Dating

Dating app Tinder has partnered with running coach app Runna to launch a special summer run club for singles.

According to Runner’s World magazine, the “Solemates” club was created in response to a growing need from Tinder app users for activity-based dating events. There is also a significant number of runners joining Tinder, and the term “running” is one of the top trending profile-tagged “interests” that people can choose from on the platform.

SoleMates events are taking place in June and July in London, and will be held on Wednesday nights for three consecutive weeks at different areas, including Clapham and Central London. The third location is to be determined.

Online scams are on the rise across New York state, according to its Attorney General Leticia James.

Local news WGRZ reported that scammers are using dating apps, social media, and unsolicited text messages to lure victims into making fraudulent purchases or investments. Referred to as “pig butchering” – the idea is for the scammer to befriend and form trust with the victim before taking their money.

"New Yorkers hoping to find romance and personal connections online are instead being taken advantage of and victimized by heartless scammers,” said Attorney General James in a release. “Sophisticated fraudsters are increasingly using dating apps and social media to trick users into bogus investment schemes.”

Young singles in China are taking to social media platforms like Xiaohongshu (also known as RED) to participate in livestreamed blind dates.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Network (ABC), livestream dating is “romantically themed video conference calls” where up to nine people can join a so-called “dating room” and talk with each other. But instead of a closed and private Zoom call, it is open to the public for any number of people to watch.

The concept is similar to a game show, where the participants give a little background on themselves and are often asked to “demonstrate a talent,” according to ABC. The participants have to be willing to make an effort to represent and “market” themselves, whether it’s through a talent or charm or other ability.

The government in the municipality of Tokyo announced it will be launching a state-run dating app to help young singles connect, and to increase birth and marriage rates. This state run dating app was first brought to our intention back at the beginning of the year.

According to Associated Press, “Tokyo Futari Story,” the city’s new initiative, is an effort to increase couples or “futari,” in a country where young people are more commonly alone. The initiative will involve an online dating site, but the government is also developing an app.

Tokyo City Hall is heading the project and has declined to disclose many details. However, The Japan Times reported that singles who sign up will need to verify their identity through official documentation, and to prove that they are single. Government officials told the paper that tax records will be required to prove income, and potential users of the app must sign a form that says they are ready to marry. (The intention of the app is, after all, to increase marriages and childbirth rates.)

Young daters in India are looking to find love based on their passion for sports like Cricket, according to a new study by dating app Happn.

According to the Deccan Chronicle, more than 60 percent of singles on the app are looking to match with someone who shares their love of sports. Cricket is by far the favorite sport among daters, but women over 35 are particularly enthralled with the sport (79 percent) and are more likely to match with someone else who shares that passion.

The majority of singles (over 70 percent) also want their partners to be athletic as well as being into sports. Among Gen Z singles, that figure rises to 83 percent. Women are more interested in playing a sport together on a date than men are, too.

Image: Grindr

Grindr has announced it has partnered with Equality in Movement in Georgia and MPOWER in Ireland to connect its users in these countries with at-home HIV testing kits.

According to the company’s blog post, Grindr says it wants to address the global HIV epidemic by making it easier for its users to have access to testing. While many countries have local testing centers, they can still be difficult to access, expensive, and many people still don’t want the stigma of going to a public place to get tested.

Users in Georgia and Ireland will have dedicated buttons on the app’s interface to order at-home self-test kits, any time of day. The app wanted the access to tests to be as simple as Covid tests have become for most folks. The company also wants to encourage more people to test for HIV by alleviating the stigma with in-person tests and allowing them to test in the privacy of their own home.