Last summer, you could barely stroll through your local park or have a conversation with someone mid-party without the sight of zombie-looking technophile using their smartphones like a compass to locate a Bulbasaur, or hear talk of the best gyms in town to train a Squirtle.

The reason?

Pokémon Go, a free augmented reality game that invites users to capture virtual Pokémon characters in real time that are hidden in thousands of locations around the world.

Surprisingly, within 24 hours of Pokemon Go's launch it was installed on more US Android phones than Tinder. Unsurprisingly, it took about a month for the app's hype to die down and we all returned to the likes of Instagram and Facebook.

However, the dark day commeth because Pokémon Go is rearing its ugly head again, and this time it's coming for our singletons.

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Speaking at Star-Up Grind conference in California earlier this week Sean Rad, the chairman of the dating app, Tinder suggested the business might soon take inspiration from Pokémon Go's functionality, enabling users to point their phone at a fellow Tinder user in order to 'catch them'.

According to the BBC, Rad said: 'In five years' time, Tinder might be so good, you might be like 'Hey Siri, what's happening tonight?'

'And Tinder might pop up and say 'There's someone down the street you might be attracted to.

'She's also attracted to you. She's free tomorrow night,' he hypothesised.

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Rad also imagined that an intelligent personal assistant on a smartphone might then be able to assess what similarities you have and organise a date, tailored to those specifics.

There's someone down the street you might be attracted to.

Dreaming what Siri would say in this situation, Rad added: 'We know you both like the same band, and it's playing - would you like us to buy you tickets?'… And you have a match.'

Is anyone else freaked out by this?

Of course, we're not ignorant to the fact Tinder already replaces the chance of a meet cute or striking up the courage to ask someone out in a bar but for now, at least, it still encourages users to strike up a conversation, take the initiative to organise a meeting and maintains a certain level of romance.

A Tinder/Pokémon Go-type app would completely eradicate the possibility of appearing mysterious or alluring to an admirer.

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Besides, the idea of a dating app with augmented reality (AR) technology to allow users to 'catch' a date is pretty creepy. I personally don't like the sound of a stranger knowing I'm partial to the odd McDonalds Big Mac, recently went to Greece and play Arctic Monkeys on Spotify almost every day by pointing their phone in my direction.

However, Rad believes AR would dramatically improve Tinder's functionality, helping people show interest in another person with the fear of rejection.

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'You can imagine how, with augmented reality, that experience could happen in the room, in real time. The impact is profound as these devices get closer to your senses, to your eyes, to your experiences,' he adds.

We think we'll pass, thanks.

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.