App finds you a date based on what you hate

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Dating apps are nothing new, and aren't for everyone, but the latest to launch features a new twist. A week before Valentines day, the new way to find a date is all based on the things you hate.

Hater is a mobile app that asks users to build a profile by swiping on topics to express either their love or hate for the subject.

"We just want people to have fun with online dating," said Brendar Alper, founder of Hater, in a phone interview with FOX26 Saturday. "Our philosophy is it's gotten so tired and monotonous with Tinder and Bumble. They're all kind of the same. It's all kind of boring."

As you swipe on everything from The Bachelor to Shai LaBeuff, Hater builds your profile. It's meant to be more fun than a long survey but more in-depth than only having pictures and basic info.

The app appears to use your Facebook relationship preferences to determine what types of individuals to display as matches. Users are given a percentage for how well they match other users in their area, and can look at which topics they have in common versus where they may differ.

"Our view is that even people with different political views may find they have more in common than they have apart," said Alper.

Alper noted that while the app may be based in a sense of cynicism, it is not meant to encourage bullying.

"We are very against any hate speech, bigotry, or discrimination. We have no tolerance for any of that. Any of the topics we have we carefully curate ourselves to make sure there is nothing unsavory that goes in there," explains Alper.

Relationship expert and psychotherapist Mary Jo Rapini says several clients have already approached her about the app.

"Right away, if it were a first date, you'd have a common bond," says Rapini. "They feel like there's a different truth with it. Maybe that they're cynical enough, or jaded enough, that they bond over what's annoying."

Hater's team claimed to have over 30 thousand people on the BETA version of the app, which officially launches February 8th.

The top 3 most hated items on the app right now, according to the company: the presidential election of 2016, drain hair, and bad sidewalk etiquette.

"I think it's a great ice breaker," says Rapini. "Is it any more than that? Time will tell."