A woman was left stunned after her period app notified her partner she had a “high sex drive” and encouraged him to “help her make the most of it” – joking that it was obvious the app had been set up by two men.
Flo, a menstrual cycle tracker co-founded by Belarusian entrepreneurs Dmitry and Yuri Gurski, has divided opinions, with users simultaneously amused and horrified by what some consider to be “constant” questions about their libido, which they can then share with their partner via a paid feature.
San Francisco-based Cora Kyler has been dedicated to… unknown to share a screenshot of the update her lover received, which read: ‘I might be feeling a high sexual desire today,’ followed by ‘everything is fine.’
A notice at the bottom added: “If this is how she feels, help her make the most of it.”
“I can’t believe Flo was created by men. Yes I can,” Cora wrote. “This is the notification they give to your partner, by the way.”
A woman was left shocked after her period app notified her partner she has a “high sex drive” and encouraged him to “help her make the most of it” – joking that you could tell it was designed by two men.
The post racked up more than 924,600 views, with reactions ranging from “disgusted” to amused.
“It’s both hilarious and crazy that about half of the daily content is about sex or how to convince her to have sex,” one wrote.
“That’s not the message I think an app run by women and designed primarily for women’s reproductive issues would tell men,” added another. “It’s exactly what I think an app for men would say.”
“I can only imagine what they say on other days,” wrote a third.
Taking to TikTokOne influencer, baffled by the screenshot shared by Cora, said: “This app is really embarrassing.”
@theendospectrum, who creates content about endometriosis, continued: ‘What’s the point of that? I hate Flo for doing this, I think this is a load of rubbish.’
However, many, including the original author, found it “funny” and admitted that they “don’t see any problem with it.”
One even wrote: “There are a lot of angry people in the comments who seem to think computers are magic and sex between committed couples is bad.”
“We should have known Flo was owned by men,” TikToker @keightlynne_ said in a video in May, alleging that the company is “selling data based on the constant question ‘are you feeling frisky?'”
Meanwhile, influencer Lahaina Solomon-Numanga said it was “disturbing and disgusting” that a menstruation app was created, with its features “informed”, by men.
The post racked up more than 924,600 views, with reactions ranging from “disgusted” to amused.
However, this is not the first time the app has faced criticism for having male founders.
TikToker: “I should have known Flo was owned by men” @keightlynne_ In May, the woman lashed out in a video claiming: “They sell data based on the constant question ‘are you feeling frisky?’ and encourage you to log your *activity* on your own.”
‘And the feature they just added is where you can invite your partner to view your record.’
The couples feature is not uncommon in other period tracking apps, but many users felt that Flo focused too much on sexual endeavors.
On its website, the Flo for Partners tab says the feature “offers you medical information and proactive advice to better support and understand you, both physically and emotionally, whatever your goal.”
“Yes, we even know how to explain menstrual pain and PMS to your partner so they understand how it feels,” she added.
The feature is only available if you pay for Flo Premium. The app does not appear to have published its pricing plans, which encourages customers to customize their experiences and different features.
Meanwhile, influencer Lahaina Solomon-Numanga said it was “disturbing and disgusting” that a menstruation app was created, with its features “informed”, by men.
“It just makes me look up and raise my eyebrows a little bit,” he said in a TikTok video.
FEMAIL has contacted Flo for comment.
Lahaina also spoke out about allegations Flo is facing that it shared users’ private data on Facebook, a claim the health app has strongly denied.
Earlier this year, a class-action lawsuit against the company was given the green light in Canada. CBC information.
She accuses the app of sending intimate details, including information about periods, sex life and fertility, to third parties.
Richard Parsons, co-counsel on the case, told the outlet: “There has been a significant disclosure of private information about Canadian women and we are excited to proceed to the next step with the case.”
Flo, however, said that ‘has never sold user information or shared it with third parties for advertising purposes’ and ‘will vigorously defend itself against the charges raised in the case.’
Flo’s website says: ‘We will not sell or rent your personal data for profit. We will not disclose your personal data except as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy.
‘We will share your personal data with our service providers who support our Services as described in this Privacy Policy.
However, this is not the first time that the femtech app has faced criticism for having male founders. File image used
‘We will also not use information received through your use of the Apple HealthKit or Google Health Connect framework for advertising or similar services, nor will we sell it to advertising platforms, data brokers or information resellers.’
In 2021, when I was asked EU Startups On the challenges of being a male founder in femtech, Dmitry said: The real challenge is being a founder in general, and even more so a CEO, no matter what the industry or product.
“I think it’s a challenge that every single executive can relate to. At the beginning of your career, you may feel sad about being in charge of a product that you won’t be able to use or benefit from personally.
‘But as we grow, I speak to Flo users on a daily basis who share how Flo has helped them better understand their bodies and improve their health, and that’s truly rewarding!
‘And of course, at Flo we are committed to ensuring a strong gender balance across the organisation, which is why we have over 50% women across the organisation and among key executives.’
Last year, he also said: Unicorns.lt:Being a male founder is less relevant in this case.
“We rely on our users’ feedback and metrics to inform our decisions, as opposed to my own or even the team’s. In some ways, that also contributed to our success.
‘We had no personal experience and had to rely on extensive testing and research from the start. We have always used objective information, data, user research and testing to make decisions.
“At this stage, it’s not about my product, but rather a collective effort across the company. I have very little influence on what goes into the product; my job is to build the company, which in turn builds the product.”
Although Dmitry and Yuri co-founded Flo, it is unclear to what extent they were involved in the app’s design.
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