Is once dating app good?

A U.K. dating app is approaching the matchmaking process in a whole new way, one that has the potential to abolish someone's ego. The app, called Once, has updated its service to include a ranking of the app user's attractiveness. The number rating, which ranges from one to five seemingly based on a user's physical appearance, is said to be a tool to help the user be realistic about who they could potentially match with.

This may sound extreme, but it is a feature already used by numerous popular dating apps, just not publicly. Dating apps have a tendency to score users based on their performance and appearance in order to better form app algorithms. The surprising decision to make the numbers public is just a move that Once sees as gifted information for the user's guidance.

The app's founder, Jean Meyer, explained this decision to The New York Post on Wednesday. He explained it was a decision in order to be "transparent," not to tell users they're ugly. "We are disclosing the rate of how your pictures are perceived, it doesn't mean you're ugly or you're beautiful," Meyer said. "It only reflects one attribute of who you are—your pictures."

Here's a scenario based on what Meyer described. If your photos rank as a two, and you're hoping to match with someone who is a five, chances are higher you won't be well received by the five. You may be better off aiming for a match with someone who is ranked a one or a three.

While some may disapprove of the concept of ranking one's appearance on a numerical scale, Meyer explained how it can help dating in the long run. "It makes it more likely they'll find their perfect match," he said.

There's also an internal, algorithm-type design to how the numbers work. Your original number can change, that is, if someone with a higher ranking finds a lower ranking worth their time. If that five matches with the two, the two's ranking will receive a boost.

It means those with higher rankings hold more weight in the app world. They can contribute to raising the score of a lower-ranked user, and overall, their likes hold a hefty amount of weight, compared to someone on the lower end of the scale.

This isn't the first dating hierarchy to ever exist, but it's the first app to make it public.