Editor's note: This story pairs with 'Dating apps can present predatory dangers to users'
Melanie Washburn had been home from her LDS mission for three months, and the dating scene wasn't looking bright.
'Guys don't ask girls out in person anymore, and it was frustrating,' said Washburn, a Utah Valley University student.
Dilemma that complicates church apps s bold project to ensure all youth attain a temple marriage. The latest in Brown's church: 'Pictionary with Pudding. Now, however, singles wards apps be considered a secondary social meet - site online you may run into the match meet chatted lds the night before on Mutual, a dating site created exclusively for Mormons and monitored dating members who ensure only faithful mormon participate. The Mutual development team maintains the standards of faith and makes this LDS dating app a place where you will feel at home. LDS Planet platform also offers Mormon singles a mobile application. It is well known as an app for flirting, messaging, and dating local LDS members.
So Washburn decided to try out Mutual after listening to the advice of her sister, who was engaged to a man she met on an app.
The dating app for LDS singles
Washburn said at first she didn't want to use a dating app, but eventually she 'caved' to her sister's encouragement and decided to use Mutual because she felt it was safer than Tinder.
Mutual is a dating app specifically for Mormon singles looking to date other Mormons. It runs similarly to the popular dating app Tinder, with a more specific demographic and small differences such as swiping up or down instead of right or left on a person's picture.
'We built Mutual to help Latter-day Saints meet their eternal companion,' said Cooper Boice, Mutual's president and founder.
Boice said the app currently has more than 150,000 users across the world, with the highest concentration of users found in Utah, Arizona, California and Idaho.
'We started Mutual just two years ago, and there's already been hundreds of marriages,' Boice said. 'That's definitely the best part of the job.'
Washburn's success story
Washburn went on a handful of dates with men she met over Mutual before meeting her current boyfriend, Ryan Wilkey.
'He came and got me from my house and was bombarded by my family at the front door,' Washburn said. 'We went and got some food and were able to just talk and get to know each other. We really connected.'
Washburn said one of the main things they connected over was their missions.
'I was still fresh, so that's what I was comfortable talking about,' she said. 'The hours flew by and the date ended, and it just took off from there. Couple of days later we went on a hike and haven't stopped seeing each other since.'
Washburn later found out Wilkey was also pushed by a sibling to try Mutual.
'He was lucky, though — I was his first and last Mutual date,' she said.
Washburn said though she wishes finding a date could still be more traditional, dating apps don't have to take away all the traditional aspects of dating. She said Wilkey called her to set up their date, opens her doors and walks her to and from her house.
'I think it's just a good way to meet a variety of guys and possibly find the right fit for you,' she said.
Featured in the New York Times
Boice said one of his favorite Mutual success stories was recently featured in the New York Times.
The article, titled 'Headfirst With a Helmet, and Headlong Without,' featured Olympian hopeful Courtney Webb and her husband, Ryan Spencer, who married in February after meeting on Mutual.
Webb, who joined the LDS Church in 2015, is training to qualify as a skeleton athlete at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
According to the article, Spencer graduated from BYU with an economics degree and met Webb over the dating app while visiting New York, where Webb was living at the time.
Expanding globally
While the majority of the app's users are concentrated in the U.S., Boice said LDS singles from more than 100 countries use Mutual.
Boice, who served a Spanish-speaking LDS mission in South America, said his worldwide vision for the app was inspired by the people he met while serving.
'A girl told us there was nobody for her to date within 100 miles, and I was going to BYU before my mission and had never even thought about that,' Boice said. 'What would you do if there's no members your age in the area? Thinking about stuff like that was one of the biggest reasons for creating Mutual.'
Boice said he plans to make the app available in Spanish and Portuguese soon.
Dating apps and websites have grown in popularity across the nation and have likewise been embraced by many BYU students and LDS singles. BYU graduate Cooper Boice has put a new spin on the industry with the creation of Mutual, a dating app created for LDS singles looking to make romantic connections.
Apps like Mutual or Tinder are designed to allow users the opportunity to see other nearby singles. Many young single adultsare probably familiar with Tinder's swiping action to signal interest or rejection. Matches are made when two users express mutual interest. Conversation is only possible once two users have matched.
Mutual is similar in concept, but is unique in its approach as it is designed specifically for LDS singles.
Interracial dating central in coatesville pennsylvania. Boice came up with the idea for Mutual after graduating from BYU in 2014 and relocating to Arizona. Where other dating services may lack, Mutual excels, according to Boice.
'It is really hard to find LDS people on other dating apps,' Boice said. 'There are some LDS dating websites, but they are somewhat old-school and cost a lot of money.'
Mutual is free and available to LDS singles across the nation. Interested parties must have a Facebook account in order to establish a profile on Mutual. Boice said each profile is then manually evaluated to ensure that users stay within the appropriate guidelines.
Bob Carroll is Mutual's chief technology officer and one of the three co-founders. Carroll explained that reviewing each profile, in addition to Mutual's other policies, is a proactive approach to creating the right type of online dating environment.
'I believe that we can create a strong online community that upholds the LDS values,' Carroll said.
Lauren Call is a BYU student getting her masters in public health administration. Call is familiar with several dating apps and websites, including Mutual. She agreed that it can be difficult to identify LDS singles through other dating services. Call explained it can take an entire afternoon of looking through profiles for potential matches to find just a few that could work out.
Comparable apps and dating sites also seem to attract more vulgarity and crudeness as they grow in popularity, according to Call.
'I feel like the quality of men on (apps like) Tinder, in my opinion, is less,' Call said. 'I see more vulgarity and crudeness than I do when I first got it a few years ago.'
The creators of Mutual agree with Call's critique and hope to create an online dating environment that respects LDS Church standards. Boice believes Mutual stands above the competition thanks to the caliber of people using the app.
'The biggest value to Mutual is the really great quality of LDS singles using it,' Boice said.
The app first became available in April of 2016 for beta testing and attracted a healthy group of participants who have provided feedback to help make Mutual the ideal dating app for LDS singles, Boice said.
Mutual Dating Site Lds Group
Call also commented on the opportunity to offer feedback for potential improvement.
'I think it's just a good way to meet a variety of guys and possibly find the right fit for you,' she said.
Featured in the New York Times
Boice said one of his favorite Mutual success stories was recently featured in the New York Times.
The article, titled 'Headfirst With a Helmet, and Headlong Without,' featured Olympian hopeful Courtney Webb and her husband, Ryan Spencer, who married in February after meeting on Mutual.
Webb, who joined the LDS Church in 2015, is training to qualify as a skeleton athlete at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.
According to the article, Spencer graduated from BYU with an economics degree and met Webb over the dating app while visiting New York, where Webb was living at the time.
Expanding globally
While the majority of the app's users are concentrated in the U.S., Boice said LDS singles from more than 100 countries use Mutual.
Boice, who served a Spanish-speaking LDS mission in South America, said his worldwide vision for the app was inspired by the people he met while serving.
'A girl told us there was nobody for her to date within 100 miles, and I was going to BYU before my mission and had never even thought about that,' Boice said. 'What would you do if there's no members your age in the area? Thinking about stuff like that was one of the biggest reasons for creating Mutual.'
Boice said he plans to make the app available in Spanish and Portuguese soon.
Dating apps and websites have grown in popularity across the nation and have likewise been embraced by many BYU students and LDS singles. BYU graduate Cooper Boice has put a new spin on the industry with the creation of Mutual, a dating app created for LDS singles looking to make romantic connections.
Apps like Mutual or Tinder are designed to allow users the opportunity to see other nearby singles. Many young single adultsare probably familiar with Tinder's swiping action to signal interest or rejection. Matches are made when two users express mutual interest. Conversation is only possible once two users have matched.
Mutual is similar in concept, but is unique in its approach as it is designed specifically for LDS singles.
Interracial dating central in coatesville pennsylvania. Boice came up with the idea for Mutual after graduating from BYU in 2014 and relocating to Arizona. Where other dating services may lack, Mutual excels, according to Boice.
'It is really hard to find LDS people on other dating apps,' Boice said. 'There are some LDS dating websites, but they are somewhat old-school and cost a lot of money.'
Mutual is free and available to LDS singles across the nation. Interested parties must have a Facebook account in order to establish a profile on Mutual. Boice said each profile is then manually evaluated to ensure that users stay within the appropriate guidelines.
Bob Carroll is Mutual's chief technology officer and one of the three co-founders. Carroll explained that reviewing each profile, in addition to Mutual's other policies, is a proactive approach to creating the right type of online dating environment.
'I believe that we can create a strong online community that upholds the LDS values,' Carroll said.
Lauren Call is a BYU student getting her masters in public health administration. Call is familiar with several dating apps and websites, including Mutual. She agreed that it can be difficult to identify LDS singles through other dating services. Call explained it can take an entire afternoon of looking through profiles for potential matches to find just a few that could work out.
Comparable apps and dating sites also seem to attract more vulgarity and crudeness as they grow in popularity, according to Call.
'I feel like the quality of men on (apps like) Tinder, in my opinion, is less,' Call said. 'I see more vulgarity and crudeness than I do when I first got it a few years ago.'
The creators of Mutual agree with Call's critique and hope to create an online dating environment that respects LDS Church standards. Boice believes Mutual stands above the competition thanks to the caliber of people using the app.
'The biggest value to Mutual is the really great quality of LDS singles using it,' Boice said.
The app first became available in April of 2016 for beta testing and attracted a healthy group of participants who have provided feedback to help make Mutual the ideal dating app for LDS singles, Boice said.
Mutual Dating Site Lds Group
Call also commented on the opportunity to offer feedback for potential improvement.
Mutual Dating Site Lds School
'It seems like the people who have developed the app are interested in a lot of feedback,' Call said. 'I like that they want feedback; it makes me want to support their product more.'