How To Use Kik To Find A Date

Popular dating sites like Match.com and OK Cupid spend millions on algorithms and advertising to help you hook up, but the costs and constraints of these services can sometimes be a turnoff. That’s why many people (especially young people) are turning to chat apps and Instant Messages, or “IMs”, to find someone new. These apps may not always offer the sophisticated matching features of an online dating site, but they’re free and open. If this sounds like something you’d like to try, consider Kik. It isn’t just a messaging app, it’s a mini-ecosystem within which you can surf the net, chat, share media and ideas, buy stuff, sell stuff, and hook up. Kik is all about connecting people, and what they do after that is entirely up to them. If you’re new to the world of Kik, let’s walk through how to use it to find a date.

How to find people on Kik

You have four main ways to get yourself out there on Kik:

Share your Kik profile – Go to Settings and tap ‘Share your profile’.

Join a public group – Search for hashtags that match your interests and check out the results.

Start your own public group – If you can’t find what you’re interested in, start your own public group. It could be anything you like—politics, video games, sports, gardening, you name it. Give the group a meaningful name, and let people find it. Build it and they will come.

Use address book matching – Go to Settings -> Chat Settings -> Address Book Matching. The app will check to see who in your phone contacts has Kik and send a message. This can be a great way to expand your existing social network.

How to find a date on Kik

Kik is not a dating app, but it does lend itself well to meeting new people. Two popular Kik tools for finding a date are “Match & Chat” and “Matcher”. They have similar names but are different services. Type ‘match’ into the Kik web browser and both of these will appear. These apps are third-party services and will attempt to match you up with other like-minded Kik users.

Match & Chat requires you to link your Kik profile to its own website and allow it access to your Kik profile. You will then be able to browse their listing of users to find someone you like. It works a lot like Tinder, swiping left and right to select matches.

Matcher does much the same thing. Browse user profiles, identify people you like, and if they like you too, you’ll get connected.

Another popular Kik tool is Flirt!, which gives you a list of people within your age range living in your area to connect with.

You can also find fellow Kik users on Reddit. Check out Kikpals, a page specifically for Kik users wanting to meet others. Tumblr does much the same thing on Kik Single.

Other sites include:

Be aware, though, that the average age of the users on these sites is around 20. Some of the sites also include popups and pop-unders, so make sure your device is secure if you interact with any of them.

Tips for finding people on Kik

There’s no shortage of people to find on Kik, but how do you know if they share your interests? Most third-party sites or groups will include a small profile element for you to check, and if you’re lucky it will contain an image, an age, approximate location, and what they’re looking for. There should also be a ‘Kik Me’ button for you to tap to let them know you’re interested.

Tap Kik Me, write them a message, and then sit back and wait for a response. The person you message has to agree to talk to you before you can communicate. Some apps within Kik will keep your username private until they agree to chat, others won’t. Make sure you know what you are looking for.

Taking care

As with any online platform where people want to meet, chat, or whatever, you get the usual lowlifes, scammers, and worse. The usual rules apply to Kik as they do anywhere on the internet:

Never take people at face value. Kik does not require users to verify their identity, and the person you’re talking with might not be who they claim to be.
Don’t disclose too much private information until you’re certain the person you’re communicating with can be trusted.
Don’t share anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see.

Many legitimate users will ask you to record a video of yourself to prove you’re real. For example, someone might ask you to record yourself holding a pen on your forehead while saying their username twice. It may seem a little bizarre, but bots abound on Kik, and these videos are a common way of establishing your authenticity. Go with it.

Kik may be a messaging app but it has the potential for so much more. Hooking up on Kik is as simple as finding someone and asking them to Kik you. Meeting people doesn’t get easier than that!