Cost

Following a ruling by The Netherland’s privacy watchdog, Apple has agreed to allow dating apps that operate in the country use payment options outside of the Apple Store, according to Reuters.

Previously, all payments made through the apps had to go through Apple’s payment platform, which meant that app developers had little control over billing issues or questions from their customers. But also (and perhaps more importantly to the developers), a certain percentage of every sale (from 15 to 30 percent) was collected by Apple, cutting into their profits.

Match Group partnered with other app developers in lodging the complaint, which resulted in The Netherland’s watchdog agency Authority for Consumers and Markets to investigate. The agency ruled against Apple, so the tech company went to court in December to seek an injunction against the order, according to Tech Crunch. However, the court rejected Apple’s arguments, saying that the company had until January 15th to comply with offering payment options outside of its platform to dating app users, so Apple agreed to the terms.

Several of Japan’s largest companies have turned to an AI dating app to help their employees find love during the pandemic.

According to Kyodo News, about 800 companies have signed up to offer the app Aill goen to employees, with the aim that they will be happier and more productive workers if they are in a good relationship. Companies are also hoping the dating app will provide a way to help employees who might be struggling with their mental health, since they have been unable to physically interact with others because of lockdowns.

The pool of matches will be limited only to participating company employees, providing a level of safety and accountability for users of the app. Aill goen is being offered to employees as part of their benefits package at work, according to Kyodo News. 

Apple will now be required to allow dating app developers to offer in-app payment options for users, or face severe fines.

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) issued the ruling, saying that Apple was taking advantage of dating app developers who rely on the Apple Store to make their products available to iPhone users. Because of Apple’s payment structure, app users are required to go through the Apple Store to subscribe or purchase coveted features on dating apps, rather than purchasing directly. Apple takes a 15 to 30 percent share of every purchase made in its store. 

In the ruling, the ACM said that: “If Apple does not adjust the unreasonable conditions within two months, it will have to pay a periodic penalty of 5 million euros per week up to a maximum of 50 million euros.”

The Bumble Shop

Bumble is moving into the online retail business by opening its first store and selling Bumble-branded apparel.

The Bumble Shop will offer a collection of t-shirts, hats, sweaters, accessories and games, according to WWD, and will be available for purchase at shop.Bumble.com. Featured items will include a varsity sweater, a bucket hat with the company’s tagline of “make the first move” in the lining, pronoun keychains, and a Question Game card game to help people connect by moving past small talk and into deeper conversations.

The Bumble Shop partnered with retro California lifestyle brand Aviator Nation to offer custom limited edition items as well, including the Ninja Hoodie, Ninja sweatpants, and Classic Truck Hat. These will be co-branded and available for purchase on the new site. Bumble plans to offer new collections quarterly, and Aviator Nation is its first clothing partner. Multiple sizes are available as well, ranging from XS to 4XL.

Match Group’s dating app Match will offer a hand-picked matchmaking service to app users for $4.99 per week, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The company hired and trained 50 dating coaches who will be selecting two matches per week for participating users. However, the Journal notes that the matchmakers will be choosing matches from the same dating pool that the algorithm already provides, and will filter choices based on members’ answers to four basic questions, such as what a person would change about their dating life and what kind of person they gravitate towards.

The new service is being touted as a human matchmaking offering, aiming to disrupt the traditional matchmaking industry where experts charge thousands of dollars to hand pick potential matches for their clients and to better prepare them for dating. Match is offering a bit of human curation for far less money (but without all the handholding), which could have an impact.

Bumble announced that it is exploring how to employ the metaverse and Web 3.0 into a relaunch of its Bumble BFF platform. It also added language badges as a new feature to help users connect. 

The move towards interactive experiences seems to be where dating apps are headed, driven by younger Gen Z daters who prefer game-like experiences to swiping. Tinder recently announced that it was testing an avatar-based virtual experience called Single Town where users could meet each other in real time on different online spaces, like “bars” before agreeing to meet in person.

The rising popularity of cryptocurrency is also a factor, as Bumble has indicated it intends to create a crypto goods economy to monetize the new platform, as has Tinder.