Safety

We just got word that the dating service MillionaireMatch will be adding video chat soon to the wide list of features they offer. This is in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the priority MillionaireMatch places on the safety of their members. The new video chat feature will offer a way for members to meet virtually on a date securely without the need of an external video streaming service like FaceTime or Zoom. Johnny Du, the Chief Operating Officer of MillionaireMatch stated:

We care about the safety of our members. Keep social distancing is the most essential to protect us, …

Dating app OkZoomer began as a joke, but has unexpectedly taken off among college students across the U.S.

The coronavirus has forced people to find creative ways to connect, and college students have risen to the challenge. Ileana Valdez and Patrycja Gorska, two Yale Juniors, noticed the Ivy League Meme Consortium was growing fast with almost 100,000 members who were posting memes about their new social lives over Zoom. They thought they could do something similar with virtual dating. 

According to The Dallas Observer, they created a Google Form to match people going on blind Zoom dates as a joke, but then they began seeing hundreds, then thousands, sign up. In just two days, almost 2,400 students from 170 colleges across the country had signed up. Gorska and Valdez recruited more students to help, with a total of six people staffing their project, including Valdez’s brother who created an algorithm to help with matches. Now just weeks later, they have over 12,000 sign-ups.

A new study of online dating practices and attitudes in America has just been released by Pew Research, and the most surprising finding: the majority of dating app users find the experience of online dating positive. 

Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed say they have had an overall positive experience with dating apps, including 14 percent who describe their experience as “very positive” and 43 percent who said it was somewhat positive. About 40 percent of dating apps users describe their experience as “somewhat negative” (including 9% who describe it as very negative).

Coronavirus is affecting everyone around the world, and dating apps are pivoting to address the situation as it impacts their users.

Tinder has already put ads on its app that link to the CDC website with helpful tips on hand washing and social distancing. Grinder has also issued warnings to its users about practicing safe hygiene. 

OkCupid has seen an increase in use and has added some conversational prompts related to coronavirus, since that’s what daters want to talk about the most, especially in areas like New York where the virus has hit hard.

As the coronavirus becomes pandemic, OkCupid users are choosing to search for love and keep on dating.

According to Yahoo Finance, a whopping 92 percent of American OkCupid users said they are willing to date during the coronavirus outbreak. Overall, 88 percent of users across the globe are willing to date at this time. OkCupid also noticed a 7 percent increase of conversations between users in the first week of March, according to an internal questionnaire the company sent to its users. 

It’s important to note, as Yahoo Finance pointed out, that it wasn’t clear in the questionnaire if “going on dates” meant in-person or virtually over an app, through Facetime, Skype, Zoom, or other web-based means. That could be an important distinction. Dating.com surveyed singles during the pandemic and found that as many as 82 percent were turning to dating apps to meet people and go on virtual (online) dates.

Dating app Tinder raised the alarm for users of its popular dating app as reports of coronavirus spread across the U.S., with confirmed cases in most states.

Tinder has created ads that appear as users swipe through its app, providing links to the World Health Organization’s website with recommendations for preventing the spread of the virus, according to The Hill.

The ad states: "Your wellbeing is our #1 priority…Tinder is a great place to meet new people. While we want you to continue to have fun, protecting yourself from the coronavirus is more important.”