Jaumo describes itself as the “number one dating experience on the planet.” While that is partially creative adverting license on their part, it is still quite a claim to make. We were curious, will this entry to the dating app market truly allow you to rediscover and reconnect with online dating apps — or will it be just one more player in an ever-crowded game? We took Jaumo for a test to see how well it performed.

— Pros and Cons of Jaumo—

Pros

• It’s free
• Available for both Apple and Android
• Simple, easy, and intuitive interface
• Over 20 million active users

Cons

• Disabling geo-location feature can make use of app unwieldy
• Presence of banner advertising

— Full Jaumo App Review —

Do you recall how thrilling it was the first time that you downloaded a dating app? Do you remember the excitement of seeing so many different people — all of them within a few miles of you. The sense of action that you felt each time that you swiped right or swiped left — it was all so new and fun. After a while, one online dating app just wasn’t enough. You started using multiple dating apps. Each one was a derivative of the one before it. Each new app somehow cluttered up the experience just a little bit with their own “unique spin.” Soon, the online dating app scene became overly complex and as a consequence — boring.

It is within that context that an online dating app by the name of Jaumo is trying to gain favor with the public. Unlike other online dating apps that try to come up with unique variations of an old theme — or that target a specific user demographic — Jaumo is going back to the basics. Their motto consists of three simple words: flirt, chat, date.

— How Jaumo Works —

Jaumo is a mobile-only dating app. It is available for both iPhone and Android devices. It can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play. Once downloaded, you can register using your Facebook credentials or you can choose to register manually. The latter requires you to enter a valid email address and select a password. The majority of users opt for the Facebook option. For those of you with privacy concerns, Jaumo does not post to your Facebook timeline without your explicit permission.

— Who Is on Jaumo? —

The gender ratio on Jaumo is well balanced, being as close to 50/50 as it can be. When you look at the users of the app by age, you will find that 80 percent are between the ages of 18 and 35. In terms of preferences for communication technology, roughly 95 percent are Android users with the remaining five percent being iPhone users. (Before you ask the question, yes, there are people that take that into account when looking for a match)

— What Can You Look for on Jaumo? —

Jaumo is designed to find platonic friendships, long-term romances, or casual encounters. You can flirt, you can chat – it can be as deep or as casual as you make it. While the app is designed to function best by making use of its geo-location function, you’re not obligated to activate it. During our test, we found that turning off the location identifier made the app unwieldy. The potential matches that we were receiving became so great that it was overwhelming. When we had the geo-location feature activated, the results that were returned to us were mostly from a five-mile radius of where we were located. This made things far more manageable and easier to engage with other users.

— How Does It Work? —

It is important to note that Jaumo did not set about to reinvent the wheel. Its intention is to simplify and reinvigorate the concept of the online dating app. In that regard, we found it to be successful. When you open the app, you find an interface that is clean, simple, and easy to navigate.

When you first join, you are given the option of posting a profile. This consists of different segments that you can populate from options from a drop-down menu, or with brief answers that you can type yourself. Some of these segments are: your hometown, relationship status, education level, your religion, number of children, whether you desire to have children, etc. Additional segments cover your physical attributes, such as height, eye color, hair color, and body type. You are also asked to describe the type of person you are looking for and the sort of relationship that you are seeking. None of the segments are mandatory, you can leave some or all blank.

You should also upload a profile picture. Jaumo does not permit picture that contain nudity or that are overtly sexually suggestive — so, that pic of you with the nipple clamps, it’s best to save that for another app.

— Features —

Keeping in line with its “back to basics” mantra, Jaumo only offers three main features. One is called “online radar.” This basically consists of a feed of profile images of those users in your area that are presently online. If you see somebody that grabs your attention, you can send them a “like” or a chat request. The second feature is known as “moments.” It shows you a feed with users who have recently updated their status or mood. The third feature is the liking feature. This is very basic — tap and let the app know if you’re interested or not.

In addition to the main features, Jaumo also has a few supplemental features. One is called “travel.” This allows you to change your current location to anywhere else in the world. This particular function is meant to be used for when you are planning to travel to a new city and want to get a head-start at meeting people in the area. There is also a “random” feature. This simply exposes you to the entire universe of Jaumo’s 20 million users. While impressive and interesting in its worldwide reach, it can also be just too much to handle at once. In our tests, we found that using the random feature was too overwhelming.

All of Jaumo’s features are free to use. There are no hidden membership fees or tricks designed to get you to upgrade. There are advertisements that are served on the app’s screen, but they are not obtrusive and do not interfere with the overall user experience.

— Jaumo App Cost —

There is a VIP version of Jaumo that is available. It removes the banner ads and allows you to send interactive “flirts” to other users. The flirts can help you stand out when trying to engage a particular user that caught your eye — flirts stand out more than basic likes. The cost of the VIP membership is $5.99 for 1 month. Jaumo offers a 35% or 50% discount if you opt for a 3-month or 12-month subscription.