INTIES prepares for London launch with identity checks and date safety tools

INTIES is preparing for a planned London launch on 20 November, with a dating app that brings profiles, conversation and date planning together with identity checks and optional safety tools.

The app was built by Gordon Baumgardt, a South African-born founder who now lives in the UK. Its planned features include government ID and selfie verification, a Safe Word alert flow and the option to nominate a Trusted Contact.

INTIES is still preparing for release. The launch date remains subject to readiness, and feature availability will depend on the released app and location.

Planning for the meeting

The product gives date planning its own space. Members can explore ideas and put a proposed meeting together, rather than leaving the details scattered through a conversation.

Some listings and booking links involve external providers, including Fever and OpenTable. A plan shared in INTIES does not confirm a reservation: members need to check the actual booking, payment and cancellation terms with the provider. Some referral links may earn INTIES a commission.

Hotel and transport features are paused in the reviewed launch configuration. Members should make their own travel arrangements and check what the current app supports.

What the safety tools do

The planned identity flow uses an identity document and selfie through Sumsub. The check is intended to support age verification and give members more information about who is behind a profile. It is not a criminal-record check and cannot establish whether someone will behave safely.

The Safe Word flow is designed to intercept a member’s chosen word instead of sending it to the other person, then request an alert. A member can nominate a Trusted Contact by email, with that person’s agreement.

Delivery has limits. An email being accepted by a provider does not confirm that it arrived, and delivery does not mean the contact has read it or can respond. SMS alerts are unavailable in the reviewed build. INTIES does not automatically contact emergency services.

These functions support a member’s own safety plan. A public first meeting, a charged phone, independent transport and someone who knows the plan remain practical steps to consider.

The founder behind INTIES

Baumgardt, 34, describes himself as having been “somewhat of a nerd his whole life”. He says he has played PC games since the age of six, won gaming and computer competitions, and won computers and components as prizes.

He has now built INTIES, bringing that longstanding interest in technology to a dating product. His founder profile gives more of the background he supplied for this publication.

INTIES describes its dating service as ad-free, with optional paid products planned. Its early-access materials also include an exclusive Founder Squirrel chat Hero for qualifying sign-ups who confirm their email.

Current launch and early-access information is available on the official INTIES website.