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Cheers, a new matchmaking app founded by former Instagram engineer Sahil Ahuja, has launched in New York.

The new app is focused on building connections by offering a similar format to social platforms like Instagram, where users can add unlimited photos and videos to their profile (similar to social media apps), so other users get a feel for who they are. Cheers uses AI in some of its features as do most dating apps now, including for photo selection and to set up user profiles.

According to Tech Crunch, Cheers is differentiating itself from apps like Tinder and Bumble by offering posting features and friend-matchmaking in addition to romantic connections, leaning heavily into the social media model.

A new study found that men who post pictures with their dogs have a higher match rate on dating apps than those who don’t.

According to the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science which published the study, men who wanted long-term relationships also tended to pose with their dogs for dating app photos, compared to those looking for short-term flings, who were much more likely to pose with status symbols like boats or motorcycles, or show off their bare chests.

The study looked at 750 dating profiles, with 225 men and women each seeking long-term relationships, and 225 men looking for a casual relationship.

New York dating service Pique is turning back the clock on how people meet with its debut of the “Love Wall,” a tangible alternative to dating apps.

According to Newsweek, the Love Wall was created by Pique co-founders Cyrus Belsoi and Vaish Sesetty, designed as an in-person experience to help people connect. The founders saw an opportunity to create something different as people became more frustrated with dating apps.

The Love Wall is located in Brooklyn’s McCarren Park, and has generated some buzz among local singles looking for an alternative to swiping. It contains hundreds of polaroid pictures hanging from its structure, as well as a few bio details like you’d find in an online profile.

India-based dating app Schmooze just raised $4 million from Elevation Capital and other angel investors.

The meme-based dating app founded by Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Bengaluru helps people connect based on their senses of humor and allows them to express their personalities creatively through memes. The round of funding also included investments from the founders of Ultrahuman, The Souled Store, Mosaic Wellness and Paytm, according to Economic Times.

The funding comes at a time when dating app revenue has been declining and dating app companies are struggling to better monetize their platforms. Many are turning to AI for enhanced features, like photo selection, helping users craft bios, and added safety features, hoping to attract users willing to pay for such perks.

Schmooze is also touting its AI-driven features, and said that the new funds will be used to enhance its AI engine as well as for growing the company, according to Economic Times.

Bumble plans to enhance its platform with new AI-powered features in the next few months, particularly in the areas of profile creation and conversation support.

According to Tech Radar, Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones spoke at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia technology conference in mid-September and offered the new plans of where Bumble is headed. She said the company was focused on developing AI tools to enhance user experience.

One tool she mentioned was an AI-driven feature to help users pick out photos for their profile, similar to what Tinder launched, to help improve matches.

Image: Grindr

Grindr has shut off the explore option on its platform for the Olympic Village in Paris to protect the identities of athletes who are staying there to compete.

According to Pink News, the gay dating app has blocked global visibility for the Village area. Social media posts have shown that when you search for people in the Olympic Village, no profiles are offered.

According to Grindr’s announcement about the move, it said: “We're turning off features like "Explore" and "Roam" within the Olympic Village. The ‘show distance’ feature will also be turned off by default, but users can share their approximate distance if they decide to turn it on.”