Is the new dating app Cheers the future of dating?

A new dating app called Cheers is designed to allow your friends to set you up on dates with their friends.

Launched last month as a New York City-focused, invite-only platform and focused for now on South Asian people, Cheers is in some ways not unlike other dating apps: It asks users to say where they went to school, if they drink, and so on.

What makes Cheers unique is that you can add your contacts to your profile section. This is where it starts to take the shape of Instagram. Your contacts can post pictures and tag you in them, meaning people who “follow” your contacts can see you in their pictures, go to your profile, and message you. Think of it, says founder Sahil Ahuja, as Instagram meets Hinge. (To that end, Cheers also has an AI tool where a user can take a screenshot of their Hinge profile and the tool will use the screenshot to fill in the blanks on their Cheers account.)

“[We were] brainstorming ideas around, you know, how can we make it easier to meet people through friends and family in a way that’s not awkward?” Ahuja says, speaking about the app’s origins.

Cheers is meant for people of all relationship statuses. When you first sign up, it will ask if you’re single and looking for yourself, or taken and just looking to set up your friends. If you are just there for your friends you get the fun of swiping for them to try and set them up with people you know.

“What’s nice about it is it’s not random people, because the friends on there are your contacts,” says Ahuja. “So it’s a little bit more of a smaller network than if you’re using Instagram followers or Facebook friends, for example, because the contacts are people that are you know, you actually feel comfortable reaching out to because you have their number.” 

Forbes reported that 79% of Gen Z and 80% of millenials are experiencing dating app burnout. These stats don’t scare Ahuja, though—they motivate him. “I’m excited to build something that Gen Z feels excited about,” says Ahuja. “It feels a little bit more like mirroring what people do on Instagram or in real life.”

Cheers is currently available on iOS.

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