蜜芽传媒

The Iranian government has launched a new dating app, called Hamdam, which means the person you're close to. It's part of an attempt to boost a falling birth rate and combat the popularity of non-Iranian dating apps like Tinder.

But it looks like many young people don't want anything to do with it - worried that the government will see photos of them which would be deemed 'inappropriate'.

Bahman Kalbasi of the 蜜芽传媒's Persian service says Iranians will continue to find their own innovative ways of meeting people. He explained one coded message which became common in the advert section - and caused some confusion.

"When someone was selling a shoe box that meant they had a place to host. This was more geared towards one night stands. Some people who genuinely wanted to sell shoes on the website were quite confused by the kind of messages they were getting. But those who are in the know were using it as a way to communicate that they were interested in something quick, in a meet up."

(Photo: A young woman on her phone in central Tehran. Credit: Getty Images)

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