Features

Dating app Tinder has partnered with VisitHealth to offer free mental health services to its users in India.

Through July, all existing and new Tinder members in India will have free access to emotional wellness content through the dating app, such as guided meditations and fitness videos among other health initiatives, according to The Times of India.

In addition, every Tinder member will have access to two free sessions with a licensed therapist across all major Indian languages. Participating members can also have access to continued support at discounted rates after those first two sessions.

The pandemic has been difficult mentally and emotionally for people around the world, and young people looking for connection have been especially vulnerable. More than half of India’s Tinder members are 18 to 25-year-olds, and as The Times of India points out, they have become more open in sharing their lives with others over the app in order to feel more connected - including who they are, how they look, and how they feel. Since the start of the pandemic, Tinder noted that mentions of the word “anxious” grew by 20 percent, and the word “normalize” was used 11 times more frequently in bios from March 2020 until now.

Tinder is rolling out a number of new features, including the ability to add video to profiles and a new virtual speed dating feature for users called Hot Takes.

Previously Tinder only allowed users to post a limited number of photos to their profiles, but now they are allowing members to swap these photos for video content instead, according to a report by CNBC. The aim is to help members get a better idea of someone’s personality before swiping right.

In addition, the dating company will be adding a new feature called “Hot Takes,” which lets users chat with someone briefly before they actually match, in a kind of speed dating experience with video. This mode occurs nightly from 6pm to midnight in your time zone, according to The Verge. Daters will be given questions to answer like “Which of these is the most pretentious?” along with some choices. Members can chat until there’s no response for 30 seconds, in which case the chat disappears. Participants will be able to match with each other from this feature, too.

Dating app OkCupid is offering more ways for LGBTQ+ users to identify themselves, and is rolling out the expanded offerings during Pride month.

OkCupid announced the move in a blog post, letting users know that by the end of June, there will be a dedicated space where LGBTQ+ users can choose from a list of over 60 identities to let other members know who they are and how they identify.

In addition to sharing their identities, users can also filter for the types of people or relationships they prefer, giving them more flexibility in their searches.

Image: okcupid

Dating apps OkCupid and Tinder are reaching out to users in India to encourage them to get vaccinated, including offering in-app educational guides and access to an all-new vaccine center.

Tinder users in India will now be able to add their vaccination status to their profiles, as well as being able to encourage others to get vaccinated, according to a report from Indian Express. The stickers range from declaring your own status as “Vaccinated” to “Vaxing soon” to encouraging others to get vaccinated with “Immunity Together” and “Vaccines Save Lives.”

OkCupid is offering similar badges for those who want to declare their vaccination status. The company expects displaying these badges will increase match rates 35 percent, an extra incentive for its users to get vaccinated. The companies have already rolled out vaccination badges in the U.S. and the U.K.

OkCupid Adds Super Like Feature

OkCupid has made a lot of changes to its platform over the past year, especially as activity and subscribers on the app increased during the pandemic. Among the most notable changes are a new pricing structure, added features like DealBreakers, and the ability to match with someone from across the world.

The popular dating app adjusted its pricing tiers and did away with its “A-List” membership in favor of Basic and Premium paid services. (The free service is still available for those who don’t want to upgrade.) With a Basic membership, you can Like an unlimited number of profiles instead of waiting for Likes to reset. You also get an ad-free experience, according to the company’s blog. 

The company ditched its Intros feature, which means that non-paying members can no longer message another user until they have both Liked each other.

Tinder is rolling out a new feature to allow users to block people in their lives from appearing on their match list – whether it’s an ex, a family member, or a work colleague you don’t want mixing with your dating life.

According to Tech Crunch, the new feature allows users to upload their phone contacts and select which people from their list they don’t want to see on the app. The company says it won’t store the user’s contacts, only the ones they have chosen to block. It should be noted that blocked contacts won’t be notified that they’ve been blocked, so the feature is also intended to be discreet.

People will be allowed to unblock or disconnect their contacts list at any time, according to The Verge.