General News

A new study found that 60% of daters said they want to ease back into the dating scene slowly and remain cautious as the coronavirus rages on.

The new study from Dating.com surveyed daters across the U.S. about what they wanted and expected in their romantic lives as they come out of lockdown and venture out again. Since the virus is still spreading in this country, daters remain cautious about when and under what circumstances they are willing to meet in person.

That doesn’t mean they want to keep virtual dating forever – a whopping 85% said they are excited to get back to their normal dating schedule, including meeting dating app matches in person. Despite this excitement, a majority surveyed shared that they will continue to online date because they found it to be a good way to make connections.

New app Joystick Dating, catering specifically to single gamers, launched in June. But ongoing reports of rampant misogyny in gamer culture might impact the number of women interested in signing up.

Niche dating apps aren’t new, but appealing to gamers looking for love shows promise because of the number of people around the world who not only play video games but are avid fans of online gaming and esports. According to the latest stats from The Gamer, there are over 164 million adult gamers in the U.S. alone, which means about 64% of Americans play video games. That’s a huge potential market, considering more than half of U.S. adults are single.

Tinder, while not a niche dating app, has sponsored esports events and organizations, seeing the opportunity to appeal to gamers that Joystick’s creator David Minn sees.

Dating and social app Stitch has seen a growth of new users as people around the world began to isolate at home. The app is geared towards adults over 50 who are looking for community as well as a date.

Stitch is a non-profit focused on helping older adults address loneliness and social isolation, a growing problem as the virus continues to spread. Stitch notes that if you’re over 60 and experiencing loneliness, it has the same negative impact on health outcomes as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. And while Stitch markets itself primarily as a social app for making friends, it also allows people to meet potential dates.

Older adults are most impacted by the coronavirus and are reaching out to new people online more than ever. Stitch has seen its membership rise to 150,000 members in the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

China-based dating app Blued has filed for an IPO on NASDAQ, expanding its global and financial opportunities. 

The company aims to raise $50 million from the IPO, according to TechCrunch, which will go towards investment in technology and expanding the app in other countries. International users make up about half of its current membership.

Blued is part of a gay dating and lifestyle app called BlueCity founded by Baoli Ma in 2011, who is a formerly closeted gay policeman in China who was looking for a way to connect with others. While Blued originally seemed to model itself after dating app Grindr - (which was bought and later forced by the U.S. government to be sold by its Chinese owner Kunlun Tech) – the company added new features that included in-app video chats and livestream capabilities to distinguish itself.

Personal information stolen from 3,688,060 users of dating app MobiFriends was posted online, according to ZDNet.

The information doesn’t contain private photos or messages or any sexual-related content, but it does include other sensitive data that can be exploited, including email addresses, mobile numbers, dates of birth, gender information, usernames and passwords.

The personal data also includes recent app and website activity of the users. 

Dating site eHarmony has found that quarantine helped solidify new relationships at an accelerated speed as people partnered and navigated lockdown together. The company also found that it helped long-term couples feel more connected, too. 

Relate, a non-profit that provides mental health and counseling services, worked with eHarmony to gather the data. According to Good Housekeeping, they found that 63% of respondents say their relationship feels stronger after quarantining together, and 58% say they know they want to be with their partner forever.