Mariko Tokioka, CEO and founder of dating and live streaming app, EME Hive, looks at how virtual reality will improve mobile dating platforms.

Are you tired of swiping profiles? Are the same singles showing up in your dating app feed? I have some good news for you: virtual reality (VR) will completely change the way you meet and mingle with singles in the next mobile technology phase.

The research firm, Gartner, recently named the metaverse as one of the top five impactful and emerging trends for 2022. Everything from gaming to live entertainment and yes, dating, will change in this new metaverse.

As founder of EME Hive, the world’s largest Asian dating and live-streaming app, I get to see first-hand the shift in technology surrounding the dating landscape. Our research and development team is always testing and trying out new technologies for our users.

We are still early in this VR era, but here’s a closer look at how I see it disrupting the way singles meet and how you can use this mobile approach in your own life.

VR will make dating safer for singles
New VR technology will allow users to connect with others online, eliminating the need for strangers to meet in-person for dates. By maintaining contact within the platform for as long as possible, users do not feel obligated to disclose personal information such as phone numbers or even addresses to their partners.

VR dating will keep the “spark” with long-distance relationships
Metaverse dating apps are not only beneficial for singles, but also for couples in long-distance relationships. Couples can go on virtual dates, explore new adventures, and feel close to each other, no matter how far apart they are. It provides an alternative for those looking for a new way to keep in touch other than a classic phone or video call.

VR dating eliminates “first-date” awkwardness
With VR technology, online daters will have the opportunity to get to know their match before meeting in-person. Singles can save time, energy, and the awkwardness that comes with first dates by only meeting those that they had a genuine connection with in the metaverse.

How the metaverse will change dating
Startups are using the metaverse to evolve traditional online dating apps, far beyond the classic profile swipe. These new programs will use virtual reality to allow singles to create their own avatar, connect with others, play games together and even go on dates in virtual spaces.

One of the most well-known obstacles with online dating is liking someone’s profile and not connecting with them when you meet in-person. Virtual reality dating eliminates this problem, allowing singles to assess chemistry with one another before taking their relationship to the next step. Some of those matches end up being your life-long friends, too.

Dating startups are already implementing VR features to make dating easier and convenient. The addition of voice features has become popular on dating apps and in the overall tech world in recent years. Singles are able to match a voice with a face, and get a better glimpse into their personality – instead of basing their opinion on superficial looks.

Other dating platforms like our own have also introduced live streaming and video chat options for users to interact with those with similar interests, make friends, and even find a potential love interest.

As technology advances, the current dating trends like traditional in-person dates will evolve as well. Although the metaverse is still in its nascent stages, it has the capability to completely change the dating experience forever. VR and augmented reality dating in the metaverse will only get better and more popular as time goes on.