Let ARCHER the new gay-dating-app take aim at your ‘love life’ this Year

If you want to kick off the New Year with a ‘new love’ then you might want to try a new gay dating app.  Its called ARCHER and was launched by Match Group in the summer of 2023, and this social-first gay dating app  has very quickly made waves with more than 100,000 downloads. Archer was created in partnership with gay, bisexual, and queer community advocates, and aims to create a safer space for men to seek boldly and aim freely for whatever type of connection they desire. First available in New York its since gone nationwide in the US and they are insisting its not just a dating app: it’s a blend of social media and dating designed to empower, queer, and bisexual men to connect, celebrate their identities, and thrive. 

Faced with just this information, most gay men’s reactions are …..so what makes ARCHER different than all existing sites such as Grindr, Scruff, Tinder and Babble etc….. well, here’s the list.

Profile Photo Verification: Selfie verification is required at signup, designed to mitigate abuse and fraud, so that users are more authentically represented and verified via their profile photo. Encouraging celebration over anonymity, users must have a verified photo that includes their face as their primary profile photo.

Interactive UI/UX Interface: Archer’s interface is a customizable experience featuring three different profile-viewing options. Users can scroll through a linear feed, viewing one profile at a time, a zoomed-in grid showcasing 15 profiles, or a zoomed-out grid for viewing dozens of profiles at once. The interactive layout caters to a new generation of daters, allowing users to choose their own dating adventure — whether that’s a friend, hookup, date, relationship, or just someone to chat with.

Community Building Tools: People on Archer will be able to “follow” others — a social-first feature that will continue to evolve in the coming months. Users can also express themselves through pre-set tags, making it easier to find users with similar interests and allowing them to set filters for what they’re seeking. Following the launch, free-form tags will become available for users to customize their own tags.

Enhanced AI and Human Moderation Features: Using a combination of AI technology and human moderation, Archer requires that all profiles are content-rich and high-quality, and that users adhere to Archer’s community guidelines and safety policies. This technology is used further in Archer’s chat feature, smart-blurring photos that may contain nudity to help give users agency to control when or if they see the photo.

However its stringent verification process is what makes Archer a safe platform for our communities. And it enhances the dating experience by focusing on compatibility through shared interests and promoting community interaction beyond standard profile browsing.

Not every dating app is for every type of person, but the Archer people told us that 77% of Archer users seek dates, with 74% also interested in forming friendships.Among those seeking dates, 65% say they prefer a casual connection. In comparison, more than 30% are interested in individuals in relationships, whether seeking an open relationship, connecting with another couple, or exploring relationships with people already in a couple. 

The people at Archer told QUEERGURU that isn’t just an app for connecting with others. It’s also a central hub for advice on relationships, sex, and health while supporting and championing LGBTQ+ rights.   But it does an innovative health hub called “Just the Tips,” which features advice from actual gay, bisexual, and queer experts. It covers everything related to dating, relationships, mental, physical, and sexual health.

They added that 77%  of Archer users seek dates, with 74% also interested in forming friendships

Among those seeking dates, 65% say they prefer a casual connection. In comparison, more than 30% are interested in individuals in relationships, whether seeking an open relationship, connecting with another couple, or exploring relationships with people already in a couple.