FuzzyBanter is the ridiculous new dating app where you can't see who you're talking to
You can't see anyone's face on FuzzyBanter, the UK's latest dating app. Even after you "match" with suitors, there's no guarantee you'll be able to see who you're talking to. It could be anyone. As actor Danny Dyer proclaims: "It's like Tinder, but with more b******s and mystery."
FuzzyBanter is the latest dating app to come out of London, a city where there are now nearly as many ways to find love online as there are Toyota Prius-steering Uber drivers.
The dating app sets itself apart from the likes of Tinder by blurring out users' faces - instead, they have to rely on profile, interests, and conversation to find romance.
"FuzzyBanter is the new and exciting dating app, show your true colours before your selfie," reads the app's description on Twitter.
I tried FuzzyBanter out. These days it seems like there's a new dating app launching every month - Spark, Lov, and Double to name just a few - and it's getting tiresome. But FuzzyBanter's name, Essex celebrity backing, and odd concept all make it stand out.
FuzzyBanter works in a similar way to Tinder - today's blueprint for app-based dating. You set up a profile, choose standard parameter/gender preferences, and set a picture (which is automatically blurred). After all that, it's about searching for would-be suitors.
I didn't need the full 160 characters for my profile bio, but did carefully select my 10 interests. These, of course, are all the more important on FuzzyBanter. It also requires you to enter your star sign. I think mine's Virgo.
The app brings up those in close proximity to you, though the distance can be adjusted. I set my limits increasingly wide, but found few women on the app - so I took action and scouted for men, too. Soon, I got results.
To get attention, you can "nudge" people as well as simply liking or disliking those around you. FuzzyBanter lists who you've nudged, and who's nudged you. There's also the option to give people a thumbs up or thumbs down - but it's nudging that's key to moving things forward.
Above is the picture I saw - I blurred the name myself.
When two people "match," everything suddenly explodes in a shower of possibility, because it's then - and only then - when the opportunity presents itself to "reveal" yourself.
I revealed myself to a man.
We had exchanged a few words - I didn't just come straight out and do it.
Right now, FuzzyBanter is man-heavy. But the concept is certainly a more interesting proposition than many of the new apps out there. And they do often take time to take-off. The app launched in March and held a big party in Essex, which is an English county to the east of London, known for its "banter."
The party boasted guests from reality TV show TOWIE, such as James Argent and Jessica Wright, and it also got some attention from celebrity chef Lisa Faulkner and actress Angela Griffin. It was founded by businessmen Allen James Scriven and Michael John Caine, and the app has 18-45 year-olds in mind.
Lots of well-known faces championed its arrival. Lord Alan Sugar said this:
But I'll go out on a limb here and say that BBC Apprentice winner Mark Wright's claim that it will be the "biggest in [the] UK" is almost as ridiculous as him winning the TV show in the first place. Online dating is one thing, but apps are largely about speed and practicality, and FuzzyBanter just takes too long to get anywhere.