Icelandic Anti-Incest App: 'Bump Your Phone Before You Bump In Bed'

'Anti-Incest App' Developed In Iceland To Prevent Awkward One-Night Stands
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Alamy

A new app has launched in Iceland to prevent relatives accidentally committing incest.

The population of Iceland is so small - just 320,000 people - that virtually everyone is distantly related, and often to a surprisingly close degree.

The problem, apparently, is that when new relationships start the participants aren't always aware that they're actually family.

Fortunately, an online registry exists listing 720,000 people who were born in the country at some point. And a new app is able to take advantage of that to help young Icelanders check if they're chatting to their cousin before they make a potentially awkward mistake.

Using the new app ('ÍslendingaApp SES'), users can simply "bump" phones and check if they are too related to take their relationship to the next plateau.

Their slogan?

"Bump the app before you bump in bed". Cute.

The app is the work of the humourously named Sad Engineer Studios.

One review on Google Play reportedly states: "If I would have had this app last year I probably wouldn't have gone home with my cousin."

"We aren't sure if other countries have such interestingly interwoven bloodlines like we do, but we're pretty sure the Icelandic genealogy database is unique in it's completeness. So even if the need is there, other countries would first have to build a similar database before considering a smartphone implementation."