Cherry

A dating platform built on verified identity

Cherry, a personalised dating startup, came to CodeLeap to build its app for iOS and Android. We delivered a swipe-based experience designed around better matches, not endless scrolling — with verified profiles, premium subscriptions and a coaching section to help people connect — and we continue to run and grow it.

What we did CodeLeap built identity verification through Onfido for every member, along with the preference questionnaire, matching and filtering, and secure in-app voice and video calling, keeping the experience warm and premium rather than bureaucratic.

Cherry set out to create a dating environment that is enjoyable, safe and honest, with the aim of helping as many people as possible find a partner or a genuine companion. CodeLeap designed and built the platform around that commitment, which in practice meant treating identity verification and secure communication as core product features rather than safeguards added at the edges. The result is a premium dating experience where members can be confident that the person on the other side of a conversation is who they claim to be.

Product features

Identity verification

Cherry verifies every member's identity through Onfido, so that the people on the platform are genuine and accountable. This single decision shapes the character of the whole product, since it removes the fake and unverified profiles that undermine confidence on open dating platforms and changes what members can reasonably expect of one another.
Detailed preference questionnaire

A structured questionnaire helps members articulate what they are actually looking for and what they expect from a relationship, which gives the platform the substance it needs to make tailored introductions rather than proximity-based guesses.
Advanced filtering and matching

The matching algorithm uses advanced filtering to surface people with compatible interests and values, with the explicit aim of making the matching funnel more efficient. Fewer, better-considered matches serve members far better than a high volume of loosely relevant profiles.
Location and search radius

Members set their location and a search radius to find people nearby, keeping the platform oriented towards relationships that can plausibly move from the app into real life.
Voice and video calling

Secure in-app voice and video calling lets members have a real conversation before meeting, which builds confidence on both sides and gives them a safe way to establish whether there is something worth pursuing.
Premium interface and personalised notifications

The interface was designed to feel considered and premium throughout, and personalised notifications keep members informed of new matches, messages and updates so that a promising connection is not lost to inattention.

Challenge

Cherry approached CodeLeap because of a problem that runs through most of the dating market, which is that users cannot trust the platform they are using. Fake profiles, unverified identities and the general sense of insecurity that comes with talking to a stranger of unknown provenance lead to disappointment, wasted time and a broad mistrust of online dating. Addressing this required more than a reporting mechanism or a set of community guidelines, because the credibility of the platform had to rest on something verifiable. At the same time, verification and safety measures cannot be allowed to make an app feel bureaucratic or suspicious, since dating apps live or die on how they feel to use. The task was to build in real accountability while keeping the experience warm and premium.

Solution

CodeLeap built Cherry around verified identity, integrating Onfido so that every member is confirmed as genuine before they participate, which gives the platform a foundation of accountability that self-declared profiles cannot offer. On top of that foundation sit the features that make the matching meaningful, including detailed questionnaires that capture what members actually want, advanced filtering that narrows the funnel to compatible people, and location-based search that keeps matches within reach. Secure voice and video calling allows conversations to develop before anyone meets in person, and the interface was designed throughout to feel premium and intuitive rather than transactional. The platform is available across desktop and mobile.