5 apps for the queer community that aren’t Grindr or Tinder

If you’ve ever waded into the water of online dating, you’ll know the seas can get a little choppy once every often – and if you’re using Grindr or Tinder for anything other than hook-ups, you might be finding it difficult to make a real connection.

Perhaps you aren’t looking to date at the moment, but are looking for LGBTQI-focused apps that provide reprieve from the constant scrolling through social media posts.

We’ve found some additions to your app library that you might not have known about before – here are five apps to check out.

Quist

History buffs, take note! Quist is a free app that provides users with daily historical titbits relating to LBGTQI+ and HIV/AIDS history. Start expanding your knowledge with facts about everything from watershed moments in the history of queer people, to significant love stories and firsts in LGBT history that will make you the most interesting person at your next dinner party. Quist provides new facts every day, also offering search options by date, year and country. Each entry contains a brief description and an image, links to websites, videos, and products like DVDs or books, and a cited source.

Download Quist for your Apple device.

Koer

If you speak Afrikaans and are looking for an alternative dating app to try out, check out the locally developed Afrikaans-language app, Koer. Koer is the brainchild of Armand Aucamp, the heartthrob you’ll recognise from Die Boekklub and Ballade vir ’n Enkeling. Koer is also tailored for gay and lesbian users, with a user interface not too unlike what you’ve gotten used to. Koer likes to focus on real interaction rather than impressions based solely on looks, so you’ll get the opportunity to message the person you’d like to “koer” to directly to woo them with your words. The app’s wordplay is also on point.

Koer is available for Android and Apple users.

Lex

Speaking about wooing them with your words, Lex is a queer dating app for lesbian, bisexual, trans, non-binary, genderqueer, intersex, asexual and queer people that also lets users speak for themselves, so to say. Based on the personal ads in the newspapers and magazines of yesteryear, Lex lets text take front and centre with a short ad. Lex users can customise their search in a variety of ways, including based on age range, distance and keywords. Clicking on a personal ad takes you to a user’s profile, from where you can message them directly. The app is lo-fi and doesn’t feature any pictures, so this is the time to make your words count.

Download Lex from the Apple App Store or from the Google Play Store.

Feeld

Online dating can prove especially difficult for non-binary or trans people who often simply can’t find the correct pronouns and terminology on more widely used dating apps. Feeld tries to bridge this divide by offering every gender description and pronoun option you can think of. Feeld has also been tailored to accommodate polyamorous couples, giving them the option of a shared profile to find like-minded individuals for hook-ups or relationships. The app also prides itself on being a safe space for people who are still figuring out just what they are looking for, and conversations are encouraged. Whatever your gender identity or sexuality, Feeld can help you find someone to chat to or invite for a drink.

The app can be downloaded to iOS or Android devices.

GeoSure

GeoSure is a travel app that lets users stay safe wherever they are venturing, and it’ll be very useful if you’re planning international travel when we’re allowed to do that again. With GeoSure, users are able to access neighbourhood-level, real-time LGBTQI safety ratings for more than 40 000 places across the globe. The app rates an area’s safety based on seven different categories: overall safety, physical harm, health and medical, theft, women’s safety, LGBTQ safety and political freedoms. As many destinations are still unfortunately not safe for LGBTQ travellers, you’d do well to check a specific area’s rating before booking tickets for your next international trip.

Download GeoSure to your Android or Apple device.