Badoo is totally different now.

If you’re looking for a new dating app or even a new social media app to try, consider Badoo, even if you’ve checked it out before. The app has recently updated and has several new features. Like before, you can use it to find nearby people, but you can also swipe to find matches. Badoo claims to be the biggest dating network in the world, so it’s definitely not something to ignore.

Here’s everything you need to know about Badoo, including how it works and what makes it so unique.

What is Badoo?

Badoo is a dating app and social discovery app in one. You can access it from iOS devices, Android devices, and from desktop browsers. It has over 345 million people worldwide - more users than the entire US population - and lets you find people in 190 countries and in 47 languages. There are people using it in every country, according to Badoo, and the average person already has 40 friends on it.

How does Badoo work?

Once you download Badoo, you’ll be asked to sign create an account (you can sign in with Facebook). It will then walk you through a one-time tutorial, which walks you through the main user interface and standout features. The main user interface, which is what you see whenever you open Badoo, has a navigation bar running along the bottom with four buttons that provide access to four core features:

  • Discover who’s nearby (globe icon), Play to Match (cards icon), Message center (chat bubble icon), and Profile (person silhouette icon).

Discover who’s nearby shows you nearby Badoo users. To view a person, just tap their image, and then you will see a short bio, the user’s location, verification details, and more photos if available. You can always tap the filter button in the top right corner of the Discover who’s nearby screen to adjust your preferences for location, the type of gender you want to see, and what age range.

Play to Match is just like Tinder. It’s an area where you can see full-screen photos of people you may be interested in, and if you are, simply swipe to the right on their photo. You can also swipe to the left to reject. To view more photos of a person, swipe from the bottom of the screen. And to view their profile in full, just tap on any of their photos.

Message center is where you can see all your connections. You can message with matches or friends on Badoo from here. All connections are listed on this screen, allowing you to simply scroll from the bottom up to view everyone. If you tap the All Connections button on this screen, you will see submenus chats, visits, likes, and favorites, specifically. If someone adds you as a favorite,

Profile is where you go to adjust your Badoo settings and account info, get verified by linking another social profile you have to your Badoo (such as Facebook or Instagram), and to acquire more credits and super powers (more on these later). Tap the edit button in the top corner to add photos (from your Facebook, Instagram, or camera roll) and your ‘about you’ basic details.

badoo the dating app that has more singles than tinder image 2
Badoo

Does Badoo cost anything?

Badoo is free to download and use, though you need to pay to unlock premium functions.

Super Powers

However, to unlock premium functions (aka Super Powers), like the ability to see who favorited you, you will need a three-month subscription for $24.99 (or a Lifetime Super Powers pass, which is a one-time payment of $59.99 rather than a subscription plan). There's also options to buy the subscription by six months, one month, and one week. You can pay by credit card, Google Play (on Android), or PayPal.

Seven-day trial

There's a seven-day trial that gives you free Super Powers, so you can see who liked you, chat with popular users, unlock your favourites folder, change your vote, go icognito, be the first to chat to new users, and get your chats to the top of other users' Message center.

Credits

You can also pay to rise up and increase your popularity, but it'll cost you credits. Credits cost $1.50 for 100 and go up to $19.99 for 2,750 credits. Other things you can buy with credits include extra shows when people are swiping, more visits, show you're online, etc.

badoo the dating app that has more singles than tinder image 3
Badoo

How does Badoo differ from its competitors?

Badoo isn't just about swiping.

It aims to gives you choice so you can not only match with but also discover people nearby or in any location (just select the city and you’re there). And because users can verify their Badoo profiles through Facebook, a phone call, or photo verification, you know you're not going to be cat-fished. Badoo even has 5,000 moderators worldwide who check to ensure people are who they say they are.