Over 50? Single? Ready to mingle?

Then let us introduce you to Lumen, you’re new Cupid.

Yep, there’s a new player on the scene who is only interested in the single ladies and gents over 50 who are looking for love. They are in fact, the first ever, app-only program dedicated to the older and wiser folks of Australia.

If you’re not quite ready to unlock your phone and start downloading your new future, here are our 5 reasons why you should, plus a few fun facts we learned about the new tech on the block.

1. Your chances look good
There are 2.3 million single Aussies over 50. So there are 2,299,999 other people just like you who are looking for love – and already more than 20,000 of them have signed up and are using Lumen. Lumen only launched on the 19th of February. That’s a very positive sign up rate.

2. You’re in the right hands
One of the co-founders, Charly Lester, is one of the UK’s most recognised dating experts. She also recognises that, “While there are existing senior dating sites, we believe they are dull and don’t represent the average  50-plus dater that you or I know…it’s clear that today’s 50-year-olds are vibrant, relevant and shouldn’t be classed as old. Lumen was born from the need to dispel these stigmas.” Charly, we’re with you. Let’s just hope you’re a better dating expert than those three on MAFS.

3. Consider moving to Victoria 
Victoria appears to be the place to be for over 50s with Victorian singles the most active in the pursuit of love. They currently spend the most time out of all the states on Lumen, spending 30% extra on the app per day than the average Australian. Over 50s in New South Wales came in second, spending 26% more time per day on the app.

4. Seriously, consider moving to Victoria
When it comes to striking up a conversation on Lumen, Victoria is also the most confident state, with singles initiating an average of 4.5 conversations per day, closely followed by New South Wales (4.3) and Western Australia (3.9). Northern Territorians were the most hesitant, only initiating 1.4 chats a day.

5. Western Australians love themselves.
Well, why wouldn’t they? Like all dating apps, your profile description is rather important. The over 50’s in Western Australia are the most chatty about themselves with profiles that are 13% longer than other states. On the other hand, Northern Territorians are shyer when it comes to talking about themselves, with profile descriptions 18% shorter than the average Australian.  “We have noticed that a shorter profile description leads to less activity on the app. Having a detailed profile description gives people more information about you and more ways to break the ice. As the data from the Northern Territories shows, the less you write on your profile, the less likely you are to receive messages,” adds Antoine. Summary – write more.

Lumen Co-Founders: Charly Lester(left) and Antoine Argouges(right,CEO)

Ok, so now you’re a little more intrigued to find out how it works right?

Well to start, the app is free to join and use, and each member can start six new conversations a day with other users. This is to prevent pesky spammers and encourage users to take time and think about who they contact and discuss. No more swipe right or left here.
However, there is a time limit (adding a little fun to the mix). Once a message is sent, the recipient has 72 hours to reply, after that it disappears from the inbox.

Now there’s even a minimum character length for ‘ice-breaker’ message to encourage meaningful conversations. It may appear annoying at first, like minimum character length passwords, however, it’s totally worth it. The more detailed the message, the better the connection.

If you hate the camera, be prepared. Your profile must have a minimum of 3 photos.

Of course, if you’d like to further explore the app you can join premium paid features to increase your daily message count and extend response time.

For further information check out the Lumen site.