Discover how OkCupid works and learn about its unique approach to online dating. Find your perfect match on OkCupid today!
So, if you want to understand how OkCupid works , let me give you a hand and provide you with all the information you need. In the next paragraphs of this guide, in fact, I will show you not only the detailed procedure for creating a new account but also all the information you need to start interacting with other registered users. First, however, I will take care to tell you what the costs of OkCupid are and list the main features in broad terms so as to immediately provide you with an overview of this service.
Without further ado, I would say not to waste any more time chatting and get to the heart of this tutorial. Make yourself comfortable, take all the time you think is appropriate and dedicate yourself to reading the next few lines. By carefully following the instructions I am about to give you, you will be able to evaluate whether this service is right for you and, if so, I am sure that you will be able to create your account and start viewing other people’s profiles. Happy reading and good luck with everything!
Index
- Preliminary information
- How OkCupid App Works
- How OkCupid Works on a Computer
- Alternatives to OkCupid
Preliminary information
Before explaining in detail how OkCupid works , I feel it is necessary to make some clarifications regarding the nature of this platform.
OkCupid is a popular dating site, accessible not only from computers but also from smartphones and tablets by downloading the app for Android devices (also available on alternative stores , for devices without Google services) and iPhone/iPad .
Unlike many other portals belonging to the same category, it claims to focus entirely on the affinities of its members: in fact, new users who intend to create an OkCupid account are required, during registration, to answer a series of questions on different topics.
Subsequently, the answers are compared with those of other people to find matches and, for each proposed profile, it is possible to view the % of affinity which is calculated precisely on the basis of the interests and common answers.
As for how OkCupid actually works, this service is also based on a mechanism of mutual appreciation : for each profile proposed, it is possible to discard it by moving on to the next profile or express appreciation (and even strong appreciation).
That said, I would like to highlight some important aspects. The first concerns the service interface which, although quite intuitive, is completely in English with the possibility of choosing other languages (e.g. French , German , Spanish , Turkish etc.) among which Italian is not available.
Also, keep in mind that OkCupid is a global service that is widely used abroad , and while there are Italian users, it may not be the best solution for those looking to meet new people in their area.
Finally, while it is possible to create an account and use OkCupid completely free of charge, the available features are quite limited. To increase your chances of meeting new people by using additional features and remove the advertising banners present in the free version, you need to activate one of the available subscriptions.
- OkCupid Basic: allows you to have unlimited Likes, set filters to display only profiles that interest you, and cancel a discarded profile so you can make a new choice. It costs from 70 euros/month .
- OkCupid Premium: in addition to the features of the Basic plan, it allows you to view the people who have expressed appreciation towards you, thus having the possibility of significantly increasing the chances of triggering a match. Furthermore, it increases from 1 to 3 Superlikes that can be used weekly. It has a cost starting from 44.94 euros/month .
I would like to point out that the subscription costs just indicated refer to activation from a computer and the monthly cost of the subscription can be significantly reduced by activating the six-month or annual plan. Payment can be made via PayPal .
Using the OkCupid app, however, you can activate only the Premium plan and the cost starts from 44.99 euros/month with payment via Google Pay on Android devices and from 43.99 euros/month with payment via Apple Pay on iPhone / iPad .
In addition, you can also activate the Boost option (with packages starting at 7.40 euros for a Boost ) which allows you to highlight your profile for 30 minutes. The Superboost option is also available which increases the duration of the Boost up to 3, 6 and 12 hours. Having clarified this, let’s see how to proceed.
How OkCupid App Works
To get started with OkCupid, you need to create an account : all you need is a valid email address and a mobile phone number that can receive SMS, which is necessary to verify your identity.
Regardless of the device you are using, launch the OkCupid app, tap the Join OkCupid button , enter your email address in the appropriate field and select the Next option . Then, specify your name in the First name field , tap the Next button again and allow OkCupid to access your location by selecting the Enable location services option . Alternatively, by tapping the Enter location manually option , you can manually enter the country and city where you live in the Country and City fields .
On the Let’s start with the basics screen , specify your gender in the I am a section and also indicate the gender of the people you want to meet in the I want to date section . Then, indicate your date of birth and create a strong password (at least 8 characters) that you will use to log in to OkCupid, by entering it in the Password field .
Now, put a check mark next to one or more of the available options ( New friends , Long-term dating , Short-term dating etc.) depending on whether you are using OkCupid to find new friends, for a serious relationship etc. and tap on the Next button , then also specify the age range of the people you want to meet.
In the Add your best photos section , press the + button and proceed to upload at least one of your photos, choosing from those available on your smartphone/tablet or taking one on the spot. Then, insert a presentation of yourself in the My Self-Summary field, which will be shown on your profile, and press the Next and Get started buttons .
At this point, a questionnaire will be started, consisting of several questions that you can choose to answer by ticking one of the available options, or skip to the next question by selecting the Skip to next question option. Keep in mind that at least 15 answers are needed to complete the creation of your profile, calculate your affinity with other users, and suggest the ones that best match you.
As a final step, enter your phone number in the appropriate field and tap the Next button to receive a code via SMS: then enter the code in question in the appropriate field and tap the Next button again to verify your identity.
I would like to point out that the message containing the verification code may take several minutes to arrive: so wait patiently and if you deem it appropriate, press the option Didn’t get a code? to request another code.
Once your identity is verified, you will see the Calculating your best matches screen : wait, then, for your compatibility to be calculated based on the information you entered previously and you can begin using OkCupid.
In the Discover section , in particular by selecting the Recommended option which is active by default, you will automatically be shown other users and, in addition to name, photo and other details, you can also view the % of affinity . If you want to view users with a high affinity, press on the Match % item located in the top menu. By selecting, instead, the Passport option you can view the profiles of other users regardless of their geographical location and, therefore, from any part of the world.
In any case, regardless of the section you are acting from, by swiping left you can discard the profile while by swiping right you can express appreciation. Furthermore, by pressing on the downward arrow icon you can view the complete profile of a person and, from here too, you can express your appreciation or not by pressing on the heart icon or the X button .
By pressing the heart and arrow icon, you can send a Superlike , which is a strong appreciation, with the option to also send a message by inserting it in the Say something nice field . As I mentioned in the previous lines of this guide, the free version of OkCupid offers only one Superlike per week.
By accessing the Likes section by pressing the appropriate item located in the bottom menu, if you have an OkCupid subscription (you can activate one from the Profile section , by pressing the Get OkCupid Premium button ) you can view the people who have liked your profile. From this same screen, by selecting the You Like tab , you can also see the people towards whom you have expressed appreciation (in this case a subscription is not necessary).
From here, by pressing on a specific user, you can not only cancel your choice by pressing the X button but also send a message by pressing the cloud icon . The message in question is useful to introduce yourself and increase your chances of triggering the match: keep in mind, in fact, that the conversation can continue only in this case.
In this regard, if after expressing appreciation towards a person you see the It’s a match screen , it means that this user had previously expressed appreciation towards you and you can start chatting. You can view all active matches, any messages received and start a new conversation by pressing on the Messages item located in the bottom menu.
By clicking on the Preferences item located in the bottom menu, you can both modify some information that you specified during registration (e.g. the age range of the people to display) and add additional data that will be taken into consideration to propose profiles in line with your preferences.
By accessing the Profile section , instead, you can personalize your profile by adding more photos, answering more questions than those you have already answered when creating your account and, by pressing the pencil icon , entering other personal data, such as height, interests and aspirations.
Always proceeding from the Profile section , if OkCupid does not completely satisfy your needs, I point out that you can delete your account. To do so, press on the Settings item and select the Disable account option . After indicating the reason for your choice, choose the Delete my account item , press the Next button , enter your account password in the appropriate field and tap the Delete button .
Before deleting your account, if you have an active OkCupid subscription, you will need to deactivate it, which you can do directly from your device settings (if the subscription was activated via the app): in this case, my guide on how to cancel an app subscription may be useful to you .
How OkCupid Works on a Computer
If you prefer to access and use OkCupid from a computer , you should know that all you have to do is connect to the service’s main page and start the registration process by clicking on the Join OkCupid button , then following the instructions I gave you earlier to create an account via the service’s app: the procedure, in fact, is practically identical.
The interface and operation of the web version of OkCupid are also almost identical to those of the smartphone and tablet app: the only difference is that to discard a profile you will have to press the Pass button and to express appreciation on the Like button (or Superlike for a strong appreciation).
As for deactivating an active subscription, you can do so by clicking on your name visible in the top menu, selecting the Settings option and accessing the Subscriptions section . For the rest, you can just follow the instructions I gave you in the previous lines of this guide.
Alternatives to OkCupid
Based on what I explained in the introductory lines of this guide, that is, that OkCupid is a global service that hardly allows you to find people in your vicinity, you might prefer services of the same kind but more used in Italy and, probably, more suited to your needs. I thought, therefore, to indicate some interesting alternatives currently present on the market that you can take into consideration.
- LOVOO( Web / Android / iOS/iPadOS ) — is a popular online dating service that allows you to chat with other people who can be found based on various parameters, primarily proximity. In short, it allows you to arrange a real meeting with interesting people via chat.
- Meetic( Web / Android / iOS/iPadOS ) — is a famous and appreciated dating service that can count on many active users for several years now, also thanks to the advertising often broadcast on the small screen. The profiles of the members are all verified in the face of a greater degree of security and truthfulness.
- Badoo( Web / Android / iOS/iPadOS ) — another popular online dating solution that is characterized by a pleasant user interface, can count on a good number of members and is extremely simple to use.
- Facebook Dating( Android / iOS/iPadOS ) — is the completely free dating service integrated directly into the Facebook app, which allows you to find people (even simply to make friends) in your area.
For more details about the services just mentioned, I refer you to reading my guides dedicated specifically to the best dating sites and the best dating apps in Italy.