Badoo

Badoo was unveiled in 2006 as a social discovery platform by the Russian businessman Andrey Andreev. Its marketing strategy of using Facebook games and quizzes paid off to make it a stand-alone dating service in 2012. Badoo is committed to presenting people with the best tools to interact and connect with each other. It has over 400 million users worldwide and 60 million monthly active members and it prides itself in it’s 300k daily sign-ups. Badoo enjoys a presence in 190 nations, and it uses 47 languages to make members feel at home on the platform. Badoo markets itself as a social media avenue heavily invested in dating.

How Badoo Works

A user can access Badoo with either the apps or the website. The platforms provide similar features, and you can use one account to interact on them interchangeably. It takes roughly 10 minutes to sign up and start looking for matches near you. The website’s design is clutter-free and easy to use.
The main tool used by Badoo members is ‘Encounters’ based on your location, preferences, and interests. Badoo will display a limited number of encounters every day. It shows you a member at a time with the provision to either skip or like them. If the other user is interested as well, the match will be moved to connections, and once you are notified, you can initiate interactions.

The ‘Near By’ section is quite handy as it lists the users who live in your area. These potential mates are further filtered according to your interests. You can navigate through the pages and either like their profiles or begin a chat. The app will further show you the members you’ve bumped into as well as the dates and locations of the moment your paths crossed.

Communication Tools at Badoo

Messaging users on Badoo is not a premium service. You will, however, need a photo of yourself to initiate chats. Users can only send two messages to members they have not yet matched with, and once this limit is reached, they will need to send replies before you can send further messages to them.
The messaging settings let you get browser and email notifications once you receive a message. The favorites section accommodates members you are very interested in. You can also block offensive members.
Badoo recently unveiled the “Badoo Live” feature. Members can host live video streams which are available to all the members. The audience can give gifts to the video hosts which they can use to boost their popularity. These hosts are encouraged to have “goals” to be performed when they earn a particular amount of credits during streaming. The objective can include simple tasks like singing a song.

Badoo Safety

Badoo has implemented several measures against fake profiles. New members can opt to link their account to their social media pages or a phone number which will subsequently be verified with a call. To minimize the risk of catfishing (creating a false online identity), users are required to upload a photo before initiating conversations on the platform. The primary photo is then verified by asking users to send a particular hand gesture using their phones or webcam. This photo is evaluated by a Badoo operator and compared to the main photo on their profile. If the verification is not successful, the user is limited on what they can do on the platform.

Badoo is a female-friendly website. Female users can make use of the ‘Selfie Request’ feature during text chats. They get to request a selfie during a chat which ends if the request is not met. The process of reporting and blocking members is also easy making Badoo a safe dating website.

How to sign up at Badoo

You can choose to use the Badoo website or get the app from Google or Apple play stores. You can link any social media account and most people use Facebook. Information from your social media profile will automatically be displayed on your page, and you can add missing details. After the photo verification, you can then create an appealing profile with information like work and education, interests, location, languages, and photos and videos.
Badoo uses the ‘freemium’ model to manage its membership. Standard accounts give you access to basic features, but premium subscriptions make the matchmaking process easier. Premium membership gives you direct access to the platform’s most popular people as well as new members. You can also use invisible mode and highlight messages. Users also use credits to enjoy increased visibility and remove limitations on certain features.
The great thing about Badoo is that you have a diverse pool of potential mates. It is especially popular in Latin American and European nations like Columbia, Chile, Venezuela, Germany, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, and the UK.

Badoo may be popular, but sites like flirtilla.com and sexymeets.club offer a better dating experience. Have a look at them first before you commit.