Which Dating Apps Have Video Calling?

Of the big three, only Bumble has video calling inside the app. Hinge removed its voice and video calling feature and keeps voice notes and messaging. Tinder ended its Face to Face video chat. If you want a call without swapping numbers, Bumble is the one that gives it to you.

Here is the position on the three most common dating apps.

Calling is one of the features that changes often, so check the chat screen on your own app. If the call icons are there, it works. If they are not, the feature is not offered to you.

On Bumble, you have to match first. After that, call icons appear in the chat. You can start a voice or a video call from inside the app, and neither of you shares a phone number.

Bumble says it has no setting to switch calls off. So a woman you matched with can call you, and you can call her. That is worth knowing before you match with someone, because it means a video call is always a real possibility in a Bumble chat.

A call is a low-pressure way to check chemistry before you meet. A woman gets to confirm that you are the man in the photos, and she hears whether you can hold a conversation. You get the same in return. Ten minutes on video can save an evening spent with someone you do not click with.

It also helps with flakes. a dating coach's policy is to have a phone call before every date. In his experience the flake rate goes down a lot, and the woman usually arrives more excited to meet you. A voice is harder to ignore than a name on a screen.

If you matched on Hinge or Tinder, the call has to move to a different channel. That usually means her phone number. My rule of thumb is to move a conversation off the app in about four to seven texts, and a call is the natural next step once you have a bit of rapport.

Ask in a way that is easy to accept. Offer a short call to decide on a plan, and keep it brief. A line like "Want to swap numbers and do a quick call tomorrow so we can pick a place?" gives her a reason and a small commitment. She is not agreeing to a long phone date.

If she is cautious about her number, that is reasonable. A woman has more to lose than you do by handing it to a stranger. This is where Bumble's in-app calls help, because they take that worry away. On an app without calling, give her a day, and do not push.

Keep it short. Start with something light about her week. Ask one or two real questions about the thing she mentioned in the chat. When the conversation is going well, suggest a plan before you hang up.

Do not turn it into an interview, and do not spend the call explaining yourself. Be the same man who wrote the messages, only with a voice.

Some men ask for a video call in the first message, before she has any reason to trust them. That feels like pressure. Wait until you have talked for a bit and have a reason to suggest it.

Others use the call to avoid the date, and the chat becomes a long run of calls with no plan. A call is a step toward meeting, not a replacement for it. Whatever the app, the goal is a date, and the call is there to get you one.

Check which app your best conversations are on, and look for the call icons in a chat. If you have a match you like, suggest a short call or a plan within a few messages. If your app has no calling, treat the phone number as your next step instead, and keep the first call short and friendly.