Features

Tinder has partnered with ride sharing company Lyft to let users purchase rides for their dates, encouraging people to meet for dates after more than a year of lockdown restrictions from Covid-19.

The new feature can be found in the company’s Explore section of the app, where a user can buy a ride credit for a person they have matched with, according to The Verge. While the person buying the ride credit can set the meeting location, time, and how much they want to spend, they won’t be able to see their match’s address or other personal information. 

If you are the recipient of a rideshare gift, you have the option to turn it down. When someone has purchased a Lyft ride for a match, the match is sent a link via a phone number or email address, and it is up to that recipient to accept or reject the ride. The Verge points out that while this is a good step in enacting some safety precautions for users and giving them some control, there should also be a way to opt out of the feature altogether. (Currently, there’s not.) 

Tinder is breaking new ground in the dating app industry by offering its own in-app currency for users to spend as they swipe. 

According to Bloomberg, Tinder will be testing in-app “coins” that users obtain by keeping their profiles updated and being active on the app, or alternatively, they can purchase them with real money. The coins can be spent on paid features Tinder offers like Super Likes (letting someone know you’re very interested) and Boosts (which promote your profile to other users).

Tinder is expanding its offerings beyond the swipe to create more stickiness with young daters, and the new currency is a way to monetize these features as people spend more time on its app. The company announced the launch of the Explore section in September, which features short form original content like its hit series Swipe Night and virtual speed dating with “Hot Takes.” 

Image: Happn

Happn, one of the most popular dating apps, is launching new voice features to help its users better connect.

According to India TV News, the new features will be rolled out globally over the next few weeks. One of the new features allows users to add an audio note up to two minutes long in their profile, so that other users can get an idea of their personality from their voice. Happn is also rolling out an audio chat feature that allows people who match to talk with each other directly over the app. 

The third audio feature is audio feed, where Happn will offer a feed of profiles in which users will be able to hear the voices of potential matches before seeing the rest of their profiles (like their photos, bios, etc.) – emphasizing the importance of the connection someone feels to a person’s voice, instead of just viewing their photos or interests. It’s an intriguing new way for users to assess their matches.

As people return to the office after a year and a half of working from home, Tinder has launched its revamped “Work Mode” feature so users can swipe discreetly. 

Work Mode allows you to use your desktop to search for matches, disguising the dating app as a project management tool so you can inconspicuously go through profiles while looking like you are working, in case your boss or a co-worker stops by your desk. You can access Work Mode by going to Tinder.com and logging in to the desktop platform. From there, you can choose the briefcase icon at the top right corner of the page, which switches the normal screen to the decoy. 

Work Mode looks like a Google doc page with a menu at the top. The left side of the page contains a header that says: “Meeting Agenda” with some dating tips disguised as bullet points, with advice like “arrive early” and “buy first round of drinks.” On the left side of the page, there’s a chart with the headline “statistical analysis” with a generic line graph.

According to Mashable, users can not only swipe, but message their matches while using this feature, which is a new addition in the relaunch. Users can connect their profiles from their work computers and reply to messages discreetly or search for matches, simply by clicking on the briefcase to toggle back and forth from the decoy screen to see your matches. 

WooPlus Facebook Login Issues

Members of dating app WooPlus who use Facebook logins to access their accounts recently got shut out, creating a huge problem the company wasn’t able to address in a timely manner. As a result, WooPlus is considering ditching Facebook altogether from its login options.

Almost 1.5 million members of the popular dating app for curvy people weren’t able to login to their accounts via Facebook, a typical way for dating app platforms to be able to verify members. The company said that Facebook had failed to notify them in advance that they planned to lock out these users and didn’t offer a reasonable explanation for doing so.

Some WooPlus members said that they were forced to set up new accounts without using Facebook to login to the app, but that they weren’t able to access any of their old account information, messages or matches, causing even more frustration. Others said this wasn’t the first time Facebook booted them out.

Image: OkCupid

OkCupid has introduced a new “pro-choice” badge for users to add to their profiles, a signal to let others know they oppose the new Texas law restricting abortions in the lone star state. The company also said they would donate a dollar per badge to Planned Parenthood, up to $50,000 total on behalf of users who add the badge.

The badge is similar to other politically inspired badges OkCupid has rolled out over the years, including ones for Black Lives Matter, Voting and Vaccination status. It will appear directly below the bio (name, age, location) making it visible to anyone who’s swiping.

According to The New York Times, the new badge was created in response to the passage of Senate Bill 8 in Texas, which has essentially outlawed all abortions past six weeks, before most women even know they are pregnant. The new legislation won’t be enforced by public officials, however. Rather, it empowers anyone, in or outside the state, to sue a person who is getting an abortion or who is involved or considering helping someone get an abortion, including doctors, nurses, family members, or even the person who drives the patient to the clinic. Critics have likened it to a vigilante state, aimed at targeting vulnerable women.