Crush — A Dating App Where Men Make the First Move & Women Have the Final Say

The Short Version: Jasmine Young, Co-Founder of the Crush dating app, empathized with many frustrated online daters looking for love because she had experienced those same frustrations. She felt it was time to separate those looking for lasting relationships from those in search of a fun evening. So she helped design Crush, a dating app that takes a more in-depth approach to finding love by merging serendipity and decision making. Through the app, women ask men questions to narrow the field and choose to chat with the ones they find most interesting. Jasmine and her team think giving ladies the final say makes Crush a cut above the rest.

Jasmine Young had grown tired of generic dating apps where many users just seemed interested in hookups. She also consistently heard stories from women who said they were tired of being matched with men who didn’t understand women. Instead of standing by and waiting for something better to come along, she decided to take a stand for change and co-create the Crush dating App.

“Online dating is hard, but it’s even harder if we want to turn it into reality. That’s what makes Crush so different. It’s only for people who are looking for real love,” she told us.

Crush’s female users have the power to make the decisions.

Crush puts women in the driver’s seat by allowing them to ask questions to identify if their match has the substance, character, and integrity they’re looking for in a partner. The app attracts users for its ability to turn the tables around in terms of online dating.

One user, Frímann J., said Crush offered just the right touch when it came to creating connections and getting rid of the some of the early awkwardness.

“This app makes things different. You guys get to know each other first, break the ice, and everything becomes much more open and easier,” he said in an online review.

Crush continues to take the online dating world by storm with its innovative format and ability to foster stronger bonds.

After you sign up through Facebook, Crush pulls up several recommended profiles and allows you to swipe right to like and left to pass. When two people like each other, it’s a match. However, only mutual matches can chat with each other after playing Truth Or Dare. To play, a woman sets up a question and invites her matches to answer. If she likes the answer, the chat feature is unlocked.

If a response isn’t their cup of tea, they can unmatch and continue swiping. Women can also unlock the chat before guys answer their question if they choose, and guys who are interested in women are still free to answer a question before chatting with their matches.

Crush’s intuitive interface makes it easy for singles to find each other and connect.

Crush offers women an opportunity to get to know Mr. Right beyond just looks or his online persona. Women can create their own questions or choose from the app’s pre-loaded, classic queries. Jasmine said the questions can provide valuable insight into what their matches desire.

Some of the questions include: “How long do you want your next relationship to last?” and “What do you notice when you first meet a girl?” Jasmine said truthful answers level the playing field for and create a better outcome for everyone. A correct answer is one that is approved by the woman. Many users find the questions lead to better conversations and more solid connections right from the start.

The ladies-first approach has proven a successful strategy for Crush.

“We have around 50,000 active users now, and that number continues to increase,” Jasmine said. “Our members come from countries around the world, but most are from the US, the UK, and Australia.”

The app is free and popular in many metropolitan cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago. Users enjoy Crush’s judgment-free selection criteria, which means, in most cases, they can go with their gut. That speaks to the power of Crush’s algorithm, which relies on 50% luck and 50% personal preference and comfort level. The only rule on Crush is “ladies first equals love.”

“We wanted to encourage men to make the first move and give women the final choice. This way, men can make themselves stand out.” — Jasmine Young, Co-Founder of Crush

There’s no problem with changing your mind while using Crush. If you accidentally swiped left, you can shake your phone to undo that decision.

“We understand that women are tired of being spam on other dating platforms — that’s why we made this app. We wanted to encourage men to make the first move and give women the final choice,” Jasmine said. “This way, men can make themselves stand out by giving the best answers to the questions women ask. Ladies have the final choice to choose the right one to chat with, so it’s a win-win.”

Jasmine is incredibly proud of the Crush team and said they all value quality over quantity and create positive, meaningful, and authentic experiences for users. She credits the team culture and dedication to its mission as the driving forces behind the app’s success.

“While the quality is much more important than quantity, what we do is to keep our mission and help people find real love. That’s how we turn online dating into reality,” she said.

Users are flocking to the app because they see the team’s dedication. One user praised Crush in an online review in the App Store.

Pineda8x felt comfortable with the app’s layout and design, but she loved the idea of swiping with a purpose and having more insight into her potential matches.

Crush has a stellar rating on the iTunes store and plenty of glowing testimonials.

“Crush is a really cool idea. Instead of swiping continuously without knowing anything about each other, it broadens the chances of sharing and impressing first,” she wrote. “If the male side shows their real interest toward you… you as a female have the right to unblock the chat box if you’re attracted.”

Jasmine and the Crush team are excited about the app’s bright future. She expects user numbers to continue to increase based on the positive feedback she receives on a regular basis. She plans to maintain the high quality and add more romantic features to help users and build momentum.

In the future, Crush will give users expanded access to recommended profiles that could become possible love matches. Currently, users are notified when no more recommended profiles exist. When this happens, the team suggests that users edit their discovery settings, paying close attention to the age and distance categories which could lead to more potential matches.

Jasmine said she’s more motivated than ever to keep Crush top-of-mind for both current and potential users.

“We are very proud of Crush and will keep innovating,” she said. “We believe many love stories will be written thanks to Crush. We’re doing something to make online dating better, and we work hard to ensure that Crush is a safe and empowering platform for all of our users.”