Best for ice-breaking: Coffee Meets Bagel
Coffee Meets Bagel's name is as unique as its concept. It finds just one match per day to end the constant stream of profile sorting that happens in a lot of dating apps. The idea is since you only get one profile per day, you will take the time to read their details closely.Your daily match includes a picture, age, location and a few other details. The match is called a ‘bagel’ and after liking this bagel you can ‘woo’ him/her with coffee (which are digital gifts). You only get a limited amount when you create the account, which you must then earn or buy when you run out.
After you like a profile, you are given a series of ice-breaker questions to get things started on an eventual conversation. If you both like each other then your names will be shown, otherwise they will remain hidden so you get an extra layer of privacy.
You can download the Coffee Meets Bagel app here from Google Play.
Best for personality matching: Parship
Parship has one of the most exhaustive personality matching apps available on Android. It's focused around personality compatibility and not quick picture sorting. This increases the chances that you find someone with whom you are comfortable at the first meeting.The Parship app takes you through a series of questions when you create your profile. The whole test takes about 20 minutes and the questions are aimed at finding personality compatibility between you and potential matches. When you complete this test, the app tells you what kind of partner you are compatible with and why. It also tells you what potential conflicts you could have with them.
The majority of the services are available on the app but some are only available on PC. For instance, you can fill out your entire profile on the app but you must sign up on the PC version. Parship is currently only available in Europe.
You can download the Parship app here from Google Play
Best for casual encounters: Badoo
Badoo is a massive app with tens of millions of active profiles, and it's growing quickly. That gives you a selection that is almost unmatched on Android (apart from Tinder). So the chances you could meet someone soon are pretty high.Badoo's concept is to connect people who are near each other. It is much easier to meet when you're already in the same restaurant, cafe or store than it is to arrange a meeting, and therefore people who use Badoo meet more frequently and under more casual conditions, which really takes the pressure off too.
The low-pressure connections is probably what keeps the number of users on the app and lessens the burnout rate. This is different from some of the more exhaustive apps that put more pressure on meetings.
Best for quick matches: OkCupid
For really fast matches, OkCupid is your best bet. After you create a semi-detailed profile, you are able to quickly peruse profiles that match yours. The app bases the match calculation on your answers to a few questions and you are able to see how well you match up with people.Once you go through the large local database and like some of the suggested matches, you can see which people have matched with you. Their mutual match method is OkCupid's greatest strength and has earned it strong ratings and a constant stream of new users.
Sending and receiving messages is completely free. You can send as many as you want without having to pay and this gives newcomers an incentive. Paying will enable you to see non-mutual likes as well as boost your profile.
You can download OkCupid here from Google Play.
Best for match filtering: Jaumo
Jaumo is free, and has a simple an interface that makes searching through potential dates very easy. You get loads of local results to choose from and interacting with them is simple. You just choose who you like from the list of pictures and send them a message.Filtering who can contact you on Jaumo reduces the volume of messages you receive. Its filtering system is simple and effective and can be based on gender, age, location and whether the person's profile has a picture. If you get bored with always seeing the same people online, you can limit your search results to those currently online.
Managing your profile is effortless, making it easy to maximize your chances of finding someone who is interested. You can quickly see who has viewed your profile and who liked you, and use these results to sort through your matches.
You can download Jaumo here from Google Play.
Best for profile accuracy: Tinder
Tinder is another massive app with tons of potential matches available. It's claimed that 26 million matches happen through Tinder every day.Tinder uses Facebook authentication to try and keep its potential matches honest. It's not a flawless system, as it is possible to get a fake Facebook account but it's more difficult than getting a random email address.
Tinder is mostly free but if you want to get some premium features you will need to pay. These include 'rewind' (see a profile you just swiped away) and 'passport' (look at profiles outside of your local area), but it is entirely possible to use Tinder without these and thus avoid paying.
Best for innovation: Anonymous Dating
Do you want to try something fresh and interesting? Anonymous Dating doesn't have pictures on its app, that's certainly different. It's a great app if you're sick of the 'looks game' and want to try something more personal or intellectual.Anonymous Dating is fairly new and not yet as widely used as other dating apps on this page, but its concept flips the dating game on its head. In most dating interactions, in person or through the internet, you see the person before you learn about them. By switching this dynamic around, Anonymous Dating could change the whole dating experience.
Of course, the drawback of Anonymous Dating is you don't have any clue what the person looks like. This could make for some awkward situations if you find you are not physically attracted to the person you eventually meet.
You can download Anonymous Dating here from Google Play.
How have dating apps worked for you? Any Android love connections out there? Let us know in the comments below.