Match Group

A federal lawsuit was filed in a San Francisco court against Match Group, alleging that the dating app company creates apps that hook users with promises of love, and then push people to pay money to keep swiping.

According to NPR, the lawsuit was brought by six plaintiffs in New York, California, and Florida, alleging that Match Group “gamifies” its apps to “transform users into gamblers locked in a search for psychological rewards that Match makes elusive on purpose.”

Match Group owns popular apps Tinder, Hinge, Match, OkCupid and The League, among others.

The lawsuit goes on to claim that Match Group’s apps are designed to turn users into addicts who keep swiping; and keep purchasing subscriptions and paid features to be able to keep searching for matches. The plaintiffs also claim that the company has violated state and federal consumer protection laws and engaged in false advertising.

Image: Tinder

Tinder has updated its community guidelines with AI-based warnings that detect problematic messages and behavior of users and issue warning messages to adhere to the community guidelines, or they will be removed from the app.

The new warnings, according to Tinder’s press release, center around three categories: authenticity, respect and inclusivity.

The warnings come as an update to the Community Guidelines, which serve as the basis for expected behavior of users on the app. They aim to protect users against harassment, and “advertising and impersonation,” according to the release.

Some dating app users are becoming creative in their frustration with matches they are served and have started using hacks to trip up the algorithms behind the matching.

According to a recent feature in The New York Times, these hacks are aimed at besting the algorithm so that users can try and access different results. The tricky part is, the dating apps are putting more and more features behind a paywall, so it’s getting more convoluted to try and get around the algorithm.

But some dating app hackers are finding success and posting their methods on TikTok and Reddit. For example, some users recommend deactivating and then reactivating your account to get a fresh set of matches, according to The New York Times. Some have also suggested rejecting a bunch of attractive profiles to throw off the matching process, or to switch your location to a different city, which is like pressing “refresh” on your matches.

Match Group released its first quarter revenue forecast, falling below Wall Street analyst expectations as users continue to cut back on their dating app spending.

According to Reuters, the company also authorized a $1 billion share buyback plan.

The company, which owns Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Match among other dating apps, said paying users declined 5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the previous year, to 15.2 million. It expects revenue between $850 and $860 million for the first quarter, down from analysts’ forecasts of $867 million on average, according to Reuters.

Teri Hatcher, the popular actress who starred in the hit tv series Desperate Housewives and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, has shared that she was kicked off dating app Hinge after being accused of posting a fake profile.

The actress spoke about the incident in an episode of Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone when he asked her about her dating life.

"I've tried them all, and I tried my latest one. I tried Hinge," she told host Curtis Stone while sharing that she doesn't "meet people," according to People Magazine.

OkCupid just celebrated its 20th anniversary and released some interesting dating trends as we start 2024, driven mostly by its younger users. The irreverent dating app has attracted a wide array of singles over the years, thanks to its unique question and answer format for people to get to know each other.

The dating app surveyed close to one million of its users and found that almost 80 percent consider themselves independent daters, and those who declare themselves as independent are receiving 5 percent more likes compared to people who say they aren’t.

In fact, according to the company's blog post, in 2023 there was a 181 percent increase in mentions of “independent” on OkCupid profiles, which points to healthier dating trends in 2024. Other dating apps have also found their users (especially younger Gen Z daters) want to focus on their mental health and well-being before getting involved in a new relationship, so it seems to be a trend.