The UK’s first-ever online dating app that requires full biometric ID verification of users to “improve safety and security” by preventing fake profiles, catfishing and romance fraud is now available for Mancunians to download.
Fluttr prides itself on offering a secure platform where people can safely find love, and make new authentic connections.
Having aptly-launched on Valentine’s Day, the platform has been designed as a new kind of dating app and online experience that is said to put real people – whose identities have been verified by full biometric ID verification technology – at the heart as a way of preventing commonly-seen abuses in the online dating world, including false identities, catfishing, and romance fraud brought on by anonymity and a lack of security.
If launching on the international day of love wasn’t appropriate enough as it is, Fluttr has also burst onto the scene amid growing awareness of the importance of online safety in the UK, as the government moves to strengthen laws to stamp out ‘threatening and knowingly false’ content or activities that harm individual users online.
On top of that, the current potential for abuse within the online dating sector has been highlighted in this month’s acclaimed Netflix documentary, The Tinder Swindler – which tells the story of a man who scammed women for millions after matching with them online.
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This is why Fluttr is so important.
But, how exactly does it work then? How is Fluttr different to other similar dating apps? And how is it changing the dating game for good?
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Fluttr prides itself on offering a secure platform where people can safely find love / Credit: Fluttr
What is Fluttr?
Fluttr is designed to combat the malignant behaviours proliferating on the internet that are all too evident in the world of online dating.
According to the app’s founders, Fluttr was created out of a vision to transform the landscape of social media and online dating, and give people a positive experience, as well as the safety and control that they deserve when it comes to making new and authentic connections.
How does Fluttr work?
Fluttr is pioneering the use of biometric ID technology to verify every new member from the minute they sign up to the platform.
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Ahead of being admitted into what is known as the Fluttr ecosystem to browse or engage with others, every new member must verify their ID with Fluttr’s digital ID verification partner Yoti – a global leader in digital ID services that is already used by companies and organisations such as the NHS, the Post Office, the NUS, and many leading UK retailers.
Yoti’s state-of-the-art technology ensures that all users are providing their correct details, which are verified from their government-issued ID documents.
The final identification of every user is verified so that those using Fluttr can be reassured that the individuals they are meeting on the app are truly who they say they are, which prevents fake profiles created by people to commit abuse, or by companies luring customers into false interactions for fees or commercial marketing purposes.
Fluttr makes use of award-winning AI-powered image moderation to “improve user safety and security” / Credit:
Why is it so important?
There’s no denying that the growing popularity of online dating apps in the UK over the last decade has led to a sharp rise in romance fraud, with at least one in five people having been the victim of catfishing, according to a 2021 survey by BetMinded.
In the first quarter of 2021, romance fraud cost UK dating app users more than £73.9 million, according to consumer association Which?, and Action Fraud – the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime – also recorded a 40% rise in dating app scams in the same period, as increased numbers of people chose to use online platforms to meet people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Creating “a safe ecosystem” is Fluttr’s top priority.
As well as working to properly verify new members, the app also has a team of content moderators who are tasked with maintaining the safety of the platform by taking down explicit images and removing users engaging in abusive behaviour. Next month, Fluttr will launch its AI content-monitoring feature, harnessing award-winning AI-powered moderation, that detects inappropriate images and language before they leave the sender’s phone to prevent inappropriate content from ever reaching the network.
What makes Fluttr different to other dating apps?
Fluttr’s wants to help reclaim the fun of online dating through a secure and verified environment that empowers users to find “100% real” connections with genuine people on an app where it’s “safe enough to take the risk”.
Once you sign up to the app, you can connect and play games with others on the newly-launched ‘Mystery Fluttr’ interactive feature – which is inspired by the iconic TV show Blind Date, and allows users to play both the roles of the contestant and the potential match.
Fluttr’s founders say they’re planning to release new games every six to eight weeks.
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Fluttr’s secure and verified environment empowers users to find “100% real” on an app where it’s “safe enough to take the risk” / Credit: Fluttr
What else are the founders saying?
“While online dating is now the most popular way to meet people, fake profiles, romance fraud and instances of abuse are taking away the fun and thrill of online dating,” admitted Rhonda Alexander – CEO and co-founder of Fluttr.
“We’re on a mission to transform online dating and reclaim its excitement by retaining itsfun and engaging parts while working to make it safer by using biometric ID verification technology that ensures users don’t have to worry about matching with a fake profile.
“As well as protecting users from fake profiles, Fluttr uses AI-powered content monitoring software to prevent unsolicited pictures and abusive language from ever reaching our users’ phones, and fun in-app games to help people connect without using inaccurate matching algorithms.
“We look forward to seeing Fluttr help people across Britain find love by making online dating a safer and more engaging experience for everyone.”
Where can I download Fluttr? And how much does it cost?
As an initial launch offer, all new users registering in February will be given a three-month free trial, as well as the opportunity to enter a prize draw for a case of champagne and a dinner for two at a restaurant of your choice, or a £1,000 shopping voucher to revamp your wardrobe or get your hands on the perfect date night outfit.
New users signing-up in March and April will be offered a discounted monthly subscription of £9.99 until the end of April, when the subscription reverts to its full monthly price of £14.99.
All users registering from May onwards will need to pay the full monthly subscription fee.
Rochdale’s incredible fire festival will bring blazing sculptures and fiery displays to town this month
Daisy Jackson
Rochdale will be filled with dazzling pyrotechnic displays later this month when the Ignite Fire Festival returns to town.
The spectacular free event will see the gardens opposite the Rochdale Town Hall – which reopened to the public earlier this year – transformed with fiery displays, blazing sculptures and illuminated installations.
The smash hit event debuted last year, attracting more than 10,500 people, and this year’s will be even bigger with three nights of magical family entertainment.
And the festival will culminate on the Sunday with the Rochdale Christmas lights switch-on.
Ignite Fire Festival comes from Walk the Plank, the outdoor arts specialists behind some of the UK’s biggest and best outdoor arts events, who have called upon artists and pyro technicians to create the many installations on show.
Between 5pm and 8pm each night, visitors will be able to walk past fire-based sculptures like goblets of fire, a daisy chain of flaming flowers, a fire bird with blazing eyes, and smaller birds circling a flaming nest – to name just a few.
There’ll also be sculptures that twist, flap and erupt with balls of fire, and ‘In The Balance’ will be a festival highlight, where rotating globes of flame seemingly defy the laws of physics.
Ignite Fire Festival is back in Rochdale this month. Credit: Supplied
Each evening, a fire drawing designed and made by local residents will be ignited alongside flaming hot performances from some of the UK’s top talent including Flame Oz – a thrilling fire dancing and juggling show.
There’ll also be performances from Liverpool’s Bring the Fire Project, local favourites Skylight Circus Arts, and street theatre and interactive arts group Travelling Light Circus.
Visitors should look out for Drum Machine, a 20-strong drumming collective, The Fire Man Dave performing a live fire show with fire eating and juggling, and Astro Aliens, a trio of cosmic beings that will entertain all ages.
The incredible event, sponsored by car supermarket The Trade Centre UK, is set to take place between Friday 22 and Sunday 24 November.
Ignite Fire Festival takes place in the gardens opposite the Rochdale Town HallThere’ll be performers as well as pyrotechnic sculptures. Credit; SuppliedIgnite Fire Festival is back for a second year. Credit: Supplied
After exploring the gardens, you’ll be able to pick up hot food, mulled wine and other seasonal drinks served each night.
On Sunday, Father Christmas will be in town to switch on the Christmas lights at 5.30pm in front of the town hall.
Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council said: “Last year’s Ignite Fire Festival and Christmas Light’s Switch On was a fantastic event and an instant hit with audiences from across Greater Manchester.
“It’s an exciting and unique event and the perfect addition to our big switch-on, providing family entertainment across the weekend.”
Mark Bailey, founder and owner of sponsor Trade Centre UK added: “Our partnership with Ignite Fire Festival and the Rochdale Christmas Lights Switch On is a fantastic opportunity to give back to a community that has welcomed us so warmly.
“At Trade Centre UK, we believe in more than just selling cars; we believe in being part of the fabric of the local area. Supporting events like this, which bring people together to celebrate in the heart of Rochdale, aligns perfectly with our core values of community and connection.”
The event is free, and no tickets are required. Ignite is organised by Rochdale Borough Council in partnership with Walk the Plank and Culture Co-op, a ‘Creative People and Places’ programme, funded by Arts Council England.
Find out more and plan your visit to Ignite Fire Festival HERE.
Science and Industry Museum to transform into immersive ‘Light Lab’ as part of 2024 festive events programme
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most popular museums will be transformed into an immersive ‘Light Lab’ for the festive season.
As the temperatures begin to drop and Christmas creeps closer, this is your chance to escape the cold and brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour, as the Science and Industry Museum has now unveiled its upcoming festive events programme.
You can also explore a gaming extravaganza, and be engrossed by festive-themed science shows at the city centre-based museum this December.
Back by popular demand, after enchanting visitors of all ages in previous years, the museum’s free Light Lab will be making a return for 2024 – with everyone invited to discover the secrets of light through illuminating activities, special shows, and immersive experiences.
The Science and Industry Museum will transform into immersive ‘Light Lab’ this winter / Credit: Jason Lock (via Science Museum Group)
As Greater Manchester is known for its grey winter days, a series of illuminating experiments will bring colour to your lives in the interactive Light Lab, where you can explore a hall of mirrors, discover how to bend light, and even take a dance break in the rave room, before taking a journey from the Sun back to the Earth during special science shows led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers.
You’ll be able to discover how light travels through our atmosphere, explore the science of solar flares, and even marvel at a mesmerising display of the Northern Lights – with real NASA footage of the Aurora Borealis.
If all that exploring has got you tired out, then you can slow things down in the Recharge Retreat and get comfortable with a picture book, or explore the relationship between colour and mood and why nature is so important to our health.
You can escape from the cold, and learn a thing or two while you’re at it / Credit: Science Museum Group
But if you’re looking for a change of pace, you can also enjoy the museum‘s ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, to immerse yourself in a whole host of different digital worlds by working your way through five decades of video games, or learn about how what we eat can have a huge effect on our brains and bodies at the Operation Ouch! exhibition.
Then, for something a little different all together this festive season, you can grab a ticket for the first of the 2024 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures being screened live at the museum on Tuesday 10 December, ahead of the broadcast on the BBC.
The Winter Holiday Programme at the Science and Industry Museum runs from 14 December 2024 through to 5 January 2025.
Emily Sergeant -
17th February 2022 
