Key Takeaways
- Wisp surveyed 1,200 people about their biggest red flags with dating app photos and found that 83% make snap judgements based on photos alone.
- Infamous dating app images, such as gym pics, bathroom mirror selfies, and group photos, received the most red flags from respondents.
- Dating apps can address these red flags by innovating to make uploading photos easier and less intimidating for the average person.
It’s no secret that modern daters are searching for authentic love, not superficial flings based on appearances.
And yet, daters can’t help but make snap judgements when they first glimpse a potential match’s photo: The UK-based dating app Wisp found that 83% of surveyed daters make knee-jerk decisions about matches based on profile photos alone.
The survey determined the most common “photo sins” or red flags found in both men and women’s profile photos. The message is clear: All the AI-enhanced shortcuts in the world can’t replace the power of a single glance at a profile photo.
A Wisp spokesperson likens a dating profile’s photo collection to a “shop window”: “If they’re blurry, misleading, or scream ‘red flag,’ no amount of witty banter will save you.” Today’s apps are retraining a new generation of daters into embracing their quirks and showcasing their personalities in their photos.
To do this, creating profile photos has to be a little easier — and a little more enjoyable. Dating apps have a vested interest in keeping a user’s carousel of profile photos from looking like a series of mugshots.
Giving users the tools they need to spruce up their profile photos can make their profiles more compelling, encouraging deeper connections and, perhaps most importantly for developers, stronger engagement.
Platforms can help users avoid the common red flag behaviors seen in Wisp’s survey by providing helpful tools and tips while emphasizing the importance of authenticity.
The Most “Classic” Photos Come With the Biggest Red Flags
One of the most common dating app sights — a muscular gym rat showing off their pecks — is a major red flag to 61% of women and 59% of men, according to those surveyed.
The word that Wisp used to describe these gym photos is “cringe,” but another way of putting it is “show-offy,” according to Wisp.
Poorly-lit, smudged-mirror bathroom selfies don’t do anyone any good on apps, either, said 42% of surveyed women and 23% of surveyed men. A grimy mirror and a messy background isn’t very enticing to 34% of men and 17% of women; they convey carelessness, and even a lack of confidence.
Extreme close-ups are disliked by 37% of men and 45% of women in the survey, with men saying they can look “too staged,” and women saying they can be “unflattering” and “off-putting.”
Unsurprisingly, group photos are another red flag for 32% of men and 31% of women. They want to know whose profile they’re looking at, and a pic of seven shirtless, sunglasses-wearing guys on the beach doesn’t help clear things up. “If I have to play guess who, I just move on,” a male respondent told Wisp.
At least men can hold on to their beloved fish pics; the oft-maligned photos of men holding fish didn’t make it onto women’s list of the worst photo red flags.
The one connecting factor between all of these red flags? Laziness — or, more kindly, intimidation.
Apps Can Boost Engagement by Guiding Users to Great Photos
Most of the red flags called out by both men and women boil down to a sense of carelessness — that one couldn’t be bothered to take clear, well-lit photos that showcase their interests.
Case in point: 20% of men and 22% of women surveyed said they dislike when someone’s profile pic is a cropped photo that clearly once included their ex. But going out and taking new photos for a dating app can be intimidating.
Whether laziness, intimidation, or a combination of both are to blame, apps can streamline the process by making their camera features easy to use and even AI-enhanced. Providing simple photo guidelines, best practices, tips, and educational resources can make users feel more confident to take control of their photos.
In these guidelines, apps can clearly set the stakes: Lazy photos with zero personality behind them lead to fewer likes, less engagement, and lonelier date nights.
Yes, it’s tempting to upload that pic of you posing by the sports car, plus a random selfie. But what does this say about who you are? And to dating app developers, what does a carousel of the same types of photos say about the originality of the app itself?
“Add 3+ photos to improve your chances,” Bumble tells users, effectively highlighting what the user has to gain by putting more effort into their photos.
Hinge offers AI-powered photo suggestions, a tool that assesses which of the user’s photos would be “most effective at making a good first impression.”
It’s an innovation that takes the intimidating task out of the user’s hands while still giving them final say over which pics end up on their profile. It automatically disqualifies group pics or any other blatant photo no-nos.
Most apps have photo regulations, but it’s another thing entirely for apps to provide tips and tricks to taking the best photos.
If people want to upload photos right from the camera app, dating platforms can encourage them to find areas with decent lighting, and give simple directions as to how the user can avoid shadows, blurring, and awkward angles.
Giving the user some examples to go off of — photos that work, and photos that don’t — can spark their creativity, leading to more interesting, unique, and high-quality profiles.
By channeling as much innovation into photos as they do with written profiles, platforms balance the dater’s wish to connect on substance with their instinctive, visual-first impressions.
