Jigsaw Dating App Review - A Good Idea That Falls Flat
The Jigsaw dating app offers a fresh approach to online dating. All face pictures are covered with a jigsaw puzzle. The app does this to allow you to meet someone beyond pictures. Instead, focusing on women's personalities.
Jigsaw promises to "reveal what's real and looks beyond the looks." It claims you "date people with personality, not photos." Does it deliver its promise? Keep reading my comprehensive review of the Jigsaw dating app.
How is Jigsaw different than other apps?
On all apps (Tinder, Match, OkCupid, etc.), women see your pictures. You're aware of how important pictures are for your success. Not on Jigsaw.
Jigsaw claims it's an anti-superficial dating app where people put their personality first. It's different from all other dating apps because faces are covered with a jigsaw puzzle.
Yep, your face is covered with a jigsaw puzzle. Women will see everything else except your face. The clothes you're wearing, the background, even other people in your picture are visible - only your face is hidden.
You have to message your matches to reveal what's underneath. So, during a conversation with a woman, each message unlocks pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, piece by piece.
Face pictures are covered by a jigsaw puzzle.
Is the Jigsaw app free?
Jigsaw is free to download and use. The app does offer a premium membership, Jigsaw +. I break down what's included with Jigsaw + below.
The premium membership cost is based on weekly, monthly, three-month, and six-month subscriptions. To entice you, they offer discounts for longer subscriptions.
Jigsaw + offers added features at a cost.
You don't need to sign up for the premium version of Jigsaw. You can message (and like women) on the app. A mutual like will start a conversation for free.
How to sign up for the app.
Simply download the app from the Apple App Store, or Google Play Store and sign up through SMS, Facebook or Apple ID. It's that easy.
Note that Jigsaw is mobile-only. There is no desktop version, so you need a phone to access it.
How to create a profile on Jigsaw.
There are several sections on your profile on Jigsaw. I recommend putting effort into each section. Here is a list of what you fill out in your bio:
Photos - Jigsaw allows up to 4 photos on your profile. It's best to use pictures with an interesting background. Show where you are and what you're wearing. Otherwise, your photo will be just a big Jigsaw puzzle covering your face. Full-body pictures are ideal on the app.
Jigsaw also offers a Smart Photos feature. This automatically orders your profile photos and picks the best one. I recommend using this feature unless you have a preference for your photos.
Tip: Use full-body pictures and an interesting background.
Tagline - Essentially, a headline for your dating profile. Get creative with your headline. Humor is the ideal approach here.
Personality pieces - These are prompts that showcase your personality. Examples of questions include "Together we could" or "A random fact I love is." Be sure to write a sentence or two for your answer. Avoid one or two-word responses.
Essential pieces - Jigsaw presents traits that can be displayed on your profile. These include how often you exercise, your diet, education, political views, etc. You can choose up to 11 that are displayed on your profile.
Essential pieces on the Jigsaw app highlight your personality.
Bio - Jigsaw allows a lengthy section to write about yourself. It's a good idea to write about your hobbies, interests, and what you're looking for.
Social Media - Your social media is an unlockable feature. This means women won't see these at first. During a conversation, the puzzles on your photos will unlock this information as well.
For more profile tips, visit my blog post, 10 Critical Online Dating Profile Tips for Men.
You can verify yourself on Jigsaw.
It's a great idea to verify yourself whenever an app offers photo verification. Women are skeptical of men using old pictures, so this is a way to put their minds at ease.
Women are more likely to contact guys who verify themselves. I recommend you take advantage of this feature on Jigsaw; it may make the difference if a woman connects with you or not.
Photo verification on Jigsaw is easy. Simply click the "Edit info" button and tap "Verify your profile." The app will then prompt you to take a selfie.
Someone at Jigsaw will compare your selfie to your pictures. The app says it takes up to 24 hours. Once verified, you'll have a blue tick next to your name.
It's a good idea to verify yourself on Jigsaw.
How to connect with women.
Jigsaw presents you with women similar to Tinder or Bumble. You view each profile and scroll up (and down), viewing a woman's photo and bio.
Four icons are located at the bottom of your phone and hovering over the woman's profile (see below). These icons allow you to bypass or connect with her.
You are presented with four options on a woman's profile.
Here is what each icon above means on Jigsaw:
- Click the X to bypass a woman's profile.
- A star represents sending a supersend. These put your profile ahead of other men. There is a cost to use the supersend feature.
- The message icon sends a message to the woman. A banner appears when they view your profile, informing her that you messaged her.
- A heart icon sends a like to the woman. Women will not know you liked them unless they like you back.
Messages on Jigsaw are limited to 160 characters.
How to see a woman's face on Jigsaw.
A woman's face (and yours) is hidden when browsing profiles. Pictures are covered by a 16-piece jigsaw puzzle.
The initial piece of the puzzle is removed when browsing profiles. This gives you a sneak peek of the face underneath.
Faces are revealed on Jigsaw through messages.
When you like a woman's profile, one piece of the puzzle disappears. If there's a match, one piece of the puzzle pops away for each message you send.
Once you've both sent seven messages, the woman's entire face is visible. Jigsaw also shows you links to their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook if they've added them.
Once a conversation starts, you are given 72 hours to complete the puzzle. After that 72 hour window, the match will expire.
What are women looking for on Jigsaw?
The women using Jigsaw cover a broad spectrum of preferences. Some are looking for casual dating, while others are seeking a relationship. Jigsaw is NOT an app for hookups.
Jigsaw + offers premium features.
Upgrading your account to the premium-tier Jigsaw + offers more options. Here's what you get:
- Shows you who likes you. This allows you to match up with women who like your profile.
- Notify people you really like using a supersend. Jigsaw claims with this feature, you'll be 3x more likely to match.
- Recover expired matches. You are given 72 hours to complete the puzzle on a woman's profile before she disappears. This allows you to recover those expired connections.
- Boost your profile. According to Jigsaw, this increases your visibility by up to 3x.
- Unlimited reactions. There are no daily limits on likes or messages.
What's included in Jigsaw Plus?
Does Jigsaw deliver the goods?
For my review of the Jigsaw dating app, I look at two things - are women using the app, and does it deliver what it promises.
1. Are there women on Jigsaw? No. Some women are using the app, but not enough to justify using it. The women on the app seemingly never use it. I think the app keeps showing women's profiles who aren't actively using it
2. Does the app deliver on its promise of putting personality first? A resounding no. If you want to put substance over superficial dating, women have to put effort into their bios.
Most women put zero effort into their profiles. This means you have nothing to base a decision on to connect with them or not. Their faces are covered by a puzzle, and there's nothing in their bio. The app fails because of this.
Final Thoughts
Jigsaw approach to online dating is unique - you can't see a woman's photos and instead focus on her personality. Only through a conversation are pieces of the Jigsaw on a woman's photos removed.
This seems like a good idea, but it wears out its welcome for me. So, if looks are important to you, stay away from this app; it's not for you.
There are some things I like about this app; it's quick to set up your profile and get started. The concept of getting to know someone beyond looks is interesting. You can message women and like women for free, but that's the extent of the positives.
There are a lot of negatives for Jigsaw. The puzzles that cover photos get old quickly. You're supposed to focus on the woman's personality, but women don't put much effort into their bio. That means it's a crapshoot because the photos are covered, and with no bio, it turns to a guessing game.
In the end, I want to see a woman's pictures. Tack on the fact women don't put a lot of effort into their bios. This means you have nothing to base a decision to like a woman or not. I end up just liking all women's profiles and rolling the dice, hoping for a match.
Another problem is this 72-hour window to remove the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. This is ridiculous. Jigsaw needs to remove this requirement. People have lives and aren't always using the app.
A major issue with this app is the lack of women. There simply aren't enough on it right now. And those that use it aren't always active. So, if you're lucky to match up with a woman, you better hope you can unlock the photo puzzle in 72 hours, or she'll vanish from your matches.
I do not recommend the Jigsaw app. Save your time and use something else. If you decide to try Jigsaw, temper your expectations - you're less likely to be disappointed.
Jigsaw Dating App Review - Final Score 4 out of 10
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