It may be hard to believe but there are over 1,500 dating apps on the market right now, but one app is making waves by challenging the status quo of superficial swipes and instant judgments.
Bokay is a Canadian dating app with a unique approach of showing profiles with blurred photos. Each profile starts with a blurred photo overlaid with thought-provoking prompts. This, according to co-founder and CEO Ali Momen, is to “slow the swipe” and have daters feel appreciated for who they are, not how they look.
The app often gets compared to the hit reality show Love is Blind, which has a similar premise.
“In some ways, it’s both a blessing and a curse. It’s helpful that the show has opened people up to the idea of not putting appearance at the forefront, but it makes describing Bokay more challenging at times. People don’t realize that with Bokay, it’s just a few swipes of getting to know someone before you see their photo,” says Momen.
With the online dating landscape as saturated as it is, it seems every new app that launches needs a special hook or a gimmick to entice users. For Bokay, it seems their angle is working.
“We believe that slowing down for just a second and having a person unveil gradually, rather than just ‘pop up,’ is where the industry is headed,” says Momen.
Its target audience, he explains, consists of individuals seeking deeper, more meaningful connections who have felt unsatisfied with other dating apps.
When Bokay debuted in Toronto earlier this year, Momen highlighted the significant impact of social media marketing, influencer partnerships, and real-life events in boosting brand visibility.
Now that it has expanded across all of Canada, Bokay remains committed to its mission of revolutionizing online dating.
“We launched Bokay in a truly remarkable era,” Momen states. “While the full impact of this technology is still unfolding, it has enabled a two-person team, myself and co-founder Carlos Sabbah, to create an app that rivals industry giants.”
Bokay may not be the first dating app on the market but it is, according to its press release, the first dating app to seamlessly integrate an AI relationship coach into its platform.
“Everyone is looking to apply AI to their products, often as a bauble or ornament. But to us, Juno is the tree,” says Momen.
The way Juno works is akin to a real life relationship coach, without the expensive bill at the end. It offers round-the-clock personalized guidance, instilling users with confidence to navigate the intricacies of online dating.
Users can ask Juno questions like “how long should I wait to text them after a first date?” and “what do I do if I’m being ghosted?” Juno can also offer advice and tips on conversation starters, date planning, effective texts, and more.
“Having that kind of emotional intelligence with you at all times to navigate the heart and modern dating is game-changing. We can’t wait for people to experience Juno and enter each encounter with Bokay fuller and more capable of forging deep connections,” says Momen.
When asked if Bokay has any plans to expand into the US market, Momen is quick to say “absolutely.”
“All dating apps have to be local,” he explains. “You have to go block by block in some ways because there’s no easier way to lose a user than if they open up the app and there’s nobody nearby.”
Momen says Bokay plans on launching in the US in 2025.
