Marriage

China has launched a new state-sponsored dating app to boost marriage rates in the country. Palm Guixi is now available in the Jiangxi province and will use personal data on its single residents there to build its matchmaking platform.

The app itself differs from traditional dating apps like Tinder and Bumble in that the state-run operation picks your matches out based on tracking data, and sets matches up via the app’s blind dates platform according to Gizmodo.

Local governments in the province are organizing in-person matchmaking events as well, encouraging single attendees to wear traditional clothes and play games as a way to break the ice and to celebrate Chinese culture  according to The Guardian.

Match Group, parent company of popular dating app Tinder, is in talks to purchase a strategic stake in Shaadi, an India-based online matchmaking service.

The Economic Times first reported that the two companies were in talks, and that Match Group was looking to buy out Shaadi’s institutional stakeholders, but few details have emerged.

According to Ink 42, this latest development comes after Match Group has refocused its efforts and brought on a new executive team to run Tinder, which last year saw its first quarter of revenue decline since the company went public. Match Group has set its sights on the fast-growing Asian market, especially India and its large under-30 market.

Dating app Tinder and non-profit The Human Rights Campaign just announced a platform partnership to urge US Senators to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and require the US government to recognize same-sex marriages.

Tinder users will be directed to a landing page with an email template, according to The Hill, where they can send a message to their respective Senators and urge them to support the bill. Part of the campaign includes highlighting LGBTQ+ couples who met over the app.

According to tilte:The Hill, the bill itself would repeal and replace provisions "that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage that is valid under state law."

Match Group and Visible are teaming up to offer a Singles Registry where users can sign up to receive and send gifts to the single people in their lives. 

The announcement comes as we head into wedding season, a time when singles are often buying gifts for others and not celebrating their own lives. Match Group and the Verizon-owned digital wireless carrier wanted to spread the love (and gifts) a little more, at least for a limited time. The registry will be live from April 4ththrough the 30th.

The website the partners set up is VisibleSinglesRegistry.com, and is open to everyone, not just Match Group app users. When you sign up you can build your own wish list from a curated menu of items, including “Mine” and “Also Mine” tea towels, single serve coffee machines, wine glasses and kitchenware, a “pamper yourself” spa kit, premium memberships to Tinder, Plenty of Fish and OkCupid, and even a foldable one-person kayak for those that like adventure.

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 Match is beta testing some new features geared towards those interested in more “emotionally mature” relationships, an indication that the longstanding dating platform aims to cater to more serious daters.

According to Tech Crunch, the features are centered around two big frustrations with daters in their thirties who are ready to settle down: how long it takes to find a good match, and how pervasive the problem of ghosting has become. One feature called “Matched By Us” provides recommendations like a matchmaking service based on more in-depth questions the users are prompted to answer. The company is also testing an anti-ghosting feature that pushes users to continue a conversation or unmatch with that person, so that they aren’t left wondering what happened. 

Matched By Us presents one free match every week (available for both subscribers and non-paying members), where the couple can start up a conversation immediately without waiting for mutual likes. The matches are made through an algorithm that examines answers to questions posed to users, like their five-year plans or whether they are open to relocating for a relationship.