Dating apps generally follow a pretty familiar formula: you can swipe left or you can swipe right, depending on your willingness to trade awkward DMs (and face the ever-present risk of the unsolicited dick pic). But can you really figure someone out from a few pics and a brief bio?

Not according to Snack, a new dating app billed as a cross between TikTok and Tinder, designed with a younger generation in mind. Following TikTok’s wildly successful lead, the app leads with video rather than static images. Instead of simply swiping, users post these videos to a feed, and enable direct messaging by liking each others’ posts. Users can also use TikTok to log in, and share their TikToks directly.

The idea is that videos posted over time offer a better way to showcase your interests and lifestyle, and could lead to more authentic interactions. According to a recent report from Tinder, daters are increasingly placing value on honesty and authenticity, as younger users flood the app (more than 50 per cent of Tinder is now Gen Z).

Now, Snack is also inviting Gen Z creators, influencers, and community members to invest in the project, with a “Gen Z specific syndicate” on the startup site AngelList. The app originally launched in February this year, having received $3.5 million in funding.

“I want Gen Z to have a seat at the table and help shape what Snack becomes,” founder Kim Kaplan tells TechCrunch. “I want them to have that voice and participate, and be a champion for Snack.”

In 2019, Dazed considered where the future of dating apps might take us: how they could become safer, more inclusive, and connect us more IRL — whether we’ll even use them at all (read more here). Some apps are already making progress in 2021, with Bumble introducing a ban on users who body shame their matches back in January. Hopefully, with a younger generation on board, new apps such as Snack can keep moving things in the right direction.