All you need to know about Badoo: Test reports, experiences, tips and advice on Badoo in the UK.

Badoo is a popular dating app, used mainly by those who are already familiar and active with social media. Badoo has been described as the 'opposite of Facebook', as it is aimed at connecting you with strangers and people you might never otherwise meet, and using this unfamiliarity as the basis for flirting.

Badoo has gained over 300 million worldwide users, and is considered reputable by the vast majority of them. It's run by a reputable London-based company, but has been burdened with a less-than-perfect reputation following an issue connected with automatic Facebook postings in the past. However, the problem has long since been rectified. Despite this, it's worth paying attention to what you're clicking on, as there are still ways you can easily accidentally post your info to Facebook.

Badoo has grown considerably in recent years across the UK. Many new members have signed up in the UK, as well as those who are visiting the UK from abroad and are looking for fun and dates. As such, it's never hard to find someone looking for some flirtations, a date, or more. From our experience, we've found things go much more smoothly once you have a match with a member. As such, take the time to play the encounters game on Badoo, and when you get match, approach them and get chatting. The membership is diverse, but not particularly sophisticated. If you're looking for intellectual stimulation, there are probably better dating platforms in the UK for you.

Badoo's premium features are called 'Super Powers'. You need to subscribe for these, and they have different prices and terms. When you pay for Super Powers, you get various Badoo-based advantages that may make your hunt for dates quicker and easier. These include:

• Seeing who likes your profile
• Exclusive access to Badoo members who are especially popular
• Chat option with newly registered members. Chances of flirtations are - from our experience - much higher with them than with long term members
• The chance to remain anonymous while visiting other profiles
• The ability to move your messages to the top of the list, to ensure that your message is read first in cases of overcrowded mailboxes (great with those especially popular women who are inundated with messages from men!)

In order to use the Badoo app without problems, you first must ensure that the location services on your phone are switched on. This will then allow you to search for 'singles' in the 'people nearby' section, and start finding people to flirt with. You can also see singles you've recently crossed paths with (well, within 200 metres of), and find new singles with the encounters game. These will be profiles which match your search criteria, based on parameters of gender, age range and purpose for search.

The Badoo encounters game will be familiar to anybody who has already used Tinder. In this, profiles of women or men (depending on your set parameters) will pop up, and you have the chance to give the profile either a 'like' - in the form of a heart - or make them as 'not interesting'. If you give a like to somebody who has similarly liked you, you have a match... and then you are free to write a message and start the flirting!

You don't need Facebook to use Badoo. You can register with just an email address, and select your password this way. You can also use Twitter as a login, but this - along with Facebook - are not ideal for those looking for anonymity.

A few years ago, Badoo got into hot water for automatically posting things to members' Facebook updates. Badoo received a serious warning from Facebook, and after that, things cleared up and got better. Despite this, you should still be careful about what you click on with Badoo, as if you are registered via Facebook, you can still easily accidentally send things to your Facebook profile or invite your Facebook friends. Keep your eyes open, stay vigilant, and you'll be fine.

You don't have to pay a penny to use Badoo in the UK. You can create a profile for free, and also send and receive free messages. If you want to increase your chances considerably, there are add-ons in the form of 'Super Powers' which you can buy, but it's best to use the free profile first to get a feel for the app.

Almost everything on Badoo is completely free. The Super Powers which you need to buy simply make things a bit more convenient and far-reaching, for those looking for higher levels of success with more sought-after members.

Badoo's premium features can be bought with either PayPal or your credit card. You can also buy Super Powers via the Google Play Store, or via Apple's iTunes Store.

At present, there is no UK hotline for Badoo. If you need to reach their customer services, you'll have to do this via the contact form on the app, or directly through their webpage.

Before you start writing your messages, have a quick look at your potential flirt partner's profile. Someone's profile should give you plenty of fodder for forming a first message - a lazy 'Hey, how are you?' just won't cut the mustard these days. More personalised messages, which show you've taken the time to look at a profile, are far more successful. Your first message should also be short, snappy, and to the point. Two or three sentences at most. If you write too much, you'll risk looking a bit desperate, or that you have too much time on your hands... something which people feel shows you have a boring life! Be flirty, open, witty and creative, and you'll no doubt get a good response.

If you put together a good, intriguing profile, and make an effort with your messages, the chances are you'll have some real success in flirting on Badoo. The members of Badoo in the UK are active, open-minded, and up for taking requests for dates etc seriously. But in order to get the success you want, you need to make an effort into your profile. This should show that you have an interesting, exciting life, which will be attractive to potential partners, complete with matching photos and an 'about me' section that draws people in. Keep it real, though - the sweet spot lies between being honest, and standing out from the crowd.

Badoo Super Powers come in different prices, and with different lengths of subscriptions. The costs are as follows:

 1 Week: £3.00 / Week
 1 Month: £9.99 / Month
 3 Months: £8.00 / Month
 6 Months: £6.00 / Month
 Lifetime: £59.99 / Life           

In addition to the Super Powers subscription, you also have the chance to purchase Badoo points which you can use to unblock individual functions beyond the subscription. With these extra Badoo points, you can improve the visibility of your profile, and thus appear more often in the match game for other members to see, or you can buy virtual gifts and give them to your flirt partners - always sure to bring a smile and some attention! The following packages are offered for points:

100 credits: £3.00
550 credits: £12.99 (115 Points free)
1.250 credits: £20.99 (550 Points free)
2.750 credits: £44.99 (1,250 Points free)

As with all dating apps nowadays, Badoo has its fair share of fakes. They aren't necessarily put there by Badoo to boost numbers, but they are usually people simply taking advantage of the growing popularity of the app in the UK for financial gain. Cam girls are notorious for 'hunting' men - these are usually very attractive women, who lure men to paid sites using sexual promises and the promise of free erotic content. You can also find romance scammers on Badoo, too - these tend to be people who prey on the emotionally vulnerable, exploiting their better nature before presenting them with some tragic story, in which money is invariably required. Keep your wits about you, and you'll probably be able to steer clear of all fakes and scammers.

There's a simple rule of thumb here: if it looks too good to be true, then approach with extreme caution... as it probably is. Usually, scammers use photos of highly attractive, model-esque women, who are extremely keen to get sexual very quickly indeed. They tend to not have much profile information, and only one photo uploaded.

The app and website for Badoo have a very similar structure, and the functions for both are essentially identical. The GPS function of the app is a nice touch, and makes a slight distinction between the two. With the app, you have the added bonus of being able to see which Badoo members are nearby at any given time, and which singles you may have crossed paths with recently.

Deleting and cancelling Badoo all depends on how you have paid for your subscription or Super Powers. For example, if you have paid via a credit card or PayPal, you can only cancel your subscription online through the Badoo website. You cannot cancel your subscription via the app, in these cases. However, if you paid via iTunes, you need to head into the iTunes and App Store section, where you can make your cancellation via the iPhone settings. If you subscribed and paid via SMS, you need to refer to the confirmation text you were sent for instructions on cancelling Badoo - so don't delete it! Badoo don't make cancelling subscriptions very easy. The fact that you have to go a roundabout way to cancel your payments is enough to deduct a few points from this app - and these cancel buttons and options aren't easy to find, anyway. You have to pay close attention to find it, and when you do, you have to be very careful what you click and what boxes you tick, or you may find yourself not cancelling your subscriptions at all! Badoo know every trick in the book, so be well aware.