Badoo Dating Site Review [2020]
- Badoo is a unique concept that combines properties of a social network with dating features
- It is intended primarily for casual dating and caters mostly to a young crowd
- The site was established in 2006 and operates without interruption ever since
- Free to join, but many advanced features require paid credits
- Rigorous account and photo verification procedure eliminates fake profiles
- Very affordable and flexible pricing scheme that lets everyone participate
Details about the Registration Process
Before you can start meeting people through Badoo, you need to open a unique account. The procedure will require you to enter some personal information such as date of birth, location, gender, interests, etc. It’s necessary to complete the phone verification step and include a link to a social media profile so that your identity is confirmed beyond any doubt. Once you receive your access link, you can log in with your username and password and see all the other members of the website.
The Possibilities for Making Contact
To advance beyond merely browsing photos on Badoo, you’ll need to start communicating with potential matches. As opposed to many other dating sites, Badoo lets free users send messages and access the search function after they post their photos, so it’s quite easy to get the ball rolling. A good way to find suitable dating partners is to search for people in the immediate vicinity while specifying the characteristics you are looking for. Another quick matchmaking option is called Badoo Encounters, and it presents the user with potential matches while seeking feedback.
Analysis of Profile Quality
While Badoo profiles contain less information about the person than is common on some dating apps, this is in line with the orientation towards flirts and casual dating. The site does reward users for putting up good looking photos and entering additional info, but it’s fair to say that its matchmaking details are not the deepest possible. On the other hand, verified profiles are marked which makes it easier to be sure that you are talking to real people. With Badoo, you might have to go through a trial and error process to find the right person, but at least you can have a lot of fun along the way.
What you need to know about members and messaging on Badoo?
To maximize your chances when sending messages and chat requests on Badoo, it’s prudent to understand the structure of membership. While gender balance on the site is very good and there are many female members, the age structure is less evenly distributed. People between 25 and 35 years of age are the most numerous, while there are also a lot of teenagers and early adults. However, people of all generations are present and it’s possible to find a match regardless of your age. It also helps if you are using the messaging feature without restrictions, which requires a paid membership.
How good is the mobile app by Badoo?
As a dating site with pronounced social features, Badoo must have a mobile version that works well on smaller screens. In this case, the provider went far above the norm and made the mobile version better in many respects. You can use a live chat option from your smartphone or turn on location-based matchmaking service to enhance your chances for a casual encounter. Importantly, the app is available for iPhones as well as for all Android-based devices.
User Testimonials
‘I spend a lot of time on my phone every day and over time I just started hanging out on Badoo and talking to people more than I ever thought I would.’
‘It’s great to know that all the users I talk to are verified – other dating websites are full of fake profiles and Badoo stands out in this respect.’
‘Without disclosing how many people I met through Badoo, I can say that my sex life got a lot more interesting after I downloaded this app.’
Evaluation of design and usability of the site
The user interface is a crucial element of every dating site, so Badoo’s page design is something to consider in the context of its practicality. The desktop version works fine and allows for easy navigation and search of interesting members, but based on a majority of online reviews the consensus is that the mobile app has a much more advanced look and feel. This is understandable since the majority of users are young and accustomed to accessing the internet from their phones. The layout of the screen is perfectly optimized, so the usability of the mobile version is through the roof.
Costs & Prices
As we mentioned earlier, the best way to take advantage of full messaging features on Badoo is to get a paid membership.
Special Features available for Premium users
Paying for a membership or buying credits unlocks a whole list of advanced features that help users find hookups in their vicinity faster. Those members will appear higher in searches, get better profile scores, gain the ability to add stickers to their chats, and send gifts and Crush alerts to the other users. They can also browse the website anonymously while seeing who viewed their profiles or added them to Favorites. In short, credits make a user both more popular and more visible, significantly improving the experience of using the site and making a real-life encounter more likely.
If you are interested to hook up with likeminded people who live near you, opening an account on Badoo and giving this online service a test run is a potentially great move for you.