Key Takeaways

In 2026, we’re focused on speed. We want Uber Eats to appear on our doorsteps, we use Amazon Prime to expedite shipping, and we’ve boiled swiping on dating apps down to a science. But nowadays, modern daters are increasingly willing to do the unthinkable: slow down. 

To this end, the South Korean dating app Begins takes a methodic and intentional approach to matchmaking by having daters wait a full 24 hours after matching to see each other’s profile pictures. 

During that time, they’re encouraged to learn more about each other’s values and dating goals via Begins’ Blind Text feature. It’s a novel solution to a classic dating app conundrum: How can apps provide positive matchmaking outcomes while retaining users? 

Some see Tinder’s appearance-based matchmaking model as a quick (and realistic) way of gauging chemistry, but others think it’s an antiquated process, not to mention superficial. By downplaying appearance-based matching, Begins offers a modern alternative that blends innovation with old-school values. 

Can AI Lead to More Authentic Connections?

Notably, Begins isn’t a new app, but an app in the midst of a metamorphosis. Created by job search platform Saramin, Begins is for professionals “who don’t want to just meet anyone,” and who welcome a Blind Chat feature to “have a conversation first and confirm your feelings without prejudice.” 

Begins argues that chemistry based on appearance alone is not a strong compatibility metric. People’s lifestyles, their goals for the future, their opinions on certain social issues and politics; these provide more valuable insights into compatibility than one’s hairstyle or facial features.  

Like most apps these days, Begins’ revamp is driven by AI innovation. Its new features are meant to make the user experience smoother and more authentic, not more difficult or superficial. And just because Begins is more focused on intentionality than speedy matches doesn’t mean it’s a slow process. 

The goal is to eliminate pointless scrolling and swiping.

Begins’ new AI Profile Highlight feature forms an AI summary of each user’s lifestyle so they can easily see what they have in common. The goal is to eliminate pointless scrolling and, obviously, swiping. People use these profile summaries to decide whether they’re a match. 

The South Korea-based app believes that questions like “Does this person share my strong family bonds?” is more immediately insightful during the matchmaking process than, “Do I feel an instant physical spark?” 

The allure of a high-quality profile photo is hard to deny, but that hasn’t stopped Begins and other dating apps from trying to facilitate less superficial connections. 

Appearance-Based Dating is not Sustainable

Begins isn’t the only app to de-emphasize photos. The Australian dating app Tribal has been enforcing a 72-hour photo blurring rule since it launched last year. 

Tribal’s founder, psychologist Rachel Harker, told news.com.au that basing connections solely on physical attraction has set a dangerous precedent. “Judging a person purely by their photo has fostered a culture of objectification and self-surveillance that isn’t healthy or sustainable,” she said. 

But don’t get her wrong: “We aren’t saying that attraction isn’t important or that love at first sight doesn’t exist,” Harker clarified. “Let’s prioritize personality, values, humor, voice, and vibe before visuals take over.” 

Love at first sight is ideal, but it may not be realistic.

This is a nice sentiment, one that probably resonates with the scores of swipe-fatigued daters out there. But this doesn’t mean that photo delays are always a successful way to promote engagement. 

A German study from 2025 analyzed how 445 people made swiping decisions on dating apps. As Janneke M. Schokkenbroek, Ph.D., summarized for Psychology Today, “The photo dominated the decision.” 

“Other factors, i.e., bio, job, intelligence, similarity, helped a little, but nowhere near as much,” she added. 

Begins Doesn’t Underestimate the Power of Photos

Begins knows that we’re all used to making knee-jerk judgments based on photos. This is why the app created a new AI Photo Diagnosis feature, which analyzes photos and provides personalized feedback. 

You can decide whether the feedback focuses on the positives in “Angel Mode” or on where you can improve your photos in “Devil Mode.” In this way, Begins gives users something just as powerful as photos: the ability to customize their matchmaking experience. 

Of course, you don’t have to be a dating expert to know that everyone experiences attraction in different ways. Begins and Tribal simply remind daters that there are more profound, and perhaps even accurate, ways to measure chemistry than physical attraction. 

“True connections will last, but looks fade.” 

This is especially true when dating apps start to resemble Facebook instead of informative dating profiles. Dating app fatigue is a common consequence of seeing the same heavily-filtered photos, one after the other. 

“What dating app users find most difficult is the process of finding someone who fits them well among countless profiles,” a representative from Begins told Digital Today. Begins’ solution? 

“Begins aims to provide a matching experience that reflects user tendencies and lifestyle more deeply.” 

This “deeper level”, Harker said, establishes a much more stable foundation for long-term relationships: “True connections will last, but looks fade.”