Online Dating

App companies are growing frustrated with splitting their increasing revenues with Google Play and the Apple Store, as they continue to pay 30 percent to the tech giants on every transaction made through their app stores. But now, Tinder is offering its customers a direct payment method, a way to bypass Google Play altogether.

The popular dating app is allowing its Android users to enter their credit card information directly into the app rather than using Google Play to buy premium subscriptions like Tinder Gold and Tinder Plus. Once you’ve entered the information, the app automatically defaults to this payment system for all future in-app purchases and renewal fees as well.

According to The Verge, Tinder isn’t the first company to side-step app stores. Epic Games, a popular video game developer, last year released its hit game Fortnite via its own downloadable launcher to avoid giving Google 30 percent of its revenues. Popular music service Spotify has filed an anti-trust complaint against Apple with the European Union for alleged anti-competitive tactics. Apple is now being investigated by the Union for disadvantaging other companies in favor of its own offerings, specifically Apple Music, which competes directly with Spotify. Netflix is also looking at options to avoid the Apple and Google Play stores, especially with Apple now entering the content business.

Image: Tinder

Tinder has announced a new safety feature for those in the LGBTQ community who are traveling abroad.

The new “Traveler Alert” feature allows users to hide their profiles on the app when they feel unsafe traveling in countries and regions that criminalize same-sex acts, according to website Lifehacker. International travelers are subject to the laws of other countries, so it puts LGBTQ folks especially at risk. There are currently 69 countries that persecute same-sex acts, and nine of these allow the death penalty to be imposed, including Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Tinder’s website stated: “It’s important to exercise extra caution if you choose to connect with new people in these countries - as some law enforcement have been known to use dating apps as tools for potential entrapment. Some countries have also recently introduced laws that criminalize communications between individuals on same-sex dating applications or websites and even aggravate penalties if that communication leads to sexual encounters.”

Grindr is turning up the heat for summer with new features and an upgraded premium membership. The new subscription tier, dubbed Grindr Unlimited, will cost users $49.99 per month or $300 up front for a full-year membership.

Grindr Unlimited is being billed as “the most convenient and discreet Grindr experience ever.” In a statement, a spokesperson for Grindr said: “When it comes to your Grinding, every minute counts, and you can’t afford to waste time – or have your clients see you in the grid during dessert.”

Grindr Unlimited comes with all the benefits of Grindr Xtra, the platform’s original premium membership, plus five exclusive perks:

After shuttering Google+ in April, Google is taking another stab at social networking. The company is currently testing Shoelace, a Meetup-esque network focused on connecting people with similar hobbies and interests.

Shoelace is a hyperlocal mobile app that promises to “tie” people together based on their interests, like two laces on a shoe. Users can create listings for events and activities (fittingly called “Loops” on the app) they’re participating in, then invite other people to join them. Invitations can be sent to friends or strangers, whether or not they are fellow Shoelace members. Shoelace also generates personalized daily recommendations help users find the most interesting things happening in their area.

Tagged Dating App

Tagged is our latest dating service review. The service is available from their website at Tagged.com or as an app on iOS and Android (the app is the preferred method of access since it has been updated with the latest features).

Tagged is another service that has been around a long time that we had never reviewed. The main reason is, it was launched in 2004 as a social discovery website and wasn't really used as a dating platform. After 2011 and when Tagged launched their apps is when the service become more about meeting people online for dating.

The Meet Group which owns Tagged (along with MeetMe, Hi5, Skout, Lovoo, and Growlr) has marketed the Tagged dating service for adults in their 20's and 30's. All of The Meet Group of dating apps share similar features including one of their most popular feature live video streaming of members. Streaming also allows members who are popular enough to make money with Tagged.

Image: The Meet Group

The Meet Group, the Pennsylvania-based parent to several dating and social networking apps, unveiled two new sets of features for its flagship dating and livestreaming platform, MeetMe.

The first updates focus on making MeetMe a safer, more welcoming and more inclusive space. The iOS and Android versions of the app now have a more prominent Report Abuse button - the largest, according to CEO Geoff Cook, seen in any major livestreaming app so far. When a user taps the button, a screengrab is automatically taken and sent to the company’s moderation team. The moderators can immediately review both the screengrab and the active livestream in order to take appropriate action.