Profiles

Tinder has debuted a slew of new features, and the latest is Music Mode, which automatically plays a user’s chosen “anthem” in their profiles, putting music preferences front and center to attract potential matches.

According to Tech Crunch, the new feature will play your chosen song in a 30-second loop while people scan your profile. Music Mode integrates with Spotify, so when members link to their Spotify accounts and set their anthems, they will be able to access Music Mode.

The feature will be found via the company’s new Explore section which offers a more interactive dating app experience. This is where users can search people according to interests and strike up conversations immediately, do a round of virtual speed dating or attend a virtual event. Tinder is focusing on this section of the app for younger daters who want a more interesting, immersive experience on dating platforms.

Match Group’s dating app Match will offer a hand-picked matchmaking service to app users for $4.99 per week, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

The company hired and trained 50 dating coaches who will be selecting two matches per week for participating users. However, the Journal notes that the matchmakers will be choosing matches from the same dating pool that the algorithm already provides, and will filter choices based on members’ answers to four basic questions, such as what a person would change about their dating life and what kind of person they gravitate towards.

The new service is being touted as a human matchmaking offering, aiming to disrupt the traditional matchmaking industry where experts charge thousands of dollars to hand pick potential matches for their clients and to better prepare them for dating. Match is offering a bit of human curation for far less money (but without all the handholding), which could have an impact.

Audio-focused dating app Heart to Heart, created by former TikTok product and operations lead Joshua Ogundu, raised $750,000 in seed money towards its launch goal.

The funding was initiated by Charles Hudson at Precursor Ventures, according to dot.LA. The seed money will go toward research and development of the app, which is expected to launch in beta form for iOS users by the end of the year.

Ogundu first came up with the idea because of audio-based social media platform Clubhouse’s popular speed dating rooms. Seeing an opportunity for audio connection in a dating app, he took to Twitter to find engineers to make Heart to Heart possible. Twitter now offers live audio group chats along with Clubhouse, and demand is still growing. Podcasts have persisted in being widely popular, paving the way for other audio applications.

Hinge announced that it will be adding audio features to its dating app, including audio messages and audio clips for profiles. In addition, the company is creating more flexibility in searches for LGBTQ daters.

The audio messages feature will allow users to record and send audio clips to their matches, another way of getting to know someone outside of sending photos or text messages. Users will also be able to record audio to add to their profiles, so prospective matches can get a more complete picture of who they are.

At the same time, Hinge announced the addition of more features for LGBTQ users, including an update to its algorithm to add a non-binary gender category for users to search and find dates. Many dating apps offer profile features for non-binary users to identify themselves, but users haven’t had the ability to search for matches outside of self-identified “men” or “women.”

Image: tinder

Tinder has announced another new feature aimed at helping singles during wedding season: Plus One.

According to the company’s press release, users are now able to enlist in the Plus One option to let other Tinder users know they are looking for a date to a wedding (or that they are willing to be a plus one for someone else). Plus One is found in the new Explore section of the app, where most of Tinder’s newest features can be found.

The dating app company is also trying to incentivize people to use Plus One, offering the first 100 eligible Tinder users who join $460 to cover the cost of wedding expenses, which can add up quickly. The money can go towards travel, lodging, or even a gift for the happy couple. Tinder partnered with online wedding resource company WeddingWire, who suggested the prize money based on the average amount people spend to attend a wedding.

Dating app Bumble has awarded new grants to three female leaders as part of its Moves Making Impact program, which honors female leaders taking on some of the greatest challenges the world faces today. 

Bumble’s “cause” feature, which funds the program, was introduced to bring attention to women who are making a real impact in their communities and the larger world, and to inspire and empower women using the app. When setting up a profile, Bumble users are prompted to choose a cause that is important to them – like public policy, human rights, or economic development, and each time you send someone a message on the app, Bumble will make a donation to a woman doing that work in her community.

The company announced the newest recipients of the fund, which focuses on human rights, women’s health, and inclusivity in art and culture. In total, Bumble has donated to eighteen female leaders through Moves Making Impact, along with Vital Voices Global Partnership.