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LAST UPDATED: November 24th, 2020

happn is a location-based dating app that helps online daters find potential matches they're geographically close to.

The app was created when Didier Rappaport, Antony Cohen, and Fabien Cohen asked, "Why are we spending so much time on dating sites?" when we meet thousands of people in real life. Singles tired of signing up for dating sites with millions of members (who are sometimes thousands of miles away) can simply download the app for free and start meeting other nearby singles.

Keep reading our happn dating review to learn more about the pros and cons of signing up for the happn app.


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The Good

  • Connect with Nearby Singles
  • Easy-to-Use App
  • Free Services
  • happn’s Six Commitments

Connect with Nearby Singles

happn uses proximity and member preferences to match singles. Its ultimate goal is to match people who have encountered each other in real life and give them a second chance to get to know each other. Users in high populated areas will find the app exciting as they can meet other singles that they likely have crossed paths with before.

Easy-to-Use App

Creating an account with happn is easy and doesn't take too much time. Users can either link their happn with their Facebook account or register with their phone number. Daters will include basic information such as their name (although the last name is kept private), birthday, and gender. While users are asked to give some information about their education and a short description of themselves, this is not required to complete the profile. Daters will need to give their preferences on who they would like to be matched with: men, women, or both.

There is no verification or approval process to create a new account. Users can begin using the account once they fill out the required information.

Free subscribers can upload up to nine photos on their profile. The app makes it easy by allowing users to sync Facebook or Instagram photos to their happn account.

Once logged in, the happn mobile app is relatively simple to use. As a potential match appears on the timeline, users can either like or dislike other dater's profiles. If both parties liked each other they can start chatting or messaging.

Free Services

Upon signing up for happn, online daters will enjoy a few free services. While the features aren't the most comprehensive, several other online dating apps really restrict what free subscribers can do. happn allows free subscribers to

  • Send likes
  • Chat with crushes
  • Post statuses on their profile
  • View profile photos of other members

happn’s Six Commitments

The dating app promises happn users a safe and positive experience with these commitments:

  • The location of a user will remain completely invisible as only the approximate location where you would have passed each other is saved
  • Members can block another happn user or report unwanted/inappropriate behavior at any time
  • Facebook Connect is used only to show common friends and interests and helps to prevent fake profiles
  • happn will never notify friends via Facebook that you're using the app
  • happn will never post anything on the Facebook walls of its users
  • The concept of reciprocity guarantees an app experience without any spamming or harassment
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The Bad

  • Pay to Use Special Features
  • Use Your Hellos or Lose Them
  • Not Great for Small Towns
  • Insufficient Customer Insight

Pay to Use Special Features

happn has several special features that help users profiles stand out; however, these special features require a premium subscription or at least the purchase of happn coins.
happn’s special features include the following:

  • Ability to send up to 10 Hellos per day
  • Schedule invisibility
  • Change your privacy settings
  • Remove ads while browsing
  • List of people who have liked you
  • CrushTime

Now happn's site explains that liking someone's profile and sending a hello are two separate different things. Liking someone is a secret action - the action is only visible when two people "like" each other. Sending a hello isn't a secret action and the recipient will receive a notification and they can choose to respond to it or ignore it. When a new member signs up, they'll get 10 free hellos, to get more they'll need to sign up for a premium subscription.

CrushTime is a relatively new feature on the happn mobile app that adds a bit of engagement. CrushTime randomly notifies users that one of the users they've crossed paths (for that day) has liked them. The happn member will then have to guess which person liked their profile (there are only four profiles to choose from, so it helps narrow down the choices). If they guess right then it's an instant crush. If the happn user guesses wrong, a "like" is sent to their guess and maybe the other user will like them back.

Use Your Hellos or Lose Them

A premium membership comes with a promise that users will get "up to 10 Hellos per day." However, the happn online dating site further clarifies that this means users will get 5 Hellos every 12 hours. The screen will never display more than 5 Hellos and if you haven't used all your Hellos within the first 12 hours, you'll lose the remaining ones (Hellos don't add up).

Not Great For Small Towns

happn is a great app for online daters in highly populated cities. The fact that the app matches people based on their proximity is unique and gives users a chance to meet up and talk to those in their city. However, for small towns with a small population, the app is pretty disappointing. Small, rural towns don't have a high turnover rate of people, meaning users will probably match with the same people over and over.

Insufficient Customer Insight

Best Company has not received enough happn reviews to make a final recommendation. Singles should consider choosing a different dating platform with positive customer reviews.

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The Bottom Line

While other dating sites and apps often match people who are thousands of miles away from each other, happn aims to help daters find matches close to them. happn is a unique dating app because it matches people based on proximity and users get a second chance to meet and start a conversation with people in their area. While the app has garnered a reputation for being a hookup app, it is also a viable option for those looking for a long-term relationship. The app does have a few downsides though; perhaps the most noteworthy is the fact that the app is only really good for residents of large cities.

The app is available for Android, iOS. Download the app for free from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

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Have you used the happn dating app? Would you recommend it to a friend? Let us know by leaving a review below.

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