upendo

Upendo is an AI-powered mobile dating and social connection platform developed to support authentic interactions and safer user experiences. The project involved designing and building a consumer-facing mobile app along with a web-based admin system to manage identity verification, moderation workflows, communication, and monetization. The focus was on reliability, security, and long-term scalability rather than feature volume.

Idea Inception

The client wanted to create a modern dating platform that goes beyond basic swiping, prioritizes profile authenticity, user safety, and meaningful matches. Many existing dating apps suffer from fake profiles, weak moderation, limited personalization, and unsafe interactions. In addition, the client required a centralized system to manage subscriptions, reports, and community standards.

Our role was to translate these business and operational gaps into a structured product architecture that balanced user privacy, platform safety, and revenue growth.

Want to build a dating platform that stands out with AI-driven matchmaking and verified profiles?

Strategic Objectives

We defined clear technical and product objectives before development began. These objectives guided all architectural and UX decisions:

Establish a secure onboarding flow using OTP and social authentication.
Implement identity verification to reduce fake profiles.

Design an AI-powered matchmaking system driven by user preferences and behavior.
Restrict interactions to mutual matches while keeping communication secure.

Support monetization through subscriptions and in-app purchases.
Build an admin system capable of moderation, reporting, and analytics.
Ensure compliance, data protection, and future extensibility.

Our Approach

We approached the project as a trust-first system rather than a swipe-based interface.

For users, onboarding was designed to progressively build profile quality and safety awareness. Verification steps were intentionally placed early to reduce bad actors before they could interact with others. Match discovery logic was structured to improve relevance over time by analyzing preferences, location, and engagement behavior rather than relying on static filters.

For engagement and monetization, features such as encrypted messaging, gifting, and premium upgrades were introduced as optional enhancements. Core interactions remained accessible to avoid retention loss caused by restrictive paywalls.

For administrators, we developed a unified control panel that reduces manual intervention. Moderation tools, reporting queues, subscription management, and analytics were designed to work together, allowing faster response times and clearer operational oversight.

Key Differentiators

User Flow

Admin Flow

Ready to create a secure, engaging dating app with advanced features?

Key Features

1 Secure Registration & Onboarding:

Upendo supports multi-option sign-up with OTP validation and guided onboarding to improve account authenticity and feature understanding.

2 Profile Setup & Preferences:

We enabled detailed profile configuration supported by completion indicators to improve match visibility and data quality.

4 AI-Based Match Discovery:

Platform uses user preferences, location, interests, and behavior to suggest potential matches. Compatibility indexes and optional Elo scoring improve match accuracy over time.

3 Photo
Verification:

Implemented video-based verification with automated checks and a verified badge to confirm identity before enabling full interaction.

5 Matching &
Interaction:

Users can like or skip profiles through swipe gestures. A mutual like creates a match and unlocks chat. Premium users can send messages without matching, revisit skipped profiles, and boost visibility.

6 Chat &
Communication:

Matched users can chat using end-to-end encrypted messaging. Additional options include emojis, images, voice notes, and ice-breakers to improve conversation flow.

8 Subscriptions & Premium Features:

The app supports multiple subscription tiers with benefits such as unlimited likes, advanced filters, and profile boosts. Users can manage renewals, pauses, and billing through app store payments. One-time premium features are also available for purchase.

7 Gift
Module:

Users can browse a digital gift shop, add items to a cart or wishlist, and send gifts directly to matches. Payments are handled securely within the app, with delivery managed by the platform.

9 Safety, Privacy &
Reporting:

Users can block or report profiles and chats. Reported conversations are reviewed using automated urgency scoring, with high-risk profiles suspended for admin review. Privacy settings allow users to control visibility and data sharing.

10 Admin Panel
Features:

Admins can manage user accounts, review and moderate profiles, handle reports, and send notifications. The panel supports subscription and revenue management, gift and order control, and analytics to track user activity, onboarding completion, and engagement trends.

Challenges & Solutions

Why Upendo Matters

The global online dating market is set to surpass $10B by the early 2030s, showing strong demand for digital matchmaking platforms.
Nearly 30% of US adults have used a dating app, making it one of the most active mobile markets.
Over 80% of users prioritize safety and verification, highlighting the need for secure identity checks and reporting tools.
AI-driven matchmaking is becoming standard, with 80% of major platforms expected to adopt AI by 2025 for more accurate matches.
The virtual gifting market will hit $118B by 2033, proving users are eager to engage and transact through digital interactions.