On the surface, Happn’s distinctive feature may sound a little creepy. To be honest, when we first heard of it, we shared the same opinion. However, after field testing the app we came around to its virtues. If you want to read about our conversion from skeptics to believers about Happn, if you want to find out more about the app’s overall user experience — read on, the full Happn review follows.

— Pros and Cons of Happn—

Pros

• Available for all smartphone platforms, including Windows phones
• Women have free unlimited access to the full features of the app
• Familiar and intuitive user interface

Cons

• Men are limited to 10 free “charms”
• Works best in densely populated areas
• Not effective for those who prefer sedentary lifestyles

— Full Happn App Review —

Dating and Hookup apps have settled into a paradigm of style and function first set forth by apps like Tinder. You are shown profile pics of members near you, you swipe this way, you swipe that way — in the end, they all become the same. After a while, you even stop responding to their notifications. The whole thing just loses its spark and originality.

This is why we are always on the lookout for new apps that offer a dash of innovation. This is what brought the Happn app to our attention. On the surface — if you were to take a superficial look at Happn — you might say to yourself, “that app looks just like all of the others.” If you spend some time with the app — use it for a few days — your opinion is likely to change.

Yes, Happn does have many of the features that we are all too familiar with from other dating apps, but it also has the sufficient touch of originality that makes it stand out. The app goes beyond providing you lists of potential matches that are nearby. Happn goes to the extent of providing you a full report of potential matches that you have crossed paths with throughout the day. Not only that, but it also informs you where you crossed paths and how long you both were in the same vicinity.

 

— The Basics of Happn —

Happn is mobile-only. It is available for iPhone, Android, and Windows phones. It is free to download and installations takes literally under a minute.

You must use your Facebook credentials to register the app once you download it. If you are already logged into your Facebook account on your device, all you have to do is accept the “Facebook Connect” feature for registration. If you are not logged into Facebook, you will be prompted to do so.

Happn does not post anything to your Facebook account. The app only imports your Facebook images and basic profile information to populate your Happn profile. You can modify the content of your Happn profile at any time. During our test, we found that the way that Happn imports your basic data from Facebook was sufficiently informative, while at the same time non-intrusive in terms of privacy. Aside from removing our place of employment from our Happn profile, we didn’t see the need to alter any of the other information that was imported.

We were also pleased to discover that from the images that were imported to our Happn account, we could choose up to nine to use on our profile. We really appreciated not being limited to three to six images, the way other apps do. We still don’t understand why other dating apps insist on limiting their members to such a low number of images.

After you’ve registered and tweaked your profile, all that is left is to select the gender and age range that you are looking for in a match. That’s it — Happn is now ready to go to work in finding you potential matches.

— The Happn App User Experience —

When you open the Happn app you will not be wowed by its appearance, Yes, it has a nice aesthetic, but it is generic, very derivative of other dating apps that are out there. This is not a negative point, however. Honestly, we always prefer substance over looks.

When you first start using the app you will find that there really isn’t much to engage with. For one of our testers, it took three days before they started receiving potential matches that they had “crossed paths” with during their daily activities. Our remaining two testers had faster results, with potential matches being populated in a matter of hours.

This highlights an interesting point about Happn — where you are located, coupled with your range and frequency of mobility, will have a tremendous impact on your user experience. Since Happn bases its matchmaking functionality not solely on location, but rather on the frequency of proximity between members — the more static you are, the less useful the app will be for you.

— What is This “Crossed Paths” Business? —

On Happn, you will see the profile image of the members that meet your gender and age criteria that have most recently “crossed paths” with you — those who were within a few yards of you at a given point in time. We attempted to discern how Happn defined proximity — was it 20 yards, 100 yards? Our investigation revealed that the maximum range for Happn to consider it a “crossed path” is 800 meters.

Happn, for security and privacy reasons, never reveals exactly where the two members crossed paths, the app only reveals a general proximity. It does, however, report how many times you crossed paths in that location.

— How Do You Engage? —

When you cross paths with other members, you can “like” their profile. If the other member happens to also “like” your profile, a “crush” is made. At that moment, the both of you can communicate each other via Happn’s messaging system.

You also have the option of sending someone whom you crossed paths with a “charm.” This lets that person know that you are interested in them even if they haven’t liked you. It’s a way to get noticed and hopefully generate a response from that person.

— Cost of Happn —

Happn is free to use, but it does have certain usage limitations — for men anyway. Men are given ten “charms” when they first join. Afterward, they must purchase their future allotments of charms. Women, on the other hand, receive an unlimited number of charms. For men, a pack of 10 charms costs $1.99, a pack of 60 charms goes for $10.99, and 100 charms for $16.99.