Industry

New gay dating apps like Scruff and Archer are positioning themselves to capture a bigger portion of the LGBTQ+ online dating market as Grindr complaints and technical issues rise.

Grindr has long been the most popular dating app for gay daters, but recently people have posted complaints on social media and online forums, saying that they are experiencing technical issues, not getting access to the features they paid for, and other problems, according to Mashable.

This year, Grindr has experienced significant bugs and periods of downed service. At the same time, it has asked its users to pay more to access certain popular features, including limiting both “taps” and “explore” features and requiring them to buy subscriptions.

The new dating app industry code of conduct established by the Australian government has taken effect as of October 1st, requiring dating apps to adhere to certain standards in an effort to better protect their users.

The new code requires dating apps to make “prominent and transparent” to users how to report someone or file a complaint on their platforms, according to Associated Press. The code also requires dating apps to detect potential incidents of online harm, and that the accounts of offenders are terminated.

A pervasive problem is that users who have been blocked on one platform can join another, so the reporting process is key. Communication Minister Michelle Rowland said in a statement: “If there are grounds to ban a particular individual from utilizing one of those platforms, if they’re banned on one platform, they’re blocked on all platforms,” according to AP.

Dating app companies like Tinder and The League are betting on in-person events to drive engagement on their online platforms and help attract new users.

According to The New York Post, dating app The League organized high-end events in New York, the Hamptons and even at the U.S. Open to drive engagement on its platform as well as to generate revenue. In fact, senior VP and head of marketing Lisa Kraynak told the Post: “It’s the beginning of a hybrid model in our largest market. The future is some combination of in-person, online and artificial intelligence.”

Dating apps have seen a decline in paying users in recent quarters, leading companies to try new features and even branch out into event organizing to appeal to daters who have become burned out from swiping. This hybrid model could prove effective, since dating apps are still the most popular way to meet people, according to recent studies, but coupling that with in-person events give people a better chance at connecting.

Popular dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Grindr are building and testing out virtual wingmen and other AI-driven tools on their platforms to help generate icebreakers and offer instant feedback, according to a new feature in The Financial Times.

Grindr chief product officer AJ Balance told the Financial Times that the gay dating app’s chatbot assistant called Grindr Wingman would help users with their dating “pain points,” like helping them initiate flirty conversation via curated prompts based on user profiles and chat histories.

“It’s that friend in the bar who’s helping you to ask someone out — but in the virtual context,” Balance told FT, saying that using AI in this way could help take the hard work out of online dating.

Russia is advising its citizens to log off dating apps for a while after regions of the country were invaded during a surprise incursion by Ukraine.

According to a report from Politico’s European Bureau, the Russian government warned that Ukraine was using information gained from dating apps to plan its attack. Dating apps generally collect sensitive information such as location data as well as personal information like names, birthdates, ages, and more.

Popular U.S.-based apps like Tinder and Bumble had already pulled their platforms out of Russia when the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but many dating apps remain in use.

Dating app Bumble’s share value dropped 30 percent after the company slashed its annual growth revenue forecast in its second quarter earnings report.

According to Reuters, Bumble also fell below estimates for its second quarter revenue. The dating app company reported revenue of 268.6 million, below analyst expectations of $273 million.

This report worried investors who compared Bumble’s second quarter to rival Match Group’s, which reported relatively better revenue numbers driven by robust growth at Hinge and more stability at Tinder.