Regardless of how familiar the Clover app may seem, it is still important to get down to its nook and crannies. We conducted an evaluation of Clover to present its virtues and shortcomings to both the veteran and novice online dater. Here is our Clover app review.

— Pros and Cons of Clover —

Pros

• Free to use on iPhone and Android devices
• Intuitive user interface
• Live mixer meetups
• Handy “message read” receipts

Cons

• Its best features require a premium upgrade
• Requires geolocation to be activated for best results
• No desktop version

— In-Depth Clover App Review —

With so many dating apps on the market, it is difficult for companies to come up with innovative solutions. If you are a veteran of the online dating scene, you are well aware of the similarity that exists between many dating sites and apps. To be honest, sometimes you have to sneak a peek at the logo to remind yourself where you are logged in — they are all so similar. This is not a result of blatant piracy between dating apps — it’s not collusion within the industry. Rather, it is due to an amalgamation of what users expect in terms of features and presentation. No matter how creative the developers are — everything starts looking and feeling the same.

The Clover dating app is a relative newcomer to the scene. It was first launched in 2014 and currently has approximately 2 million active users. This is a sizeable user base, especially when you consider that it is a mobile-only platform and that it only became available for Android devices in mid-2016.

Very well, so Clover is a fresh, up and coming dating app — big whoop, does it offer anything innovative? Different people will give you different answers. Some state that they are impressed by the app — they marvel at its ingenuity and effectiveness. Others respond with indifference and a complete lack of enthusiasm. To the latter group, Clover is standard and generic. What could possibly create such a polarization of opinion?

The answer is quite simple, the number of dating and hookup apps is growing at a phenomenal rate. However, in spite of such dynamic growth, market saturation is far from being achieved. This means that no matter how similar two apps may be, there will always be enough people for whom the user experience will be new. Such is the case with Clover. To online dating veterans, it will seem like a rehash of other apps. To those for whom Clover is the first dating app they use, it will seem like absolute magic — a powerful creation of love wizards.

— How to get the Clover App —

Clover is available as a mobile-only app. There is a version for the iPhone as well as Android devices. Each version can be downloaded for free from their respective repositories.

Clover does have an information website that provides you with a great deal of information about how it functions and background information related to the company that developed it. Their website also has a blog that contains many posts related to the app, online dating in general, and useful dating tips.

— Registering on Clover —

After you have downloaded the Clover app to your device, you must register in order to use the service. You start by clicking on the “Let’s Get Started” button on your screen. You will then be prompted to register by using your Facebook credentials or by manually entering a valid email and selecting a password. Choosing the Facebook option will be fastest, but it will also pre-populate portions of your Clover profile with information from your Facebook account. In our test, we chose the manual option in order to start with a blank slate on our user profile.

— Building Your Clover Profile —

Building a basic profile is a required part of the registration process. The minimal amount of information that is required is your name, age, and sexual orientation. In order to get better results, however, it is highly suggested that you fill in as many of the profile fields that Clover provides. These include height, body type, ethnicity, level of education, income, profession, and religion. You should also give Clover permission to use the geolocation information from your phone and activate the distance screening feature. The latter uses your geo-location data to prioritize search results and match suggestions based on how close they are to your current location.

— Cost of Clover App —

The majority of Clover members use the free version of the app. The premium version has a cost of $19.99 per month. When you first register you are given the option to enjoy the full premium version for free for a period of seven days. In order to activate your trial period, you must enter a valid form of payment. You will only be charged if after those seven days you do not cancel the premium features. We found the process to cancel the premium trial to be very straightforward and only required two steps. This was refreshing compared to other apps that often make trial cancellation difficult and convoluted.

The advantages of a premium membership include unlimited chat, the ability to include video and audio files in your messages, and access to the extended profiles of members.

— Unique Features of Clover —

Clover offers the basic features that you have all come to expect from a dating app. You are served suggested matches that you can approve or decline.

You can conduct searches, etc. The features that are unique to Clover all require the premium upgrade as was mentioned above. The advanced search feature of Clover is quite powerful. It allows you to fine tune your searches to the most detailed level possible.

A “message read” receipt feature informs you when a message that you have sent has been read. We found this feature to be very useful. It’s always nice to know when someone opens your message.

Another Clover feature that may not be unique, but that is useful, is its “20 Questions.” It consists of 20 questions related to your personality and outlook on life. They are designed to make your profile more human. You are not obligated to answer these questions — you can skip as many as you want. The answers to these questions appear when you have access to extended profiles. During our test, we found that having access to these answers helped us form a better image of what the other person was like. We found that feature to be an excellent tool to measure potential compatibility.

Clover also has a section dedicated to live mixers in your area. Mind you, the benefit of this feature will depend on where you live. Major cities will tend to have a greater number of mixers. These events provide an excellent opportunity for Clover members to meet in person in a safe group format.