Samsung tries to turn your refrigerator into Tinder
The Refrigerdating app aims to help you find a date based on what's in your fridge.
- She has a master's degree in journalism from Syracuse University.
Could you find love in your fridge?
The way to your heart might actually be through your fridge.
That's what Samsung is hoping, at least.
While you might mostly associate Samsung with phones , tablets and TVs , the electronics giant is trying to make inroads into your love life by launching a dating app called Refrigerdating.
Yup. Refrigerdating.
The free app works with the Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator, a $4,000 appliance with a touchscreen on the door that you can use to view the family's schedule, and an ingredient-tracking camera that lets you double-check whether you're out of milk. With the app, you take a photo of the inside of your fridge to share, and you can swipe right or left based on how the contents of someone else's speak to you. Never fear, though, you can also just take a photo with your phone if you don't have the Family Hub.
The idea is that what's in there, whether it's moldy leftovers or an enticing collection of craft beer, could provide a more authentic look at who you are and how you live. And ideally, keep you far away from those monsters who refrigerate their honey.
"We hope people can meet under more honest or transparent circumstances with the help of the contents of the fridge, because that can tell you a lot about the personality," said Elin Axelsson, PR manager at Samsung Electronics Nordic based in Sweden. She talked about combating the shallowness of filtered photos on social media and dating sites with something a bit more… organic.
Click for more on love in the age of apps.
Also, Axelsson noted, there are tons of single people in Sweden, where the idea originated. Nearly half of all households in the country consist of single adults without kids, according to Eurostat, the European Union's statistical office. Who knows? Maybe this is what gets young single Swedes together. The app, though, is available worldwide.
Although online dating has been around for decades, its popularity has gone more mainstream in the past several years. The Statistic Brain Research Institute found that more than 90 percent of the 54.3 million singles in the US have tried their luck finding love, or whatever else, online.
While judging love interests based on their taste in cheese or deli meat might seem like one of those April Fools' stunts tech companies like to pull, niche dating sites are definitely a thing. You can find apps based on political or religious preferences. There are sites for the tall, the affluent, the gluten-intolerant, the Canadian. Trek Passions, a site for sci-fi fans, wants users to "love long and prosper." And let's not forget Farmers' Only, in case you are "single in the country."
Hungry for love
Half-consumed jars of condiments, cans of soda, bags of salad greens, a raw ginger root, ham -- when you start swiping around on Refrigerdating, you're getting a glimpse into the way people live. And while the app is an entertaining promotion for the Family Hub, factoring in a potential partner's eating habits isn't that goofy a thought.
Your fridge could help you fill your stomach and your heart.
"Food is really a part of our lifestyle these days, and there are so many nuances of diet -- there are people who are gluten-free or vegan -- and often [they're] most understood by someone who also has that diet," said Laurie Davis, an online dating coach and author of the book Love @ First Click.
Eating habits can indicate more in common than what's on your plate, Davis said.
Love in this Hub
Refrigerdating is available through a browser, so it'll work on whatever phone you have. Samsung hasn't said how many people are using it, just that they're signing up. Be warned: The concentration of users at the moment seems to be in Sweden.
Developer Peter Simonsson said the team opted for swiping since it's a common format for dating apps like Tinder and Bumble. Samsung even worked with a relationship expert when creating the app.
Samsung recommends you don't stage your fridge to try to attract dates -- be yourself and embrace the leftovers, stale bread and alarming amount of fizzy water.
You never know. The right brand of almond milk might get you the love of your life.
It's Complicated: This is dating in the age of apps. Having fun yet?
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