Forget Tinder or Grindr, meet the Cuddlr app

This has to be the weirdest thing I have ever seen. And possibly the best thing I have ever seen,

Forget Tinder and Grindr and all those other hook up apps making it easy for people to erm… you know. Not everyone is into that and sometimes all you want is a cuddle.

Enter Cuddlr.

Cuddlr is a location-based meeting service that connects and matches people who want to hug strangers. Yup. Hugs.

Created by Charlie Williams, the app encourages users to hug any age or gender, regardless of whether you find them attractive or not, and provides "gentle, no-pressure intimacy". Sweet.

Users can request cuddle from a specific person within the app, or respond to someone else's request by tapping on the user's photo.

When users decide to have a cuddle, the app also gives walking directions to each other, so they can meet up.

"It's a way of finding people near you who are up for a cuddle, without any pressure or expectation," said the developers. "Our culture doesn't have a space for closeness without pressure.

"The way we talk about meeting and sharing space and contact with someone assumes that it's centered explicitly around sex and dating.

Cuddlr finds the closest "cuddlers" in walking distance and shares their first name, picture, and cuddle history.

You'd have to be a certain kind of brazen to commit to using this app. It would take the same kind bravery you need when meeting someone on a blind date, except it's less serious and fun.

Once the cuddlers meet up and have their Cuddlr moment, they can give a thumbs-up on the app.

However, in the event of an awkward or inappropriate cuddle, one user can report the other.

Unlike Tinder, the app deliberately doesn't feature a chat function, photo albums or shared interests because this can keep users from actually meeting.

Instead, on Cuddlr, users are encouraged to get together straight away, and then part ways.

The app is currently only available for iOS.