Types (Niche)

BLK, a dating app specifically for black daters, has become one of the fastest-growing apps in the Match Group suite of dating apps. Match Group currently owns a substantial portion of the dating app market, including Tinder, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish and Hinge among others.

According to The Grio, during the first two weeks when COVID-19 was spreading and people were sheltering at home, BLK saw an 18% increase in daily activity. Now seven months into the pandemic, there is a 38% increase in activity month over month. BLK launched in 2017, and since has grown to over four million users. 

My Transsexual Date is a dating site that caters specifically to the transgender singles community, and since its launch in 2014, has become the leading online dating platform for transgender women and trans oriented men looking for love.

Currently, the website has over 25 million page views per month, more than one million profiles worldwide, 55,000 monthly active users, and 600 new daily subscribers. The platform also sees about 75,000 messages sent per day between users. My Transsexual Date is not yet available as a mobile app, but the website works well on smartphones if you prefer to set up a profile that way.

Some benefits of their dating platform: there’s a higher level of moderation than on regular apps to avoid fake and indecent profiles, as well as to curb harassment. There’s also no advertising, a rarity in the online dating market.

A new study found that people who suffer from anxiety and depression, especially now during the pandemic, benefit from using dating apps – and those helped were mainly women.

According to Scientific Times, researchers from Ryerson University in Canada analyzed symptoms of social anxiety and “the use, motivation, and interaction associated with dating apps.” 

The researchers found that as lockdowns took place and people were physically isolated from one another, women turned to dating apps to feel connection and ease symptoms like depression. Many singles have felt increasingly disconnected during the pandemic, with some looking to dating apps for a quick quarantine partner as an alternative to being alone.

Match Group’s revenue numbers increased more than expected for Q3, signaling that its customers are willing to pay for premium services in the midst of a pandemic.

According to Market Watch, Match Group reported revenue of $639.8 million for the third quarter, up from $541.5 million. Analysts had lowered expectations due to the raging pandemic and continued lockdowns, with a projection of $606 million for the quarter, which Match Group blew past. 

The company also reported a net income of $132.1 million, compared to $108.5 million in the same quarter the year before. This was due in part to star app Tinder, and also to the growth in revenue the company is seeing in its other apps, particularly Hinge, which was projected to triple its revenue growth this year.

Dating app Grindr discovered a security flaw in its service earlier in October which allowed hackers to easily hijack accounts. The flaw was fixed quickly before anyone’s information was compromised, but the vulnerability caused concern.

The flaw allowed anyone to hijack a user’s account using only an email address. It was discovered by researcher Wassime Bouimadaghene, who reported it to Grindr. Initially, he didn’t hear back according to Tech Crunch, and turned to a security expert for assistance.

Facebook has announced the launch of Facebook Dating in Europe and the U.K. following a nine-month delay from its original debut, which was scheduled for Valentine’s Day.

The new service is part of the larger Facebook Platform, and operates much the same as it does in the U.S. and other parts of the world, according to Tech Crunch. Users can pull photos and Stories from Instagram to populate their profiles. They can also use the Secret Crush feature to identify Facebook friends and Instagram followers that you are interested in without them knowing. If you both choose each other, then you are matched and can begin chatting – otherwise, your secret crush will never know you chose them.