Dating Services

Andrey Andreev, who owns popular dating apps Badoo, Bumble, Lumen and Chappy, has created a new holding company called Magic Lab.

Magic Lab seems to be positioning itself to compete directly with Match Group by offering a similar setup: a suite of diverse apps aimed at different dating markets. However, Magic Labs stated how it plans to distinguish itself in its company mission, taking aim at dating app culture overall: “The brands will focus on marketing to solve societal issues such as misogyny, stereotypes, self-doubt and ageism.”

Dating app Lumen is coming out strong for the over 50 online dating market. It has already achieved one million downloads in just eight months (Android and iOS). In June, the company announced the launch of an international campaign dubbed “50 is just the start,” partnering with over-50 dance group The Silver Classix Crew in its ads.

The dance group performs in costumes that hide their identities, so they could be mistaken for much younger dancers. The end of the ad has them removing their masks to reveal performers with gray hair and other signs of age, meant to make viewers question their preconceptions of what “older” means. The ad will air in various global markets on both broadcast and digital platforms like Comcast and Hulu, according to website Campaign US.

A new study from Harvard University found that when people use dating apps, they are 2.7 to 16.2 percent more likely to have an eating disorder than those who don’t use the apps.

Researchers from Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health reported that those who used dating apps were more likely to abuse laxatives or use “unhealthy weight management practices,” according to a report from CNBC regarding the study.

Dating apps like Tinder and others feature photos prominently, with users swiping left and right based on how a potential match looks. This points to why dating app users might be more self-conscious about their bodies and try unhealthy tactics to lose weight.

Chinese dating app Tantan, which was recently removed from the Chinese app stores, is on the rise in India. The popular app has gained traction among singles and is now the fifth most popular dating app in the country.

“India is one of the fastest growing internet markets in the world, hence it’s very important to be present and win in the Indian market,” Tantan told Quartz. “After doing a soft launch in India, we learned more about the market and users which helped us in serving the market better.”

Russia is requiring 175 companies to share user data with its government law enforcement and intelligence services, including with FSB, the successor of the KGB spy agency. Listed among the companies was popular dating app Tinder.

Russia’s regulatory agency also required the dating app to store six months’ worth of user data on Russian servers, including direct messages, photos and videos. Three other dating apps, Mamba, Wamba and Badoo, currently share user information with Russian government officials, according to CNN.

In big news for the dating app industry – Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg met his husband on Hinge. And after his public remarks praising the dating app, it seems Hinge has also seen a spike in gay users.

Fortune reported that the app has seen a 30 percent increase in gay memberships since April 1^st, around the time the rising star mayor of South Bend Indiana disclosed he used the app and ended up meeting his husband Chasten on it.

“We’re proud of all of the relationships we’ve helped set up — including Mayor Pete and Chasten,” Hinge CEO Justin McLeod told Fortune. “We’re happy to see that their love story has encouraged even more members of the LGBTQ community to find their person on Hinge.”