Mobile

Tencent, China’s largest social networking platform and operator of the immensely popular app WeChat, has launched a new dating app that seems positioned to compete with both Tinder and Tantan, China’s most popular dating app.

Qingliao - roughly translated as “light chat” – is kind of a hybrid of different dating app features already on the market. There is no swiping, but users can choose to “like” or “pass” on a potential match by choosing an “X” or a heart. When two users are matched, they can start chatting, according to details described in South China Morning Post.

Tinder is rolling in cash at the close of 2019 thanks to consumer spending on its popular dating app. According to Annie’s List, it ranks as the number one non-gaming app where consumers are spending money, ahead of entertainment and social network giants like Netflix, YouTube and Tencent.

Video games are by far the most popular apps for consumers and generate the most revenue from in-app spending. However, outside of the gaming world, Tinder subscriptions have driven it to the top spot in consumer app spending.

S'More Dating App Launching Soon for iOS

Adam Cohen-Aslatei, the former Managing Director of gay dating app Chappy, believes today’s singles are looking for “something more” than mindless swiping and superficial, appearance-focused dating platforms. That’s where S’More comes in. Cohen-Aslatei’s new dating app is designed to prioritize getting to know someone before deciding if you’re interested in them — and before you’ve even seen what they look like.

“Ten years ago, casual dating apps made it easy to find people nearby and the hook-up culture was born,” said Cohen-Aslatei. “Then came the second generation of dating apps with a lifestyles appeal, still for casual connections. However, most of the apps were still based on a ‘Hot or Not’ game, and while fun, left the majority of people hopelessly single. A reliance on dating the perfect selfie hasn’t worked, and today millenials are transitioning to relationships apps that focus on getting to know the whole person, which is critical when you’re looking for a relationship.”

A revealing report published by ProPublica found that Match Group did not conduct background checks on users of their popular free platforms, including Tinder, Plenty of Fish, and OkCupid, leaving their members vulnerable to sexual assault.

Columbia Journalism Investigations analyzed more than 150 incidents of sexual assault among people who met through dating apps over the last decade, ProPublica reported. Most met their matches through Match Group apps. The researchers discovered that registered sex offenders were using Match Group apps like Tinder and went on dates with women who had no idea, because while Match Group conducts background checks for paid apps like Match, they don’t for their free apps.

League Live = Video Speed Dating

Exclusive dating app The League has announced the launch of its newest feature: two-minute live video chats, intended to work like virtual speed dating.

The feature is called League Live, and users can opt in to participate, according to The Verge. It works like this: starting December 1^st, the video dates will begin at 9:00pm on Sundays for those who have opted in, and the app will automatically pair a couple up based on their preferences and location as they do for matches.

Russia’s largest social media platform VKontakte is going head-to-head with Tinder and Badoo by launching its own dating app.

According to The Moscow Times, VKontakte’s Lovina is a video-centric dating app, offering a video chat option to people who like each other over the app and a “carousel” of short videos for a quick communication between random users who are browsing through the app. Executives behind Lovina say that providing video as the main way for users to connect is a better method than what traditional dating apps like Tinder offer, because video is much more revealing than photos or a written profile. Plus, there’s less chance of someone faking a video compared to photos.