Dec. 31, 2020
What is “Dating Sunday?”
- The first Sunday of the year, known as “Dating Sunday,” has become the busiest day of the year for online dating.
- According to a research study by Stanford University, connecting online has become the most popular way couples meet. Due to the pandemic and more frequent use of smartphones, potential couples may find it easier to meet using mobile technology.
What apps are available to help make the first move?
- With the Bumble app, women are required to send the first message after a match. For a deeper online dating app experience, Coffee Meets Bagel sends curated daily matches, or “bagels,” each day at noon with suggested icebreakers. If you’re looking for a serious relationship, the Hinge app allows users to create engaging profiles, including potential deal breakers, such as political leanings, religion, interest in children and more.
What are some tips UScellular can share for people to enhance their online dating experiences?
- Explore art, history and culture through a virtual screenshare date. Share a tour of the Museum of Modern Art, Eiffel Tower, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and much more on a Zoom date through Google Arts & Culture. With a smartphone or tablet, discover the treasures, stories and knowledge of more than 2,000 cultural institutions from 80 countries.
- Connect through music at a virtual concert. Get to know each other’s musical tastes with NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts on YouTube. Billboard also provides an ever-expanding list of shows and musical events to stream from the comfort of home.
- Plan a virtual movie night. In a study by OkCupid, more than 30,000 respondents indicate that watching a movie or TV show together is their ideal virtual date. The Netflix add-on Teleparty (formerly known as Netflix Party) enables synced video viewing and live chats to share each other’s reactions. Hulu (No Ads) and Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV members also can use the Hulu Watch Party feature to access thousands of on-demand movies and shows to watch together.
- Give a personal tour of your life. Show your date around your college campus, favorite coffee shop or even the house you grew up in via Google Maps on a Zoom date.
- Get creative with a virtual paint night. All you need is acrylic paint, paintbrushes and a 15×12-inch canvas to enjoy a Yaymaker virtual paint night. These affordable, virtual classes are presented live through Yaymaker’s streaming platform. Crayola and Google Images also offers free printable coloring pages for adults.
- Challenge each other to a game night. Keep the date low-key with a game of Animal Crossing or Scrabble Go while you video chat. Challenge your date to a game of Bitmoji Tennis or Slide the Shakes via Snapchat. Test each other’s trivia knowledge with a virtual round of Trivial Pursuit.
What ideas can you share for online dates that get people on their feet?
- Cook and enjoy a new recipe together via the Cookpad app (free on both iOS and Android) that allows users to connect and share recipes and photos, as well as chat with each other about what’s cooking. No matter the experience level, users can cook to impress with more than 4,000 recipes and easy step-by-step instructions with Tasty. Share your progress via Facetime, Skype or Zoom and then virtually enjoy your creations together.
- Solve a virtual escape room. Harry Potter fans can enjoy a virtual Potter-themed escape room using Google Docs. Looking for more of a challenge? The Escape Game also offers discounted virtual escape rooms for more seasoned, remote adventurers.
- Work up a sweat (from a distance). Set up a virtual workout video chat, download the FitOn app (free on both iOS and Android) and choose a workout to try together. FitOn offers cardio, strength, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), yoga and Pilates with pre-recorded workout classes taught by celebrity trainers, including Jonathan Van Ness, Julianne Hough, Gabrielle Union and more.
About UScellular
UScellular is the fourth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier is building a stronger network with the latest 5G technology and offers a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. It is ranked #1 in the North Central Region in the J.D. Power 2020 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study – Volume 2. To learn more about UScellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with UScellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.
