A new study found that people who suffer from anxiety and depression, especially now during the pandemic, benefit from using dating apps – and those helped were mainly women.

According to Scientific Times, researchers from Ryerson University in Canada analyzed symptoms of social anxiety and “the use, motivation, and interaction associated with dating apps.” 

The researchers found that as lockdowns took place and people were physically isolated from one another, women turned to dating apps to feel connection and ease symptoms like depression. Many singles have felt increasingly disconnected during the pandemic, with some looking to dating apps for a quick quarantine partner as an alternative to being alone.

Dating service Match has quietly added some impressive new features to help singles stay in better communication, especially as the pandemic forces people to stay at home.

The app now allows users to message with their best recommendations each day without having to pay or subscribe to a paid service, which is an interesting move since previously Match members always had to subscribe to be able to send messages to other members no matter how well they matched. This move brings Match closer to it's sister brands like Tinder and POF (all are owned by Match Group) which uses the freemium model. These popular dating services allow their users to message for free but, users have to pay to upgrade their account to enjoy premium features like finding out who has liked their profile.

In addition, the app has rolled out some other key features, including:

Match Group’s revenue numbers increased more than expected for Q3, signaling that its customers are willing to pay for premium services in the midst of a pandemic.

According to Market Watch, Match Group reported revenue of $639.8 million for the third quarter, up from $541.5 million. Analysts had lowered expectations due to the raging pandemic and continued lockdowns, with a projection of $606 million for the quarter, which Match Group blew past. 

The company also reported a net income of $132.1 million, compared to $108.5 million in the same quarter the year before. This was due in part to star app Tinder, and also to the growth in revenue the company is seeing in its other apps, particularly Hinge, which was projected to triple its revenue growth this year.

Politically active singles used dating apps to reach out to people in swing state districts and encourage them to vote.

Election Day was November 3rd, though ballots are still being counted and tensions are high as the country remains polarized politically. Activists and organizers got creative in reaching people during a pandemic, in hopes of driving high voter turnout. Connecting with young singles in swing states via dating apps seemed an effective way to engage, rather than with traditional voter outreach methods.

The term “Hinge-banking” became a popular practice according to CNN. It’s a twist on phone banking, a typical tool used to encourage voter participation – but instead using the dating app to reach singles to ask them about their voting plans. 

Dating app Grindr discovered a security flaw in its service earlier in October which allowed hackers to easily hijack accounts. The flaw was fixed quickly before anyone’s information was compromised, but the vulnerability caused concern.

The flaw allowed anyone to hijack a user’s account using only an email address. It was discovered by researcher Wassime Bouimadaghene, who reported it to Grindr. Initially, he didn’t hear back according to Tech Crunch, and turned to a security expert for assistance.

Match Group announced that it was adding new safety functions to its dating apps so that victims of assault can get responses and assistance when they report abuse. The company also said it will be meeting with Australian law enforcement officials in the coming weeks to address the problem.

Match Group moved quickly to respond to a recent investigative report from ABC (the Australian Broadcasting System) on its safety policies, exposing a problem that users of its Tinder app who reported sexual assault never received responses from the company. One victim named Beth who was interviewed by ABC said she was held at knifepoint and raped by another Tinder user she’d met over the app, and when she reported the assault, nobody contacted her about it.