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New dating apps like Thursday and POM are focusing their efforts on pandemic-weary singles ready to connect via in-person events.

According to a profile of the apps in Business Insider, the apps’ founders saw opportunity as singles grew tired of virtual dating during pandemic lockdowns. As restrictions are starting to lift across the globe, singles are eager to mingle in person again, which is providing new opportunities.

London and New York have both become test cities for Thursday’s events, according to Business Insider. The app has been hosting events in these locations, up to 15 per week that are surpassing venue capacity. This might change in the coming weeks with the latest Omicron surge, but so far it hasn’t slowed the company down.

Tinder announced this week that it has added background checks to its features, thanks to its ongoing partnership with security company Garbo.

Starting now in the U.S., Garbo’s new online background check platform will be available to the general public and launched to Tinder members via the app’s Safety Center. The new service allows easy access to public information about a potential match’s history of violent or harmful behavior, including arrests, convictions, and sex offender registry records.  

According to the company's press release,  Tinder users can tap on a blue safety shield from anywhere in the app to be taken to the Safety Center. From there, they can tap on the Garbo article to be redirected to Garbo’s website where they can provide information about their match – typically only a first name and phone number. If Garbo needs more information, they’ll ask, which may include age.

Nevermet, a new dating app that operates exclusively in the metaverse, aims to help people cultivate virtual relationships instead of encouraging them to meet IRL.

Nevermet was designed specifically for VR users who are looking for a virtual dating experience. Users can create a profile with traditional dating app preferences like age and gender filters, but the big difference is no physical address is necessary because the app isn’t location-based. Instead, users add a virtual location like Rec Room, Horizon Worlds, or VRChat where they can be found. 

When the profile is complete, users can swipe through potential matches, but instead of real-life photos, they see only a VR avatar of their matches. According to Virtual Reality Times, the app is monitored to ensure people aren’t posting real photos.

Fourplay, a new dating app that lets friends create joint profiles and go on group dates with their matches, has become a hit in the New York dating scene. The app now boasts a waiting list of 9,000 people.

According to The New York Post, the app was created by two friends who were healthcare workers and didn’t have much time to devote to their jobs, friends, and the dating scene, so Danielle Dietzek and Julie Griggs decided to create a profile together on a dating app and look for matches who were willing to recruit their friends and go out all together on a double date. (Hint: they got a lot of positive responses which led to the idea for the app.)

The way Fourplay works is two friends set up a joint profile and then match with other pairs of daters. When there is a match, the four proceed to a group chat. The idea is to take the pressure and awkward conversation off of first dates, which can often be more stressful than fun, to make it a more engaging, communal experience. If there’s no romantic connection, then at least everyone got to spend time with friends, and maybe make new ones.

The Right Stuff, a new dating app to help conservatives connect more easily, is set to launch this summer. Peter Thiel, a billionaire tech entrepreneur who founded PayPal, has already signed on as an investor, according to Axios.

Thiel has invested $1.5 million in the new app, whose target market are conservative daters who live in large cities that tend to be more liberal. The app will debut in Washington D.C. and at first will be invitation-only. It will be free to download and use, with paid and subscription options added later for those who want access to more features.

John McEntee, a former political aide for the Trump administration, founded the dating app to help conservative singles find like-minded partners. “Conservatives deserve an easy way to connect,” McEntee said to Axios.

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder is rolling out another interactive feature for its Explore section. According to the company’s blog post, Fast Chat: Blind Date will allow users to chat without being able to see each other’s photos, so they focus on personality instead of image. 

When users opt in to the Blind Date feature, they are asked to complete a series of questions, and are paired with others based on similar responses. The questions are meant to spark conversation in an ice-breaker style, like “I put ketchup on___.” The two daters then start a timed chat in which they receive the responses as prompts, so they can have a little fun with awkward first conversations. 

When the chat time ends, they can like the other person’s profile and if they both match they can see each other’s photos and continue talking or messaging, according to the company's blog.