DEEP DIVE

Ship is advertised as “the hook (your friends) up app.” The collaboration between the media group Betches and Match Group debuted yesterday, on January 22, 2019. The name of the app is a reference to the term ship, which means to set someone up in a romantic relationship – to play matchmaker. This is not the first app of its kind. Wingman is an app which follows a similar model of friends setting each other up, or being their “wingman.” On Ship, users can join “crews”: groups of people on a mission to help their mutual friends find love – or at least a date. Crews can interact with each other via group chats where they can discuss potential matches, share profiles, and more. Users can also swipe through their own matches and then use the app’s interface to evaluate and discuss potential partners with their friends.

As it is a new app, it’s unclear how popular Ship’s model will be among consumers. It’s currently ranked the #67 social networking app on The App Store.

Users must be at least seventeen years old in order to download Ship. It has many similar elements to Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, and other swipe-based dating apps. Ship is meant for adults and geared toward millennials.