Types (Niche)

BlueCity, parent company of China’s largest gay dating app Blued, has just announced its acquisition of popular Chinese lesbian dating app LESDO, marking the first-ever deal within the country’s LGBTQ market.

LESDO is an app created specifically for Lesbian users and one of the most popular lesbian social apps in China along with Rela. No financial information was disclosed about the deal. 

"We can see the scale of existing lesbian apps are not big enough to meet the demand of a sizable market," BlueCity's founder and chief executive Ma Baoli said in an interview with Reuters. He added that BlueCity could offer algorithm support, marketing, and financing to boost customer retention and visibility as well as increase new subscribers of the app.

Bumble on TikTok

Bumble has turned to TikTok to help drive new subscribers, and has seen its installs increase five times between March and May when their campaign took place. The dating app has also seen its costs per subscriber decrease by 64% since running its direct response ads on TikTok’s platform, according to Mobile Marketer.

Bumble employed influencers to raise awareness of its app, creating content that would attract new users, specifically the younger demographic that gravitates to video-based social media like TikTok. The partnership was a success, with Bumble reporting revenue last month that was second only to dating app Tinder. 

Tinder Split Screen Video Chat

Image: Tinder

Popular dating app Tinder launched its new in-app video chat feature in early July called Face to Face, but only in select markets.

Face to Face users have access to video call each other through the dating app and avoid exchanging personal numbers, which is a good step for overall user security. There are a few other privacy measures that Tinder is including in the rollout – namely that two people have to agree to a video chat before it can actually happen, according to The Verge.

The U.S. government is cracking down on potential online security risks by banning dating, gaming and bitcoin mining apps from phones issued to those serving in the U.S. Marines.

The Marine Corps already has strict guidance in place for what apps can be installed on their servicemembers’ phones, according to Military.com. But now officials have issued a notice for its members to delete any apps that are considered a risk, specifically those that can access photos, videos, contacts, microphone, location or calendar. Most dating apps are able to access at least some of these from their users’ phones.

Popular gay dating app Grindr has formed a relationship with UrSafe to offer a range of safety features to its members, in response to concerns raised by users around the world.

According to The Advocate, Grindr users will be able to share their locations with trusted friends and family members and send hands-free SOS alerts to law enforcement officials. The safety app allows users to set up safe words that correspond to different situations that users encounter, from general discomfort to an emergency, triggering the appropriate response almost immediately.

The Meet Group, parent company of dating apps like MeetMe, Skout, Tagged, GROWLr and LOVOO, has partnered with personal safety app UrSafe to offer users an array of new security options when they date. 

Through the “Date Night” feature on these dating apps, users will be prompted to opt in for a free 60-day premium subscription to UrSafe’s features, including Follow Me, Check In, Hands-Free SOS, and Fake Call. According to URSafe's press release, Follow Me and Check In allow the user to share locations with a trusted friend or family member while on the date, and the Hands-Free option lets users set personal trigger words that activate different responses within the app immediately, even if the user isn’t holding or touching their phone. Depending on the level of alert, UrSafe will connect the user to friends and family, or the authorities if needed. Fake Call can be activated as well, in case the user needs an “out” during the date.