
This app is like Tinder without texting
Don’t type, just speak
One reason why all of that takes time is that everything is based on text. It’s slower than talking, and people can wait for hours or even days to respond. But what if rather than typing, you can just speak to each other in real time?
That’s possible with a number of social apps in China, based on voice rather than texting.
Users can take part in a variety of chat rooms. Some resemble amateur radio shows where the hosts play songs and tell jokes. Others are more like group dates. If there’s a match, the couple leaves the group and retires to a private one-on-one chat room to talk further.

One of them is is called YuWan (which means “voice play” in Chinese). It’s rated 4.3 stars and ranks among the top 100 social networking apps on Apple’s App Store in China.
When I entered one of these dating chat rooms on a weekday afternoon, one woman was proclaiming her love for a man she just met.
“Although your voice doesn’t sound that good, it’s exactly what I like,” she said, giggling.
The man, teasing her, responded, “Your voice sounds terrible.”
Another chat room felt a bit like Bumble, a dating app where only women can initiate contact with men. Here, a man comes in and reports his height, weight, age, hometown and profession. The women then probe him with questions.
When I was there, a young man from the eastern province of Shandong with a soft, timid voice announced that he’s 18 years old.
“Oh my god, 18. I’m 19 years old!” exclaimed one woman. “I’m older, do you mind?” (Answer: “No.”)
Another woman, 21, asked, “What if you found someone younger at school?”
“I won’t,” laughed the man, without elaborating.
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We’ve reached out to YuWan by email but didn’t receive an immediate response. (Monday is a public holiday in China.)
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
