Dating

Dating app Bumble has updated its community guidelines to crack down on bad behaviors like ghosting and doxing, as well as to cut down on bots.

Bumble is coming down hard on the issue of bots by banning actions like “artificially influencing connections, matching, conversations, or engagement through the use of automation or scripting,” according to Tech Crunch. The app has blocked more than 8.2 million fake and spam accounts this year using AI. The problem of bots is an ongoing one for all dating apps, and using AI as a tool to identify and block these accounts benefits users in the long run.

In its guidelines, Bumble added clauses prohibiting adult content on its apps, including language in profiles and attempts to “buy, sell, or promote sexual content” according to Tech Crunch.

In time for students headed off to college, Tinder has released a new safety guide to help them navigate dating on campus.

According to Campus Safety Magazine, Tinder sees the highest number of new eighteen-year-old users in August and September when the school year begins. And while freshmen are excited to meet new people and date, dating violence is common on college campuses. Tinder wanted to take a proactive step and provide some guidance.

Tinder’s “Campus Crush Dating Guide” provides advice to help users meet people and date more safely, including knowing their self-worth and what they want from dating. The app points out the large number of users on college campuses, and encourages users to write complete bios, post at least four photos, and list their interests (with an emphasis on music preferences), so that they can attract the right matches.

This summer, young daters have been more interested in tossing aside geographical boundaries and looking for love in faraway places. They are also looking for short-term romance that comes to an end after the vacation is over.

According to Mashable, 33 percent of Bumble users are embracing “wanderlove” - the prospect of pursuing love interests outside of where they live. And young singles want to experience adventure and romance in a new place. Travel is the top priority for these daters, and if they can have an “expirationship” - a little bit of romance along with it that can end when they finish their travels, even better.

Part of this growing trend is due to post-pandemic work models, where many people were able to move to where they wanted to live, rather than stay where their workplace is located. Young people with no kids are especially interested in traveling, rather than putting down roots in a specific place.

Match Group announced in its quarterly earnings call that its star app Tinder will be launching a “high-end” subscription tier this fall. In addition, Tinder will debut a product refresh to cater to the Gen Z dating market.

The company has been testing price points in different markets, including a $500 subscription that was called Tinder Vault, according to CPO Mark Van Ryswyk. In an interview with Fast Company earlier this year, he noted that there’s a market for daters who are willing to pay for good matches, as evidenced by the success of its exclusive dating app The League.

However, the price point was arguably high for an app that will not include human matchmakers, but instead will continue to rely on technology to serve up better matches.

Parents in China are taking matters into their own hands with their single adult children and using dating apps to help them find someone to marry.

Parent-facing dating apps are taking off in China, according to Rest of World, which reports on tech trends globally. Many parents are using online matchmaking platforms like Perfect In-Laws, Family-Building Matchmaking, and Parents Matchmaking to set up dates for their grown and unmarried children.

On platforms like these, the parents set up profiles for their children, sometimes without their knowledge or consent, according to Rest of World. When the match is made, it’s the parents who meet and get to know each other first, similar to matchmaking apps used in India.

Millions of people are turning to TikTok to get ideas for what to do on a date or to spice things up with their partner. TikTok’s newest viral dating craze is Alphabet Dating, where a couple goes through the letters of the alphabet to create out-of-the-box date ideas.

Instead of letting things get stale (and doing the same thing over and over), TikTokers are posting their Alphabet Date ideas to help inspire others. For example, if you start with the letter A, you can imagine places to go or things to do that begin with the letter A, like visiting an aquarium or doing an archery session, as website Bustle notes. Then the next week, you look for “B” activities like bowling, bike riding, or playing board games. And so on until you go through the alphabet.

Partners can take turns coming up with ideas each time they plan. The idea is to go through the entire alphabet as inspiration to keep things fresh, new and exciting.