co-founder Sachin Karia. “We found a truly great partner in onHand, a company that places community at its core, makes volunteering effortless and accessible and is helping businesses to engage in and fight the climate crisis.”

That’s not The Sauce’s only USP. The app says it’s on a mission to get rid of “dry dating” by offering video profiles, so you feel like you’ve already met someone before you actually do. Profiles feature short video clips so you can see each person’s energy – their voice, their laugh, how they dance – basically all the intangible qualities that build an attraction in real life. 95% of first dates lead to second dates

POM: to meet fellow music-lovers

Match according to your music tastes: POM stands for Power of Music, and it’s a smart idea. The app uses an emotional algorithm to create a ‘profile’ of users from their imported music library, such as Apple or Spotify. Along with asking you six seemingly random questions, it’ll then collect your data and analyse it, including the type of music you listen to, when you listen to it, your emotional reaction when you listen to music and what it says about your character.

The app was founded by Vihan Patel, 22, who first made the connection between dating and music when he accidentally sent a playlist to the wrong girl at school. After bonding over the playlist, they then went on to date for a couple of years. Could your love story be the next?

After a year in which nighttime safety has been talked about more than ever, SafeDate does what singles have been asking for for years: it makes sure your friends, housemates or family have your back, by sending them your location and alerting them when you get home (it’s not strictly an app itself – you use it alongside your chosen dating app, whether it’s Hinge, Bumble or OKCupid).

Just add your date plans into the app, choose your Safe Mates from your contacts and set a safe time to check-in after your date finishes. Your mates will only get notified if you don’t check-in, so you don’t have to worry about sending them constant notifications.

Playdate: Swingers Heaven to meet other single parents

If you’re one of the 2.9 million single parents currently living in the UK, Playdate wants to be your matchmaker. The app is the first in the country aimed at single parents and wants to help them overcome the challenges of dating when you have children by matching members with others in their area and suggesting child-friendly restaurants, cafes and bars to meet at if the first few dates go well.