Users of Asia’s largest dating app Paktor can now give their bios a bit more of a personal touch.
With the newly launched ‘Spoken’ feature, users can record a 15-second voice memo to introduce themselves to people viewing their profile.
Paktor says this is intended to enhance typical dating profiles by adding an auditory dimension, which can help people get to know each other better.
Voice memos afford the chance for users to get to know a person in a more intimate and detailed manner; it provides ‘texture’ to an otherwise ‘flat’ dating profile with the usual photos and text bio.
So far, in just the first week since launch, Paktor users are taking it up quickly.
About “80% of new Android users and 60% of new iOS users” have already recorded at least one voice memo.
And on average, each user listens to about seven voice bios in one session of using the app.
Along with adding voice memos, Paktor has also overhauled other features within their profiles.
Users will find that they can share more about themselves under new categories including Horoscope, Blood Type, Body Type, Job Industry, Personality, and Social Habits.
If some of these seem strange (like why would someone want to know your blood type?), they were actually created in consideration of different habits across the app’s Asian user base.
Paktor Group Chief Technology Officer Luko Gjenero explains, “We are aware that Koreans care a lot about blood types and Taiwanese are concerned with horoscopes. Singaporeans and Hong Kongers are always curious about which industry the other party works in and whether they drink or smoke socially.”
“As with our user-first approach, we decided to add all these information to supplement the profile so that users can look beyond the photos and really get to know the person better. This also greatly increases the match rates,” he adds.
Voice Is The Way To The Heart
Singapore-based Paktor is the first homegrown dating app to release a voice bio feature.
The idea can probably be credited to picking up on the voice trend after they bought popular Taiwanese app Goodnight, among a swathe of acquisitions back in 2017.
Goodnight’s main function is to let users anonymously say “goodnight” to someone near them through a 7-minute call, and if they enjoyed hearing each other’s voices, they can become friends and chat again.
Paktor has studied that voice lets people communicate in some ways where text messages, which the digital generation is highly reliant on, are lacking in.
First of all, text messages can be easily misconstrued. “Comments intended as jokes can fall flat, quick responses could come off as being desperate,” Paktor says.
Hearing someone’s voice on the other hand, feels more “personal and genuine” and can let you sense their authenticity.
“The inflexions and intentions in voices help individuals communicate better, and make the person on the other side of the phone seem more ‘human’.”
This is one of the ways the dating company believes it can use technology to enable more meaningful connections, making their service more intuitive to the needs of “sincere singles”.
Featured Image Credit: Vulcan Post
