Communication

Dating app Match is beta testing some new features geared towards those interested in more “emotionally mature” relationships, an indication that the longstanding dating platform aims to cater to more serious daters.

According to Tech Crunch, the features are centered around two big frustrations with daters in their thirties who are ready to settle down: how long it takes to find a good match, and how pervasive the problem of ghosting has become. One feature called “Matched By Us” provides recommendations like a matchmaking service based on more in-depth questions the users are prompted to answer. The company is also testing an anti-ghosting feature that pushes users to continue a conversation or unmatch with that person, so that they aren’t left wondering what happened. 

Matched By Us presents one free match every week (available for both subscribers and non-paying members), where the couple can start up a conversation immediately without waiting for mutual likes. The matches are made through an algorithm that examines answers to questions posed to users, like their five-year plans or whether they are open to relocating for a relationship. 

Tinder Are you Sure?
Feature for sending Messages

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder unveiled a new feature as part of its effort to step up safety measures on its platform. “Are You Sure?” or the AYS? feature will deliver a pop-up to question a user before they send a potentially harmful message.

According to Mashable, AYS? utilizes AI in real time to detect inappropriate language, based on what users have reported to Tinder in the past. When a user types a message that is flagged or noticed by the AI, an AYS? prompt will automatically appear before the user can press “send.” According to Tinder, in early tests this feature reduced harmful language in messages by as much as 10 percent. The company also said that members who saw this pop-up were less likely to be reported for sending inappropriate messages, an indication that it could curb this behavior.

The goal with using an AI-driven feature is that it will improve and become more effective in countering harmful messages over time as it gathers more input.

Gay dating app Manhunt says that it was hacked in February of this year, and the personal data of a portion of its users was exposed. 

A hacker caused the data breach according to a statement submitted by the company to the Washington State Attorney General. Manhunt maintains that the hacker “downloaded the usernames, email addresses and passwords for a subset of our users in early February 2021,” according to The Advocate. 

Manhunt has over 6 million users, and about 7,700 of its users who reside in Washington had their data stolen according to the statement. In total, the company’s attorney says about 11 percent of Manhunt users were affected by the breach.

Image: OkCUpid

OkCupid has launched a new profile badge for users to advertise their views on climate change in honor of Earth Day.

The dating app company will prompt its users with the question: “Are you concerned about climate change & want a profile badge to show it’s important to you?” For those who choose to answer in the affirmative, a Climate Change Advocate badge will be automatically added to their profile. 

In addition, these users will be featured in the Climate Change Stack (categories where users can easily search potential matches according to interests), and OkCupid also plans to donate $1 per profile badge to EarthDay.org, up to $25,000. EarthDay.org is the world’s largest recruiter of for the environmental movement, which began on the first Earth Day in 1970. 

Image: OkCupid

As we go into 2021, the pandemic and increased political engagement have shifted dating culture and the priorities of singles, according to a new study by OkCupid. The dating app found that its users are into so-called “Thunberging” and “Advo-dating,” according to Australia’s Body and Soul Magazine.

Advo-dating has come into vogue for 2021, with about 310,000 OkCupid users calling themselves activists, and even more sharing that political values are most important when choosing a match. The global protests for Black Lives Matter played an important role in placing politics front and center in new relationships, especially among young daters, who want their dates to share their values.

Dating can be confusing, which is why so many people turn to their friends, social media or a Reddit forum to ask questions or to understand and resolve challenges they face. If you aren’t familiar with using Reddit, there are some very popular subgroup discussions for a wide range of topics that involve dating. 

Reddit is an open platform where people can anonymously post their story, question or dilemma and open it up for others to respond. Users can subscribe to different topics and get notifications when a new thread is added, or when their thread has a new comment. It’s a place where you can take a really deep dive into a subject that interests you.

There are a number of popular online dating communities on Reddit. We put together our own choices for you to check out: