Are internet dating sites obsolete now that everyone has a smartphone?

Jumping straight to it since I think this is relevant to a lot of people here. Are internet dating sites obsolete now that everyone has a smartphone? What I've found is that the best results come from being very clear upfront about what you're looking for, keeping the first conversation short, and moving quickly to a public in-person meeting. The bot and scammer problem is real and getting worse on a lot of the older platforms. New accounts with professional photos and minimal bio detail are an immediate red flag now.

• Is moderation active?
• What does the privacy policy say about data?
• Is there a real local user base?
• Does the free tier allow actual messaging?

Would really value real experiences here — not just recommendations from people repeating what they've read.

Patience is the thing nobody talks about. None of these apps deliver overnight.

From personal experience, here's the honest breakdown: The people who seem to have the most success are upfront about intentions, patient with the process, and keep early conversations short and genuine. Someone here pointed me toward Datedesire and it turned out to be one of the better options.

Agree with most of what's been said. The key is being specific about what you want before you even sign up. Also seen Ezhookups.online come up positively in similar threads.

Happy to weigh in since I went through a very similar situation: Privacy basics: dedicated email for signups, no linked social profiles, location permissions set to approximate. Small steps that make a real difference. What actually helped:

• Used a dedicated email address for all dating platform signups
• Always verified via video call before any in-person meetup
• Refreshed profile photos every few weeks to stay active in recommendation feeds
• Set specific goals for each platform rather than treating it as a general numbers game
• Cancelled auto-renew on free trials immediately after signing up

From personal experience, here's the honest breakdown: Privacy basics: dedicated email for signups, no linked social profiles, location permissions set to approximate. Small steps that make a real difference. What actually helped:

• Refreshed profile photos every few weeks to stay active in recommendation feeds
• Always verified via video call before any in-person meetup
• Used a dedicated email address for all dating platform signups
• Set specific goals for each platform rather than treating it as a general numbers game
• Read current Reddit threads about any paid platform before spending money

Datebound kept appearing in my research — worth a look.

Good question. The answer varies a lot depending on your location and what you're actually after.

Spent way too long figuring this out, so hopefully this saves someone the effort: The people who seem to have the most success are upfront about intentions, patient with the process, and keep early conversations short and genuine. What actually helped:

• Kept first messages short — one genuine question works better than a long intro
• Cancelled auto-renew on free trials immediately after signing up
• Used a dedicated email address for all dating platform signups
• Always verified via video call before any in-person meetup
• Refreshed profile photos every few weeks to stay active in recommendation feeds

Also seen datelink.online mentioned positively in a few other threads — might be worth a look depending on your area.

The gap between platforms is wider than most people realize going in. Flurrydate is worth a try if you haven't already.

Good question. The answer varies a lot depending on your location and what you're actually after.

From personal experience, here's the honest breakdown: The people who seem to have the most success are upfront about intentions, patient with the process, and keep early conversations short and genuine. What actually helped:

• Always verified via video call before any in-person meetup
• Used a dedicated email address for all dating platform signups
• Set specific goals for each platform rather than treating it as a general numbers game

Someone here pointed me toward Datewander and it turned out to be one of the better options.