A brand new female-founded relationship app referred to as After is launching in Austin, Texas on Thursday with the mission of tackling ghosting and holding folks accountable.
What units the app aside from the remainder of the relationship app scene is that After requires customers to share why they’ve unmatched an individual earlier than they’re allowed to maintain swiping. The concept behind the function is to do away with abrupt disconnections and confusion.
Based in October 2023, After is the brainchild of Katie Dissanayake, who got here up with the thought for the app after spending a decade within the relationship app business. Previous to founding After, Dissanayake labored at Hud, the place she fell in love with tech and realized about all the pieces from belief and security to product growth.
With After, Dissanayake needs to deal with issues round relationship app fatigue, and do one thing completely different from what the key relationship apps which can be at present in the marketplace supply.
“Our standout function is anti-ghosting, which I believe holds folks accountable,” Dissanayake informed TechCrunch. “On the flip facet, it provides folks closure.”
If two folks match on After and begin a dialog, however one particular person stops replying, they are going to be nudged to reply. If the particular person nonetheless doesn’t message the opposite person, the match expires. Earlier than they’ll use the app’s options once more, they want to decide on a purpose for why they let the match expire.
Customers can select from a listing of causes to elucidate why they determined to cease responding. For example, they’ll say distance was a difficulty or that the vibes didn’t match. After will then create a form message and ship it to the opposite particular person, and remind them that this isn’t a illustration of who they’re or their price.
Plus, if two folks match however neither of them messages one another, the app will immediate them to speak to one another. If neither particular person sends a message, then After will finish the match. So as an alternative of getting an inbox crammed with matches such as you would on different relationship apps, After is concentrated on solely surfacing matches you’re interacting with.
The app additionally consists of relationship guides to assist customers have a greater relationship expertise. For example, if somebody is having hassle getting matches, After will recommend that they modify their picture or spruce up their profile.
Within the pursuit of transparency, After options “customer” and “native” badges in order that matches are conscious of whether or not somebody truly lives in Austin or if they’re simply visiting.
After will quickly embrace opt-in psychological well being check-ins the place you possibly can mirror in your temper and emotions. And if the app thinks you have got been utilizing the app an excessive amount of, it is going to recommend that you just take a break.
After operates on a freemium mannequin, letting free customers get primary entry to the app. The app options “petals,” which is After’s in-app forex that allows you to purchase further options, akin to boosts and tremendous likes. Whereas free customers can earn petals by doing issues like filling out their profile, paid subscribers get 500 petals monthly and full entry to limitless chats and likes for $19.99 monthly.
By way of increasing past Austin, the corporate plans to launch the app throughout Texas earlier than providing it in a special state.
“I’m actually enthusiastic about rising a little bit group first earlier than shifting on as a result of nothing is worse than opening an app up after which you have got, like, one person in every state, and it simply doesn’t work for anyone,” Dissanayake stated.
After is accessible on each iOS and Android.
