Her (dating app)

HER

Developer(s)	Dattch Ltd.
Initial release	June 2015 (2015-06)
Stable release	6.7.6 (iOS) / December 12, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-12-12)
Preview release	3.01.19 (Android) / December 10, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-12-10)
Operating system	iOS 10, Android 8.0
Size	iOS: 54.6 MB Android: 35.4 MB
Type	Dating & Community
Website	weareher.com

Her is a dating and community app for the lesbian, queer, bisexual and sapphic community. It was designed for women; non-binary people; and transgender people (including trans men and trans women).[1] It is available for iOS and Android.[2][3]

The app has features designed for the LGBTQ+ community, such as Pride Pins, sexuality and gender labelling and a community for identities and interests and event listings.[4]

History

The app was founded by Robyn Exton and launched in September 2013 under the name of Dattch.[5]. It was originally dubbed a lesbian app. [6]

It was originally designed after Exton was inspired by the app for gay men Grindr. The idea was "born from Ms Exton's frustration with existing lesbian dating websites and apps, which she didn't think were good enough. She says the market was dominated by "dating sites that were initially created for gay men, and tuned pink for lesbians".[7] After releasing it she learned that women were looking for a different user journey and decided to build the first dating user journey truly designed for women.[7]

In 2015 HER was launched globally, clinching publicity from publications such as TechCrunch and Washington Post[8][9]

Investors

In March 2013, Her (then Dattch) received €40,000 in funding upon joining the start-up incubator Wayra Academy, owned by Telefonica.[10]

In September 2013, the application raised £100,000 from three investors including founder of W3 Ltd, Yannick Pons and Investor & Chairman of YPlan Andy Phillipps.[11]

In March 2014, Dattch received a US$25,000 investment prize after being awarded with Best Design at 2014's LAUNCH Festival.[12]

In March 2015, after $1 million in funding from investors such as Alexis Ohanian, and Garry Tan and Michael Birch from Y Combinator, Dattch was renamed to Her.[13]

Reception

Her has been well received by LGBTQ communities. In ReadWrite's article, "Why Queer Women Need Their Own Dating App," Dattch was called "one of its kind" and "the app queer women have been waiting for."[14] Lesbian news portal Autostraddle said, "it is a pleasure seeing technology created with women's needs being considered so carefully."[15]

Cultural references

HER was featured on the Tamron Hall show in 2021 with Exton being surprised by a lesbian couple that met on the app and later married.[16]

References

1. "Dattch- dating and social network for Women of all kind interested in meeting like minded women. HER app is diversely used for all Women for all reasons". Official Website. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
2. "Dattch Lesbian Dating & Lesbian Social Network". iTunes Store. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
3. "Dattch - The Lesbian App". Android Apps on Google Play. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
4. "CEO and Founder of HER Robyn Exton Shares How She Celebrates Pride from Her Corner of the Internet | The Mozilla Blog". blog.mozilla.org. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
5. Lomas, Natasha (22 September 2013). "Dattch, A Pinterest-Inspired Dating App For Gay Women, Closes $160K To Fuel Its UK Beta". TechCrunch. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
6. "Robyn Exton, founder of HER, on why she's not just building Grindr for girls: 'I haven't suffered sexism — no one thinks that a man should run a lesbian app'". The Standard. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
7. "How Robyn Exton grew popular lesbian dating app Her". BBC News. 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
8. "Appy Friday: Her, the dating app just for women". Washington Post. 2021-10-28. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
9. Crook, Jordan (2015-07-16). "Her, The Queer Dating App For Women, Goes Live Across The United States". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
10. O2 (28 March 2013). "Wayra UK selects new start-ups". O2 Blog. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
11. Golburn, James (26 September 2013). "£100,000 investment for Dattch includes YPlan Chairman". Tech City News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
12. "LAUNCH Festival 2014: And the winners are..." LAUNCH blog. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
13. Crook, Jordan (18 March 2015). "With $1 Million In New Funding, Dattch Lesbian Dating App Rebrands To Her". TechCrunch. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
14. Hatmaker, Taylor (3 Mar 2014). "Why Queer Women Need Their Own Dating App". Read Write. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
15. Stef (28 February 2013). "Dattch: New Lady-Dating App That Could Change Everything Launches in US". Autostraddle. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
16. "This Lesbian Dating App Made Finding Love Easy for Queer Women – Tamron Hall Show". Tamron Hall. Retrieved 2024-03-22.