Tinder, Happn, Hinge, Bumble, Grindr … when it comes to modern day dating, there’s certainly no shortage of apps to download in the quest of meeting The One. And if you’re currently single, you’ve probably heard of – or even used – a lot of them. But there’s one that might not be on your radar yet – Raya.
The dating app officially launched in 2015 and was first plugged as an “online membership-based community for dating, networking and making new friends”.
But it quickly became known as the invitation-only exclusive app for influencers, artists and every celebrity from A to C-list, looking to find love – or maybe just their next slice of arm candy.
While you wouldn’t think that celebrities need any help in landing a date, it seems half of Hollywood has given Raya a whirl. Amy Schumer’s used it, Demi Lovato got rejected from it, while Drew Barrymore has admitted her experience on the app was a “car wreck”.
And although he’s now happily enjoying a reignited romance with ex-fiancée Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck confirmed he also had a profile in early May. He sent comedian Nivine Jay a video message on Instagram, which later went viral, after she rejected him because she thought his dating profile was a fake.
“Why did you unmatch me? It’s me,” the 48-year-old actor laughed in the video.
The list of stars using the app is mostly purely speculative, with Raya’s terms of service banning taking screenshots and disclosing the identity of any user.
While privacy is understandably a huge requirement for its high-end clientele and most feel assured with the app’s policy, there’s naturally been a few users who have got carried away after coming across a celebrity.
Matthew Perry was exposed as a Raya user last month, when TikTok user Kate Haralson released a video chat she had with the Friends star after matching on the app last year.
“When you match with Matthew Perry as a joke on a dating app and he FaceTimes you and plays 20 questions with you,” she captioned the video. The 20-year-old was later banned from the app for the privacy breach.
Although the app’s user base isn’t restricted to Hollywood stars and supermodels, the application process is particularly gruelling (for dating app standards) and only about 8 per cent of applicants make the cut.
Each application needs to include your Instagram handle and a referral from someone who is already a member. It’s then screened by a secret committee of 500 trusted members who vote on every application, looking for that “hard to describe ‘something extra’”, Raya’s website reads.
However, the company’s founder Daniel Gendelman insists the app is not for people, “that look a certain way or do a certain thing”.
“There’s a lot of applications where it’s just a Lamborghini, a yacht and a private plane, and we’re just like, ‘See you later,’” he told The New York Times.
For some though, the process is worth it. Closer to home, Bachelor in Paradise star Brittany Hockley, 32, met her match on what she calls “the fancy pants dating app” last year.
“I have been on most [dating apps] at some point,” she has said of trying her luck online. “I saw Channing Tatum on Raya actually in his single days. I swiped right, but he mustn’t have come across my profile.”
WATCH BELOW: Brittany Hockley Breaks Silence On New Mystery Boyfriend. Post continues after video…
Instead, Hockley told WHO she has fallen head over heels for tennis player, Jordan Thompson.
“We laugh nonstop when we’re together,” the smitten star shared of her new beau.
Put us on that 100,000-strong waiting list, pronto!
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