Features

Tinder was testing a group video chat feature before its parent company Match Group struck an acquisition deal for South Korea social discovery company Hyperconnect.

The new feature was called Tinder Mixer and was being tested in New Zealand before it was scrapped, according to Tech Crunch. Tinder Mixer allowed people nearby to join group chats and play online video games together, adding to the app’s existing one-on-one virtual chat feature.

Tinder Mixer was discovered by researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, who found references to the feature in the app’s code. However, Tinder shut it down quickly and told Tech Crunch it’s not impacting its “product roadmap” for this year. However, Paluzzi’s findings about Tinder Mixer shows that Match Group is experimenting with new social discovery features through its dating apps, which shines some light on the company’s deal with Hyperconnect.

Blink, the first audio-only dating app, aims to shift attention away from swiping and towards getting to know each other through conversation.

According to its website, matching over Blink is a two-part process. First, you sign up and provide only one photo for your profile, along with a few timeslots that you are available for ten-minute audio-only speed dating rounds. There’s no algorithm matching people on the app - instead it’s left to coinciding schedules and chance. During the 10-minute speed dating rounds, participants enter online “rooms” where they chat with a blind date, and then when the ten minutes are up, move to the next room and the next date.

Dating app Snack has announced it is looking for young Gen Z investors with the launch of its new Gen Z Syndicate on AngelList. 

According to Tech Crunch, this move opens funding to Gen Z community members, the app’s target audience. The company hopes to attract influencers, creatives, and young entrepreneurs to participate in the company’s $2 million ask alongside angel investors and other funding sources, giving them a stake in the app.

Snack is setting this up as a SAFE (small investment future equity), which means its offering is based on future growth, and the company is allocating a certain amount to create its own Gen Z syndicate.

Tinder Are you Sure?
Feature for sending Messages

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder unveiled a new feature as part of its effort to step up safety measures on its platform. “Are You Sure?” or the AYS? feature will deliver a pop-up to question a user before they send a potentially harmful message.

According to Mashable, AYS? utilizes AI in real time to detect inappropriate language, based on what users have reported to Tinder in the past. When a user types a message that is flagged or noticed by the AI, an AYS? prompt will automatically appear before the user can press “send.” According to Tinder, in early tests this feature reduced harmful language in messages by as much as 10 percent. The company also said that members who saw this pop-up were less likely to be reported for sending inappropriate messages, an indication that it could curb this behavior.

The goal with using an AI-driven feature is that it will improve and become more effective in countering harmful messages over time as it gathers more input.

Dating app Mingle2 announced that it will be rolling out in-app background checks, adding a new level of safety for its more than 39 million users.

The app has partnered with RealMe, a security tool that aggregates publicly available background information on over 275 million people in the U.S., presenting the findings in one report for easier reference. The new integrated feature provides Mingle2 users with insight into sex offender status, marital status, lawsuits, and criminal records of potential matches. 

According to the company’s press release, RealMe’s integration will allow Mingle2 to validate and verify user profiles to ensure safer interactions for people while using the app. Members will also be able to see a person’s Reputation Profile, where the background information is shared. 

Tinder announced the launch of Vibes, an all-new event feature that presents pop-up questions on the app for limited periods of time to drive user engagement.

According to The Verge, Vibes events will occur once a week for about 48 hours. During the event, users are asked a series of questions on a range of topics, from pop culture to personal habits. If they decide to participate by responding, their answers will populate their profiles for other participants to see and only for a limited time (about 72 hours) before they disappear. 

The questions are intended to be conversation starters as well as fun and a bit insightful, like: “are you always 20 minutes early or ten minutes late?” Or this one revealed in an article by Tech Crunch: “How do you feel about cooking?” Participants can choose answers like “a nicer Gordon Ramsay”, “Low-key would rather starve”, or “For survival only”.