Dating Services

Blockchain technology has become a buzzword these days, thanks to the soaring popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Now, new dating app companies are incorporating the same blockchain technology into their matching and verification processes to compete with big-name brands like Tinder.

There is a growing need for dating apps to address a persistent problem in online dating: lying and misrepresentation in dating profiles. Most dating apps use social media accounts as a way of verifying profiles, but this hasn’t curbed the proliferation of fake accounts and scammers. Blockchain technology is based in a democratic oversight of users, by users, to improve the overall experience.

Tinder changed the game for online dating, creating a mainstream acceptance of looking for love by swiping over a phone. A large part of the app’s success was gameifying the online dating process – look at a picture, and swipe left or right depending on whether or not you were interested. It was possible to go through dozens of profiles in seconds, making the swiping process more fun than pouring over dating profiles.

Positive Singles earlier this month announced over 10 new features for their dating service which matches people with STDs together. PositiveSingles.com has been online since 2001 and now has over 1.3 million registered users. You can access the service via the website and dating apps which is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

On the dating service side of things Positive Singles has added a feature called "Let's Meet". This feature is like an instant match maker. It shows you another member who matches your set of matching criteria and STD status. You can then choose to like the member and then check out their detailed profile. If you decide to ignore the member you will be shown a new profile.

You can also now find on PositiveSingles.com more than 2,000 Success Stories which you can read. Members can log in and submit their own story including pictures and videos.

The temptation to swear off dating gets stronger with every Ashley Madison hack, celebrity breakup, and creep exposed on Tinder - but according to new research from eHarmony, Americans are far from ready to throw in the towel and become cynical single curmudgeons.

The report, titled "The Happiness Index: Love and Relationships in America", reveals that 64% of Americans are “very happy” in their romantic relationships and just 19% say they're unhappy to some degree. eHarmony commissioned the report and it was conducted by Harris Interactive. 2,084 online interviews were conducted for the survey.

"At eHarmony, we talk a lot about happiness in relationships and how to keep them going strong," says Grant Langston, chief executive officer for eHarmony, in a statement. "We wanted to put society to the test and get a sense of how couples are living and loving in America today. Perhaps the most surprising finding is that gender and age dynamics in relationships are evolving, debunking misconceptions long held about both men and Millennials."

In the wake of the Parkland school shooting, Bumble is joining the growing number of companies that are taking a stand against gun violence. Starting this month, the dating app has banned profile photos featuring guns and other deadly weapons, and has established a team of 5000 moderators to remove any images that do not comply.

Bumble announced the ban in a statement posted to Instagram.

“We were founded with safety, respect and kindness in mind. As mass shootings continue to devastate communities across the country, it’s time to state unequivocally that gun violence is not in line with our values, nor do these weapons belong on Bumble,” reads the caption.

Tinder is taking a cue from one of its main rivals. According to a report from MarketWatch, a future update will introduce the ability for female users to decide whether they want to initiate all conversations with future matches.

The ladies-message-first arrangement was made famous by Bumble, which was launched by Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd following her acrimonious departure from the company. Unlike its rival, however, Tinder will not make ladies-first messaging the default; instead, any user who wishes to opt in can enable the feature in their settings.

“Often, women don’t really want the pressure of kicking off the conversation, but if they want it, that’s great,” Match Group Chief Executive Mandy Ginsberg told MarketWatch. “Giving people the choice versus telling people how to engage is the big difference.”

Emojis have come a long way since they first invaded our phones with their colorful cartoon depictions of food, faces, furry creatures, and other now-iconic symbols. Updates have given us mythical creatures, a hand taking a selfie, and a much-hyped avocado.

The most important change by far came in 2015, when an Apple update made emojis available for a diverse range of skin tones and same-sex couples for the first time. It was progress, but for a group of advocates that includes Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Emojination founder Jennifer 8. Lee, it wasn’t progress enough.

They have joined forces with Tinder to launch a campaign to petition the Unicode Consortium to introduce interracial couple emoji. Currently, the emoji featuring couples only show people of the same race. Under the new proposal, 21 different combinations of gender and race would be possible.