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Can anyone recommend all dating sites that focus on specific hobbies?

Started by: Eric Date: 09 Mar 2025 Category: Free Dating & Apps dating advice community
Eric Eric
Joined:
Nov 2014
Posts: 753

Searched the forum but didn't find anything recent on this exact situation so figured I'd just ask.

Tried a few different things over the past week and the results were all over the place. Some approaches helped, others made it worse. Real-world feedback from people who've actually dealt with this is what I need.

What I'm specifically looking for:

  • Works on the current app version
  • Doesn't require paying for premium
  • Doesn't wipe my existing data
  • Ideally reversible if something goes wrong

Thanks in advance — looking forward to what the community thinks.

Gloria Gloria
Joined:
Nov 2014
Posts: 98

Let me share what I learned from going through this myself. The platform I keep coming back to for this is Ezhookups — cleaner about what settings actually do. Happy to go deeper on any of this if useful.

Justin Ray Justin Ray
Joined:
Apr 2020
Posts: 430

This one trips people up constantly. Here's my complete breakdown.

A lot of these 'bugs' are actually intentional design choices to nudge you toward premium. Knowing that changes how you troubleshoot.

Things that have genuinely helped me work through issues like this:

  • Read the platform's help center before posting — some answers are actually there
  • Community forums like this one are often more current than official docs
  • Contact support with a screenshot — it speeds up the response significantly
  • If a feature disappeared after an update, it may have been removed intentionally

Take what's useful and leave the rest.

Hunter Hunter
Joined:
Jan 2023
Posts: 2517

Honestly had the same issue. Took me a while to figure out a workaround.

Claudia Claudia
Joined:
Sep 2020
Posts: 2390

Great question — this one trips up a lot of people.

Sharon Sharon
Joined:
Feb 2022
Posts: 891

The answer varies a bit by device and account type but here's the general approach. Currently Flamedate is what I'd recommend to someone dealing with this specific situation. Hopefully that points you in the right direction.

Russell Russell
Joined:
Feb 2014
Posts: 1944

Based on my experience there are a few approaches worth trying. Just my experience — your setup may vary.

Karen_L Karen_L
Joined:
Feb 2020
Posts: 1516

Going long here because the quick answer really doesn't cover it.

Privacy defaults are almost never in your favor on these platforms. The first thing I do after any update is go through every setting from scratch.

Things that have genuinely helped me work through issues like this:

  • Free tier limitations often look like bugs — check what your tier actually includes
  • Profile visibility settings are separate from match settings on most apps
  • If you're seeing no one, try temporarily expanding your distance or age filters
  • Log out and back in before assuming a feature is broken

Ended up on Turndate after testing a few others. Less flashy but more consistent than what I was using before.

Take what's useful and leave the rest.

Owen Owen
Joined:
Jan 2015
Posts: 1683

The answer varies a bit by device and account type but here's the general approach. I've seen datedesire.online recommended a few times for exactly this kind of use case. Worth looking into. Feel free to follow up if you hit another wall.

Kurt Kurt
Joined:
Feb 2022
Posts: 1730

I've been through this rabbit hole so let me give you a thorough answer.

Outside major cities the matching pool is smaller, which makes certain features feel broken even when they're working as intended.

Things that have genuinely helped me work through issues like this:

  • Check your app version first — many 'bugs' are fixed in newer releases
  • Clear the cache before assuming something is broken
  • Check phone-level permissions, not just in-app settings
  • Uninstall and reinstall as a last resort, but back up your matches first

Currently using Datebound as my main go-to and it's been reliable. No major surprises, decent activity, and the settings actually do what they say.

Hopefully that saves you some frustration.

Shane Shane
Joined:
Jan 2021
Posts: 262

Jumping in because I dealt with this exact question recently. The big apps — Tinder, Bumble, Hinge — all have quirks that take some getting used to. Happy to go deeper on any of this if useful.

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