We tried a dating app that hardly wants you to use it.

Dating apps are well and truly a part of modern life, in fact it’s hard to think of any single friends who don’t have one (at least) on their phone.

But popularity does not equal success. From my experience, literally hours of precious time is wasted aimlessly swiping or ignoring cringe-worthy chat up lines.

So when The Inner Circle asked if I wanted to try their app out, I was less than enthused at the idea of yet another dating app. But constantly in pursuit of something that might actually work, I gave it a go.

After having my profile verified (they have a team of people that manually do this), I was onto the platform. The Inner Circle prides itself on quality, meaning they ensure every new member is who they say they are. This means no fake accounts, no catfish, and everyone has up-to-date and high quality profile pictures.

What I really noticed though was how much the app pushes you to meet people in real life. The ‘spots’ feature is so smart, it’s a member verified list of all the best places in your city to meet, so you’re safe in the knowledge you’re going to tried-and-tested date venues. But what I liked the most was that I could see who also liked my favourite bar, and I could invite them to meet me there for a drink - it’s as easy as that. It sounds a bit weird, but it was actually incredibly useful, I even had someone message me from it and we actually met up at that bar we both liked.

Finally (and the best of all) were the events. I could see a long list of events happening all over the world, from cocktails on rooftops to underground house parties, there is really something for everyone.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Inner Circle. I could tell it was an app that’s been developed to get people away from their phones and meeting in real life. And honestly? I thought it was a breath of fresh air for the world of dating.

Why not try it for yourself (for free), sign up here, you’ve got nothing to lose.