Profiles

Image: OkCUpid

OkCupid has launched a new profile badge for users to advertise their views on climate change in honor of Earth Day.

The dating app company will prompt its users with the question: “Are you concerned about climate change & want a profile badge to show it’s important to you?” For those who choose to answer in the affirmative, a Climate Change Advocate badge will be automatically added to their profile. 

In addition, these users will be featured in the Climate Change Stack (categories where users can easily search potential matches according to interests), and OkCupid also plans to donate $1 per profile badge to EarthDay.org, up to $25,000. EarthDay.org is the world’s largest recruiter of for the environmental movement, which began on the first Earth Day in 1970. 

Chispa, one of the most popular dating apps for Latinx daters, said its subscriber base has grown to over four million, a twenty-eight percent increase from this time last year, according to the company’s press release. This milestone was shared just before they announced their second piece of big news: a partnership with Tragos, a popular card game among Latinos. 

Tragos offers questions centered around Latinx culture, with some references in Spanish, like “Do you fear la chancla?” or "Ever get hit with '¿y el novio/ la novia?' at family gatherings?" The point is to spark conversation – opening the door to talk about upbringing or current social topics, and hopefully build connection.

Chispa will offer an in-app version of the game so its users can play with their matches, and hopefully forge connections.

Dating app Coffee Meets Bagel has put the Covid vaccine front and center on its app, adding vaccination status to user profiles.

According to Fox News, CMB users will be able to select from one of five options to update their status: fully vaccinated, waiting on an additional dose, planning to get vaccinated, not getting vaccinated, or prefer not to say. When they choose, it will automatically be added their profile. If at any time a user wants to change their vaccination status, they can edit their response.

The coronavirus has upended dating over the past year, with many singles turning to dating apps and virtual chats to meet people and stay connected. The rollout of the vaccine has gotten singles excited to meet in person again, and vaccination status has been a popular topic of conversation. In fact, CMB noted that user bios containing the word “vaccine” or “vaccination” have increased 220 percent since October.

Garbo is a non-profit provider of Background Checks

Tinder announced that it will offer background checks on potential dates, a new measure that parent company Match Group has taken to improve safety for users of the app. Currently no dating app conducts criminal background checks on users, so this is a huge step forward for safety advocates.

Match Group has partnered with Garbo, a non-profit that provides background checks, and plans to debut an in-app background check feature on Tinder later this year according to The Washington Post. There are no details yet on the cost of the service.

Tracey Breeden, Match’s new head of safety and social advocacy, said in an interview: “This gives [Tinder users] an opportunity and that comfort level. Maybe they want more information before they have a video chat, maybe they want more information before they meet in person.”

Dating App Jigsaw Raised Funding

Image: Jigsaw

Dating app Jigsaw has raised $3.7 million in funding after its launch in the U.S., positioning it to be a contender in the industry, according to Tech Crunch. The company is backed by angel investors in the UK and the US.

Jigsaw differentiates itself from other dating apps by slowing down the process for users to accept or reject a match. Sixteen jigsaw puzzle pieces hide a user’s face in their profile photo, with only one small piece revealed as a tease. Over time as a user interacts, the photo emerges as the puzzle pieces disappear, two at a time. After a certain number of interactions, the whole photo is revealed. 

Image: Bumble

Female-forward dating app Bumble said it will ban users who engage in body-shaming on the app.

The company said that it’s employing an algorithm that identifies and flags users engaging in derogatory language that is “fatphobic, racist, or homophobic,” according to The Guardian. Once these accounts are flagged, moderators will analyze the conversation to determine whether the user violated the new policy. If they are determined to have used inappropriate language, they will receive a warning, and if they engaged repeatedly in such language or hateful rhetoric, they will be banned.