How many times do you spend more time looking for something to watch on Netflix as you
spend actually watching something? The problem with subscribing to a lot of streaming
services, is you have to exit one to browse another.
The app Taste eliminates the need to do that and suggests movies and shows you’ll probably
enjoy by matching you with other people with the same taste in movies as you.
Taste looks like a movie version of Tinder. You swipe right for something you want to watch
and left for something less attractive. But rather than showing you everything everywhere, Taste
shows you only movies and shows available on the services you subscribe to. That’s helpful
enough and there are other apps that do this.
Taste offers suggestions of what you might like. The suggestions are not based on reviews
from just anyone but reviews from other users with the same taste in movies as you.
When you first open the app you’re asked to choose some of your favorite films and genre. As
you browse through the list of movies you’re asked to rate them as “awful”, “meh”, “good”, or
“amazing”. After you rate 20 or so movies this way, Taste has enough of a profile to start
suggesting other movies and shows you’ll probably like, based on the likes of other users who
match your taste in movies.
If you give “No Country for Old Men”, “La La Land” and “The Hurt Locker” as amazing, you’ll be
matched with other users who like those movies as well. Movies they’ve reviewed and rated as
good or awesome will show up on your list of suggestions.
You’ll be shown an endless string of movies that you can swipe right for love, and left for “not
interested”. That information is also included in the algorithm that helps suggest movies you
might like. Similar to dating apps, Taste shows a percentage of how each movie matches your
taste.
Clearly, the more you engage with the app, the better it gets at suggesting movies you’re likely
to enjoy.
The app is easy to navigate and suggestions are pretty spot-on. The only downside is it
requires your name, and phone number and asks for your birthdate (which I suggest you lie
about for security’s sake).
It is a free app for iPhones and Android devices, and it’s pretty good at suggesting something you’ll like.
