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This Hookup App Tries To Do What Tinder Could Not

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While the world of apps at large might be entering into toddlerhood, dating apps are still infants in a lot of ways, battling browser-based originals including eHarmony, Match.com, and more obviously for the millennial set, OkCupid. Grinder and Tinder both made it big, but — especially in the latter case — it seems like only a matter of months before the MySpace curse sets in and relevancy is bullied out by mockery. And, Mixxxer, a new app based solely on sex, is vying to take that spot.
The app's co-founder, Michael Manes, told The Daily Beast about how his project — which isn't actually a traditional app, but more of a website built like an app — "went viral overnight...There’s definitely a gap in the market and we’re trying to fill that gap as best we can. We looked at some of the bigger guys like Adult Friend Finder and saw they were having trouble staying relevant in this new mobile landscape, they are kind of big and bulky."
Tinder's easy swipe feature seems in some way geared towards casual dating — if not outright casual sex — but Mixxxer minces no words. The site is explicit (hah!) about its purpose. Where another platform's call to action is "find someone," on Mixxxer it's "get laid." Users here are invited to share explicit selfies, belfies, what-have-you, and The Daily Beast reports that more than 100,000 users have signed up in eight weeks' time. It's early yet, but certainly one of the hurdles for the platform's future growth will be ensuring privacy on those nudes. The current method is a "shower door" pixelated filter optionally applied to photos.
The jury's still out on just how much potential Mixxxer has. But, one thing is certain: It's a step up from "29 hot singles in your area wanting to chat." Want more? Check out The Best Apps For One Night Stands. This story originally published October 4, 2014.

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