The onset of 2016 holds the promise of new beginnings and many are preparing their New Year's resolutions. We can tell a lot of people have "Find love" on their list.
Thanks to online dating sites and apps, finding potential mates has become easier for singles who do not want to rely on friends to hook them up.
In your search for The One this year, we help you out by giving some of the best dating apps to aid in your hunt for a potential partner.
HowAboutWe
This app is based on the premise that a user posts an idea of a date they would like to go on. Other singles who like the idea also express the desire to go on a date. If the user who posted the idea accepts then the two can go out on that date.
"It's time for online dating to stop wasting people's time. HowAboutWe is the answer. We're making on-demand, totally-natural, and completely-safe online-dating a reality," notes the app's description.
HowAboutWe is available for Android and iOS.
Grouper
This app connects a group of friends with another group for a drinks date. The app initially sets up a date between two people using data such as job, interests, age, lifestyle and education to match potential partners. The two people matched up can then invite two of their friends, or "wingmen," to accompany them on the date.
The app does not allow the candidates to see the photo of their date or exchange messages, though. However, since Grouper ensures that everyone pays $20 to secure a reservation (and the first round of drinks), there is little chance of being stood up.
Download the app for iOS.
Hinge
Hinge has the same mechanics as Tinder – it uses the swiping option if you like or dislike the profile. However, unlike Tinder, the pool of users you can choose from as dates is more exclusive. How? Hinge targets only the user's friends of friends on Facebook, therefore sifting out people who are not in your social circle. Users can swipe from small groups of 20 prospective matches each day.
Hinge is perfect for cautious daters who prefer to avoid complete strangers.
"Hinge is where relationships start. We'll help you meet someone the old-fashioned way: through your friends. Hinge cuts the clutter, the creeps and the games. So you can stop swiping strangers, and find something real," says the app's description.
You can download Hinge for Android or iOS.
Grindr
Finding love is not easy and it can be more challenging for gay men when compared to their straight counterparts. The Grindr app enables bisexuals and gay men to meet like-minded men. After filling up a profile, users are shown a collage of photos from men in the area. Tapping a photo brings up the profile, and users can chat with the other person, add him as a favorite or block him. Premium users can flip through profiles by swiping up or down.
"Over 2 million guys in 196 countries use Grindr every day. Grindr finds guys close to you for chatting and meeting anywhere in the world. Find your perfect guy right now," says the app's description.
You can download it for Android or iOS.
Tinder
Still one of the most popular dating apps around, Tinder lets you write a short description about yourself and post your most flattering pictures to enable potential mates to seek you out. The app also shows the singles in your area. Often criticized for encouraging superficiality, Tinder lets users swipe the profile they like to the right. If it's a no then they swipe to the left.
If you swipe right on a profile and the owner of that profile swipes right on your profile, then you will be able to exchange messages and take things forward as "It's a Match!"
You can download Tinder for Android or iOS.
Photo: Prayoga D. Widyanto | Flickr
