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Change your location before you arrive, not after, and say you are new. Being new is a conversation starter, not a liability. Then use the first few weeks, while your calendar is still open, to actually meet people.
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Most apps let you appear in a new area before you move. Two to three weeks ahead gives you conversations already running when you land, instead of starting from zero. Some apps put this behind a paid tier, so check the settings or the app's help page before assuming it is free.
Also check the distance radius. Defaults are often tighter than you want in an unfamiliar city where you do not yet know which neighborhoods are close. Once you have lived there a few weeks and know how long trips actually take, adjust it again.
Be honest with matches about your timing. 'I move there on the fifteenth' is fine to say, while matching with people for weeks and then never arriving wastes their time.
'Just moved here from Chicago, taking recommendations' is one of the easiest openings to answer that exists. People like being asked about their own city. It also explains a thin local social life without it reading as one.
Make it specific so it is easy to reply to. 'New to Denver and looking for the best green chile - convince me' or 'Moved here for work, still deciding which neighborhood has the best coffee' both give a local a friendly way in. Update it after a couple of months, once 'just moved' is no longer true.
You can open with the same advantage. 'I just moved here - what is one place you would take a visitor that a guidebook would miss?' is easy to answer and tells you something about the person. Their answer often turns into a natural first date suggestion.
You have no established routine to defend, which makes low-key meetups easier to propose and easier to accept. This is the one period where suggesting a coffee quickly reads as natural.
Choose busy, public places you can find easily, and tell a friend or family member where you are going, since you do not know the area yet. Let your date pick the spot if they want to - it is a chance to see a place they like.
Waiting until you feel settled is the most common one. Settling takes months, and the window when being new is interesting does not last that long. The other mistake is relying on the apps as your whole social life, when a class, a running club, or a regular trivia night builds friends and local knowledge that make dating easier too.