The Scoop: Many dating apps cater to singles who want to build long-term relationships. Users seeking fun, casual hookups often can’t find like-minded sexual partners on those platforms. Casualx caters exclusively to singles who aren’t seeking commitment. Instead, the app’s members are looking for casual arrangements ranging from friends with benefits to flings and one-night stands.
Many singles are interested in casual sex — defined as intimate activity outside the context of a relationship. These hookups consist of anything from one-night stands to regular appointments.
Zhana Vrangalova created the Casual Sex Project to discover how many people regularly had casual sex and why it was their preference.
“One thing that was bothering me is the lack of diversity in discussions of casual sex. It’s always portrayed as something college students do. And it’s almost always seen in a negative light, as something that harms women,” she wrote.
The Casual Sex Project found that some participants did feel shame, but many more enjoyed their encounters. What’s more, lovers of casual sex aren’t always young. People of all ages, races, genders, and sexual orientations pursue hookups.
Casualx is a hookup-focused dating app that caters to this segment of singles. Michelle Li, the app’s founder, noticed that most dating apps brought together singles who had wildly different intentions. Some sought marriage, while others looked for casual sex.
Singles with wildly different expectations were not compatible. So Michelle developed Casualx.
The app has attracted a different user base than most traditional relationship-oriented platforms. Users aren’t shy about sharing their sexual preferences, desires, and fetishes in a sex-positive setting.
Casualx focuses on noncommittal hookups, which means users aren’t trying to decide if they’re compatible in life, only in bed.
Weeding Out Users Who Want Long-Term Relationships
The Casual Sex Project has become the most extensive online repository where users can share their interest in these types of encounters. The project also shows why singles may want to create a profile on Casualx.
For instance, the sexual revolution of the 1960s promoted hookups, and older folks who came of age in that generation are still interested in pursuing casual sexual encounters.
“When norms related to dating and free love shifted in the ’60s, they never fully shifted back. Seventy-year-olds are engaging in casual encounters because that attitude is part of their culture, too,” wrote Maria Konnikova for the New Yorker.
Another common thread is that not everyone wants casual sex. Instead, some individuals — though not all — have sought out casual sex in every generation.
Some singles seek hookups because they no longer care what others say about their sexual practices. That freedom from societal expectations may come at any age.
“That may well end up the Casual Sex Project’s real contribution: Not to tell us something we didn’t already know, or at least suspect, but to make such nonjudgmental, intimate conversations possible. The dirty little secret of casual sex today is not that we’re having it but that we’re not sharing our experiences of it in the best way,” Maria concluded.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred more singles to seek romantic partnerships. But it also encouraged them to look for casual sex.
Jeffrey Zhang, Spokesperson for Casualx, said between March and May 2020, the platform saw a 200% increase in new membership. Conversations within the app were also 30% longer.
Technology Helps Prevent Fraud and Scams
Casualx users all have one thing in common: They are interested in hookups rather than other types of relationships. Their goal is to connect with others who share their sexual appetites as quickly as possible.
Singles can also search for like-minded members based on age, location, gender, and physical characteristics. If they’re interested in hooking up with someone, they can “hug” that user, with two hugs constituting a match. If users aren’t interested in blind dates, they can post personal ads or discussions on the Ideas Board.
Casualx members also prioritize privacy, both from individuals they may know in other settings and from fraudsters. A unique passcode secures the app and users have to draw a specific pattern to access the platform.
Team members approve each profile manually, meaning the app won’t get overrun with fake users or bots.
“This hookup dating app is sweet. There are many open-minded adults waiting for you. It has free texting for every member to chat with each other. The dating app is easy to set up, and you can start to swipe in a few minutes,” wrote one reviewer on the Google Play Store.
“This is an awesome tinder hookup app for open minded people looking for hookups nearby. It’s easy to navigate and free to get matched up. No fake profiles or bots. I bet you will find it one of the best hookups for free to find people near you,” another added.
Once members are comfortable with their privacy and security, they have a higher comfort level when connecting with others.
Casualx Connects Users with Shared Hookup Intentions
Casualx users are adventurous and willing to see where their desires take them. For a truly outside-the-box experience, some users try the app’s Blind Date feature, an advanced algorithm that finds users with shared sexual preferences and reasons for using the app. The blind date component is that Casualx blurs the photos and details of potential matches.
Even members with free subscriptions can message their blind date matches, making this one of the app’s most popular features.
“According to the survey we conducted right after the release of Blind Date, more than 73% of the members considered it a good concept and were willing to give it a go. Many said they couldn’t wait to see how many people would be willing to take the invitation to a blind date,” Jeffrey told us.
Among other innovations, Casualx has a Facebook-like feed system in the works that will provide users with frequently updated content.
“Once you become a follower of another member, there’s no way to miss out on his/her updated photo or any other status. That’s the core concept of this functionality and we hope it can help to increase user engagement on the app,” said Jeffrey.
Casualx will also continue seeking opportunities to promote its app on TikTok in 2022.
In our love-and-marriage society, hookups can get a bad rap. But casual sex seekers shouldn’t be shamed on apps geared toward those seeking long-term relationships. Singles seeking commitment-free connections now have a platform of their own in Casualx.
