Badoo - Meet New People, Chat, Socialize for iOS

Badoo for iPhone is a dating app, boasting 390 million users from all over the world.

Pros

Facebook-free registration: You can register a new account using your Facebook log-in or create a new one from scratch with your name, birthday, phone number or email, and photos from your camera, Facebook, or Instagram.

Easy to navigate: Using the bottom rail, tap the globe icon to see everyone at once; the cards icon to swipe potential matches Tinder-style; the messaging button to chat; and the profile icon to enhance your profile with photos, a bio, and special interests, as well as connect your social media accounts, add credits, or go premium.

Filters: You can filter your search results by gender, location, who's online now or new, and age.

Lookalikes: Find someone you're attracted to? Badoo encourages you to cast a wider net by showing you all the similar looking people you can also pursue.

Safety first: To ensure that you are who you say you are, Badoo forces you to verify your phone number and encourages you to verify your profile further by tapping Verify with a photo on your profile page. The process involves taking a selfie, mirroring a pose in a sample photo Badoo shows you and submitting it for verification.

Video chat: As an added safety precaution against catfishing, Badoo has introduced Video Chat, which allows you to live video chat with matches on the app, so you know what you're getting into before meeting in person. It's also a good way to check chemistry before meeting. No other dating app does this at the time of this review. A live video chat can only be initiated after both parties have matched and exchanged at least one message. To start a video conversation, just tap the icon in the top-right corner of the chat screen.

Cons

Defaults to straight: When you sign up, the app doesn't ask you what gender you're pursuing; it defaults to heterosexual matches, instead. It would be better if it asked you for your preferences when first signing up. But to view same-sex matches, you can just tap the filter button in the top-right corner and set your preference to same-sex or both genders.

Pay to play more: Your profile page tells you how popular you are, and advises you on how to improve your ranking. What you quickly learn is that the more money you spend on credits, the more visible your profile becomes and ostensibly the more likely you are to get a match. For added boosts, you're encouraged to sign up for Badoo Premium, which puts your profile in front of more eyeballs and allows you unlimited messaging and more for $2.99 per week.

Bottom Line

With its 390 million-plus users and added safety verifications, Badoo for iPhone helps you meet matches who are who they say they are.

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