Plenty of Fish Adds Livestream Feature

Dating app Plenty of Fish (or POF for short) is rolling out a new feature in the coming weeks to users that allows them to livestream video chat with potential matches.

The free livestreaming feature called LIVE! Is POF’s way of encouraging its users to “date from a distance” according to their press release. The company partnered with The Meet Group, Inc., a livestream technology service, to create the feature. 

It’s simple to use. There’s a “LIVE!” icon within the POF app that members can tap which takes you to a home page where you can see the most popular livestreams. You can tune in to a stream or create your own. It’s a way to “stay connected and create a sense of community from the convenience of home,” according to the company’s release.

How to use POF's Live feature.

Image: POF

When you are streaming, you can tap the eye icon to see everyone who is viewing your stream. You can say “hey” or add any of them to your favorites – plus, viewers can “like” your content by sending you hearts (similar to IG live). There is also a bit of competition built in – users can buy virtual gifts to send to their favorite streamers, and they can also earn virtual diamonds for their own streams when they receive gifts from viewers. (The more diamonds you have, the more visibility, viewers and potential dates.)

In addition to the LIVE! feature, there’s a dating game option as well called NextDate. It’s similar to speed dating, where when you select “play now,” you can live video chat for 90 seconds with potential matches using prompted questions to decide whether you want to move the conversation with someone to a one-on-one video. It’s a way to keep things interesting while social distancing.

The rollout will take place across the globe, with the most impacted areas of the U.S. including New York, Washington and California launching first. Over the next week, the app will roll out the feature to more than 80 percent of the U.S. It will be made available to all global app-users by the end of April.

Around the world, countries are requiring their citizens to practice social distancing and isolation to curb the growth of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, dating apps are adapting to meet the needs of users who are still hungry for connection, even if it’s virtual for the time being.  

"Our mission is to find new ways for singles to connect while easing the pressures of dating, and right now, it's more critical than ever," said Plenty of Fish CEO Malgosia Green. "As a dating app, our business is in a unique position to innovate quickly to combat the anxiety singles may be feeling right now. I'm excited to offer this free feature to our members in the hopes it allows people to have fun and build meaningful relationships virtually, while face-to-face interaction is temporarily limited."

According to a recent study, more than 67% of consumers have livestreamed video, and 70 percent of streamers do so at least once per day. This will likely go up over the coming weeks as more and more people isolate at home.

"We have found again and again that livestreaming provides powerful feelings of connection and entertainment," said Geoff Cook, Chief Executive Officer of The Meet Group.

For more on this new Live! feature you can check out the POF blog and to find out more about this dating service, read our POF app review.