Online Dating

As we close out the first quarter of 2017, Happn has big plans to drive growth during the remainder of the year.

CEO Didier Rappaport told Business Insider that the company is working on a “new business model” that adds subscriptions to the service. Though the subscription model is still being tested, the tentative plan is to remove the ads (which currently fund the company) for users with paid accounts.

Since launching three years ago, Happn has built a user base of 25 million people. However, the company has yet to become profitable, and that’s its chief goal for 2017.

The company that popularized mobile dating has now announced the launch of a new desktop platform for its service, dubbed Tinder Online.

Tinder Online takes an old-school approach to online dating with its latest offering, a web-optimized version of its app that is more reminiscent of its predecessor's desktop applications, a la Match and eHarmony. Tinder’s new platform requires the same login process of signing up with your Facebook account, but currently it is only offering the free basic service. Tinder Online doesn’t include certain revenue features like “Super like” and “Tinder Boost,” so it’s not yet clear how Tinder will try and monetize the new platform.

According to Tinder’s blog, the move was aimed at serving users who were struggling with the app’s storage and WiFi capabilities:

Online dating has become more accessible than ever, but unfortunately, it’s also created a culture of ghosting and messaging among users that often doesn't lead to an actual date. Apps like Tinder made online dating easy and fun, but many daters have become frustrated with the game-like interface and the lack of any real connection with other daters. Many apps are trying to address this pain point by helping daters meet in person more quickly, which is key to forming romantic connections.

Dating app Stay launched last month in the iTunes store (called "Stay Dating" on iTunes) with a focus on in-person connections. The company encourages all matches to schedule dates; it's built into the app’s functionality.

With Stay, users can’t message right away, eliminating the ghosting problem that is so problematic with other dating apps. Users can only suggest times and potential locations to matches to set up a date. Once scheduled, users can start messaging (but only 24 hours before the date). If a user cancels the date or fails to show and gets reported, that user is blocked from viewing matches over the next 24 hours.

Tinders Matches Up For

Dating app giant Tinder is rolling out more options, testing a new feature to help its users better connect – this time spontaneously and in-person. The new feature dubbed “Matches Up For” allows users to set a status of what they are interested in doing that night, and see who from their matches is available to meet.

Matches Up For is intended to encourage users to connect in person. Tinder has been criticized for its “game-like” premise, and users have become frustrated with the flaky behavior of other app users. (Messaging with matches on Tinder often doesn’t lead to a date.) While Tinder still has the largest pool of singles among the many dating apps on the market, new apps are offering more relationship-focused features that encourage real-life connections, something Tinder users feel is lacking.

With Tinder’s new feature, users can let potential matches know if they are free that night, and can choose from a list of activities they’d be interested in doing.

Is dinner and a movie still a go-to date, or is that passe in a world of swipes? Two of Millennials’ favorite services - Tinder and Grubhub - teamed up to uncover the dining and dating preferences of modern singles.

"Most first dates involve food, so partnering with Grubhub to learn more about how eating preferences affect compatibility was a perfect fit for us," said Rosette Pambakian, vice president, global communications and brand of Tinder. "The findings are interesting and highlight the important role food plays in dating."

The poll surveyed more than 2,000 Tinder users across the US. Participants used Tinder’s signature swiping system to indicate their food-related dating preferences, revealing a significant divergence from longstanding stereotypes.

Spring is off to a big start for MeetMe. The social discovery service recently announced the beta launch of a live video feature in its popular applications, followed a few days later by a completed acquisition and a rebrand to The Meet Group.

MeetMe introduced Live to the world on March 30. Live is a one-to-many video feature that allows users to broadcast themselves, watch other users’ broadcasts, and chat in real time. The feature is now available to MeetMe’s beta community, with plans to roll out to more users in the coming weeks.

After the completion of the initial rollout, MeetMe intends to launch new freemium products within the video streams to help monetize the feature and encourage broadcasters to produce high-quality content. The company also expects to bring the feature to its Skout mobile applications later in the year.