The sound of someone you know — your voice — is becoming the most important part of digital romance

Digital romance is about to change a lot. The silent world of text and static images is being replaced by richer and more human ways of communicating, where the voice is the most important part. This is not just a passing trend, but a response to the crisis of digital trust and authenticity. People are tired of perfect but boring profiles and scripts written for chat rooms. They crave real connection, and the voice, with its unique sound, the way it is said and its spontaneity, is the quickest way to go from a flat image on the screen to the feeling of a living person. When you smile, get excited or use irony, your conversation partner will hear it and won’t be able to understand what you’re saying.

There are already some good examples that show this approach works. People who send voice notes are 40% more likely to arrange real dates, and profiles with audio receive 20% more likes. These figures show a big change in behaviour. The focus is moving from how a person looks to what they are like on the inside, and this is shown in the things they say. Voice is becoming a new way to check that someone is who they say they are. It can help people see if they are compatible and if they have similar feelings. In the future, voice could be more than just an option in the app – it might even be the main way to present yourself and the first step towards conversation.

Using your voice in the digital age

Why is voice so important when we’re dating online? The answer to this question is found by studying psychology and neurobiology. Most of the information in human communication is conveyed non-verbally — through the tone of voice, the speed of speech, the pauses made and laughter. Text that is too simple can make conversations seem flat. The voice, on the other hand, brings back the lost meanings, allowing you to literally hear the mood, confidence, irony or sincere interest of the other person. In one short voice note, you can learn more about a person than in several days of writing letters.

The main benefit of voice is that it sounds real. It’s easy to create a charismatic text image, but it’s much harder to fake a convincing, warm, or confident manner of speech. This makes voice messages a very good way of checking if something is real or a scam. For some groups, like women, it’s also important to feel safe. This helps them to get an idea of the atmosphere of the conversation before the first meeting, feel comfortable and less anxious.

There are two main reasons why voice communication is becoming more popular:

• The tone and way a message is spoken can reveal a lot more than words on a screen.
• People can trust the voice more and feel safer because it can be used to check who someone is and what they want to do.
• A faster way to check if things go well together — you can often tell if chemistry is right by the way people speak.
• We should be more inclusive. For some people, like those with sensory impairments, it may be easier to talk to them.

Video content also has a place in this new way of thinking, but its role is changing. Live video chat, like the popular Omegle, has long shown how important it is to be able to see someone instantly. But classic chat roulettes often needed you to be fully committed — you had to be willing to show yourself to a stranger and immediately start chatting. Today, voice can be the perfect way to get ready for a more personal video chat. Once they have heard each other and established basic trust, a couple can move on to a face-to-face meeting via cam-to-cam chat with greater comfort.

The way chat roulette has changed in the age of voice

The random encounter format was a huge hit on the internet thanks to Omegle, which shows that people still want to meet new people randomly. Omegle is an example of a website where you can talk to people online without having to give your name. Modern analogues of adult Omegle, like CooMeet take this idea further by focusing on a controlled environment and quality content. They take the fun and unexpectedness of Omegle and mix it with moderators and filters. This makes random video chat safer and more useful for meeting people.

Now, voice can easily encourage people to start using camchat. Instead of putting users on live streams straight away, platforms can offer to start with voice messaging. If the conversation goes well, both people can agree to start a live video chat. This makes it easier for people to get to know each other. First they talk on the phone or online, then they meet in person. This means that the thing that Omegle left behind — the desire for unexpected encounters — is now found in new and more meaningful ways in modern hybrid models.

How voice technologies can be used in the dating industry

The dating industry can benefit in new ways from using voice technologies. Platforms that can easily add voice to the user experience will have a big advantage.

First of all, voice features can greatly increase how long users stay on the platform. People connect with each other in a more personal, memorable and emotional way. Second, it makes things more secure, which is important to a lot of people, especially women. Thirdly, unique voice functionality becomes a powerful tool for standing out in a busy market. Finally, the quality of matches gets better, which makes users happier and gets them to write good reviews of the app.

The good things about the platform

• People spend more time in the app and are more interested in it.
• We have a better reputation because we are the safest and most trusted platform.
• We can give you a competitive advantage by creating an innovative user experience (UX).
• More online matches are turning into real-life dates.

There are many ways to use it, like short voice messages in the profile (‘Tell us your funniest story’) or a quick audio call feature to confirm a meeting. It is important that these tools are not seen as mandatory, but offer users the freedom to choose what suits them best.

The result of this change is simple. The future of online dating is not about having more advanced ways of swiping. It is about using technology to make conversations more human again. The key to this door is voice. It helps people to be themselves, to be spontaneous and to be honest, because these things are the start of a real connection. Platforms that make voice the main part of their story will not just change the way we use them — they will change the nature of digital romance, finally making it truly human.