TORONTO — A video-only dating app co-developed by Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald has launched in Canada.
Called LOKO, the app features video profiles of its users instead of photos, and allows them to set up virtual dates.
Macdonald developed the app with entrepreneur and actor Vivek Jain of Regina.
The two have already launched it in other countries including the U.S. and Germany.
Its Canadian debut perhaps comes at a good time, as daters look for ways to connect safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
LOKO, which is an anagram for 'look,' is on the App Store and Google Play.
It's available for free, but to connect and set a date, users must pay a weekly subscription of $1.99 or $3.99 monthly.
A news release says the app aims to "weed out catfishing and spammers" and help people make "true first impressions" by "getting a stronger sense of their matches' personalities."
Jain pitched LOKO on the CBC entrepreneur show "Dragons' Den" last year.
"LOKO eliminates the first date of sorts, so you don't have to go two hours into something when you know within minutes if the date is bad," the Quebec City-born, Ottawa-raised Macdonald said in a statement.
"With video, you can't pretend to be someone else. You already have a good idea of what you’re in for."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2020.
The Canadian Press