Hinge

The infamous “Tinder Swindler” has been banned from several dating apps. Match Group, which owns several popular dating apps including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyofFish, announced that he was no longer welcome on their platforms.

According to Match Group, Shimon Hayut (who also went by Simon Leviev) violated their terms of service, which includes impersonation and asking for money. He created fake profiles on the app using other names in order to keep his con going, according to The Washington Post.

Match Group also said that ahead of the documentary’s release, the company published new guidelines for users to better protect from scammers and exploitation on its apps.

Hinge is giving some love to single Moms this Valentine’s Day, offering $100 in childcare stipends so that they can make plans for a date.

According to the company’s press release, the popular dating app kicked off the campaign on Friday, February 4th ahead of Valentine’s Day. Users who have selected “Have Children” in their profiles will receive an opt-in notification at that time. To be eligible to receive the gift, those who opt in must also comment on someone’s profile that same day. The gift cards will be sent via email to each selected parent, according to the release.

The campaign is in partnership with French singer-songwriter Soko, who is also a single parent. Soko wanted to focus especially on the LGBTQ+ community and encourage discussions on “how to prioritize responsibilities as a parent while also making time to find someone special,” according to the release.

Dating apps like Tinder, Plenty of Fish and others under the Match Group umbrella are pushing users to call their Senators to pass the Violence Against Women Act. The Act lapsed in 2019 and has not been reauthorized since.

While the bill has already passed the House with a Democratic majority plus 29 Republicans joining to pass it, so far it has languished in the Senate. Match Group decided to take matters into their own hands and push for passage of the bill to protect users of their apps, especially as the company continues to put more safety measures in place to protect users against harassment and violence.

According to The Hill, the bill would provide funding to state and local governments to address domestic abuse, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking which has become even more of a problem with the increased use of dating apps. It would also narrow a loophole to prevent partners and boyfriends convicted of domestic violence or abuse from buying or owning guns. (Currently only spouses and former spouses are prevented from buying a gun if convicted.) A number of Republicans have opposed the bill because they see it as an infringement on gun rights. 

Hinge announced that it will be adding audio features to its dating app, including audio messages and audio clips for profiles. In addition, the company is creating more flexibility in searches for LGBTQ daters.

The audio messages feature will allow users to record and send audio clips to their matches, another way of getting to know someone outside of sending photos or text messages. Users will also be able to record audio to add to their profiles, so prospective matches can get a more complete picture of who they are.

At the same time, Hinge announced the addition of more features for LGBTQ users, including an update to its algorithm to add a non-binary gender category for users to search and find dates. Many dating apps offer profile features for non-binary users to identify themselves, but users haven’t had the ability to search for matches outside of self-identified “men” or “women.”

Dating app Hinge teamed up with US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to talk about safe dating practices during a pandemic, specifically as we gear up for “cuffing season.” Murthy stresses that dating and interpersonal connection are important, so it’s good to have some tools for doing it safely.

The six-minute video captures Murthy behind an official podium as he offers specific tips for daters meeting face to face. He advises daters to get vaccinated before meeting others, which is the “single most important thing we can do” to prevent serious side effects or even death from Covid-19. Then he advises singles to ask their dates if they have been vaccinated too, so that the risk of meeting is low for both parties.

Murthy also asks people to plan an outdoor date if at all possible to reduce risk of transmission, and also to do rapid (same day) testing to ensure neither one of you is positive and to prevent the spread of the disease further. 

Dating app conglomerate Match Group announced that it will launch new audio and video chat features to its suite of dating apps over the next two years. The company shared this news on its second quarter earnings call with investors.

The company plans to debut a new audio chat feature and group video chat, along with other “livestreaming technologies” across its apps, according to Tech Crunch. The rollouts will happen over the next 12 to 24 months, with two of their dating apps debuting it before the end of this year, followed by more rollouts in 2022.

Adding new livestream and chat features are the result of the company’s pricey acquisition of social discovery platform Hyperconnect (the acquisition’s officially closed in mid-June). Match Group owns a series of popular dating apps including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish among others, and has said that the future of dating apps will likely resemble social platforms, with livestreaming and video being at the forefront.