Neene, a newly-launched vernacular dating app, is an attempt to help Kannadigas find long-lasting relationships

The way Kannadigas view dating has changed says the founder Able Joseph
Able Joseph
Able Joseph

The pandemic changed much, including the world of dating. Forced to stay indoors, many turned to apps to find companionship. While the English-speaking community may have found matches easier, thanks to several apps, those who communicate in local languages have had to look hard.

Bridging the gap is dating app Aisle’s new vernacular vertical for Kannada speakers, both in Indian and abroad. Called Neene, which translates to ‘only you’, it is Aisle’s fourth vernacular offering. Founder and CEO Able Joseph says, “We are focused on creating a personalised experience for different cultures and regions in India. Though Aisle is based out of Bengaluru, we didn’t get to work on the Kannada vertical because we already have a 9.5 million user base through our main app. We focused on other southern cities before we finally launched here last month.” 

The way Kannadigas view dating has changed, says Joseph, adding, “It’s definitely slow progress. Even though Kannada pop culture and films encourage love marriages and finding partners independently, the singles of the region didn’t really have a platform to explore their options online until now.”  A fun feature added to the app is the trivia game section.

“In order for people to not be socially awkward to start a conversation, we created a trivia game. We kept the questions very Karnataka specific,” Joseph says, adding that some of the questions included ‘What’s the full form of Nice Road?’, ‘In which situation will you best use swalpa adjust maadi?’, and ‘What’s the one movie that every Kannadiga should have watched?’, among others. One can opt for the premium account for R799 per month.

One of the significant concerns of dating apps is privacy. Many aren’t sure how safe they can feel or even if the profiles they are speaking to are genuine. Joseph says, “We understand such concerns which is why we don’t allow anyone to log in without their phone numbers  — something that is linked to almost all  documents. It’s easier to track someone through that. Selfie verification is also a must and only post that will accounts be activated.”

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