A dating app which only lets users chat and meet on a Thursday has seen a surge in popularity among millennials who want to find a partner spontaneously like their parents did, its founder has said.
"Thursday" shuts down for six days a week to encourage users to match and arrange a date within 24 hours - rather than engage in lengthy flirtatious conversations which may never translate into a meet up.
This is thought to be the first dating app of its kind. Connections and conversations are deleted automatically at 00:01 on Friday, forcing users to swiftly arrange a meeting that day if they like someone.
Its founders say millennials, fatigued by lockdowns and fed up with e-meeting and online conversations, are desperate to interact with potential suitors in person the way our parents did in a more romantic setting amid the social media age.
Users grew by 80 per cent
Thursday used to be a traditional format dating application called Honeypot. But its founders realised activity was spiking on Thursdays, likely because daters are loath to give up their Friday night to a stranger they may detest after a few minutes of conversation. This gave them the idea of rebranding it as "Thursday".
The number of users grew by 80 per cent between November and December, with 80,000 active users last month.
Matt McNeill Love, one of the founders, told The Telegraph: "We saw a huge spike in activity on Thursday and thought 'how can we flip this on its head and make users excited about going on a date'? If we limit it to one day a week you create that buzz and excitement. You're forced to act and swap numbers or arrange a date for that day.
"Dating apps are great, but there's a massive trend in the Generation Z and millennials market where people just want to meet face-to-face rather than chat to a stranger online.
"Ten years ago it was cool to be dripping in tech, but people are now more conscious of screen time and wanting experiences in real life rather than virtually. It's extraordinary - it goes against the logic that technology is booming, the metaverse.
"People are desperate to find their person. We just want to meet the way our parents met and we're trying to engineer that environment. It's romantic. And there's nothing awkward about saying you met on Thursday because people don't know if you mean the day or the app!"
Users are split fairly evenly, with 52 per cent men and 48 per cent women. More than 320,000 people have downloaded the application since its rebrand in June last year.
Mr Love, who is 31 and single, said lockdowns have made people more "precious" with their time and Thursday is the perfect compromise: you can enjoy a few drinks knowing the weekend is near, but not have to take a gamble with the quality of your Friday evening.
ˉYou're not giving up too much time’
"On weekends people have birthdays, christenings, dinner parties and family time. To give up a Friday or Saturday night for someone you may or may not like within a few minutes is quite a big thing and a lot of pressure," he said.
"On Thursday you can have a couple of drinks and you're not giving up too much of your social life to someone you don't click with."
Inevitably, married couples or those in relationships could take advantage of the content deletion structure of the application to cover their tracks. While Mr Love acknowledges this may happen, he said cheating and affairs is certainly not encouraged.
James Preece, a leading dating coach with 17 years' experience helping singletons, said Thursday is so successful because it overcomes the paradox of choice.
"There's so much choice and people are overwhelmed," he said. "The more choice, the less likely you are to make one. Thursday allows you to focus one day a week on doing something about your love life, then you can get on with the rest of your life.
"It makes people think about what they want in more detail. They're forced to take action and not end up with virtual pen pals," he added.