WhosHere Updates, Adds Video Chat for Free

A mobile social discovery app, WhosHere, updated yesterday, adding free video chat to the universal iOS build. The app allows users connect with an new emphasis on keeping random hook-ups safe(ish). The developers say “the biggest problem in meeting people online today [is] knowing that the person you are speaking to is exactly who they say they are.”

Exactly how they propose to solve this problem and provide a layer of security is unclear, but I think the idea is that providing personal details like phone numbers, addresses and information about where you are located at any given moment is best done in a video chat rather than by email or SMS, so people can speak "face-to-face." Some users complain there are a disproportionate number of men to women using WhosHere, so perhaps this move is intended to help remedy the imbalance ?

The service, clearly, is primarily for dating and casual connections, and gets tepid fan reviews, but if you're already using WhosHere, video chat should be a welcome addition. Certainly it unleashes some, um, creative communication potential beyond simple safety concerns. If you’ve used this service or test out the new feature let us know what you think in the comments.