Dating Services

Tinder has become a pawn in some new intelligence tactics employed by Russian spies. They are using the app to woo German soldiers as informants, so they can obtain intelligence about Ukraine’s war strategy.

According to Insider, German newspaper Welt am Sonntag broke the story, reporting that Russian agents are specifically targeting politicians and members of Germany’s armed forces as sources of information, and they are using dating app Tinder as a tool to reach them.

Germany’s Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) confirmed at a recent NATO meeting in the country that “members of other intelligence services (e.g. Russia) use social media to specifically establish contacts with members of the Bundeswehr,” or the German armed forces, according to Insider. MAD also confirmed that Tinder was the app most used.

New users are downloading and registering for dating apps every day, and business is booming for the $5.61 billion-dollar industry, despite a recent decline in subscriptions for Tinder.

According to new research gathered from website Cloudwards, 1 in 5 U.S. Internet users are also using a dating app. In fact, the total number of dating app users grew to 366 million worldwide in 2022 alone, up from 240.9 million in 2016 and 323.9 million in 2021.

Gen Z daters seem to have a stronger preference for Tinder, which is the most popular dating app in the U.S. Tinder has a reputation that it’s mainly for singles who aren’t looking for anything serious, and Gen Z daters are on these apps to look for friendships and casual relationships as much as a partner. However, in recent months, Tinder’s new CEO Bernard Kim seems to be taking the app in a new direction and focusing on attracting more serious daters, including testing a new $500 VIP service called Tinder Vault.

A new strategy that’s gaining steam among organizers is using dating apps to reach out to potential voters ahead of crucial U.S. elections.

According to The Guardian, encouraging young voters on dating apps to go to the polls on April 4th was an important strategy in the race in Wisconsin for a State Supreme Court seat, where youth votes ensured a victory for a Democrat-backed justice in the face of increasing rollbacks of rights regarding abortion and education.

In a report from Vanderbilt University in 2020, researchers found that 31 percent of millennial respondents were using online dating services even more than before the pandemic, and an even larger percentage of Gen Z singles were turning to dating apps to meet people. At the same time, they are increasingly resistant to phone calls and texts from organizers and campaign staff, especially as they get bombarded around election time. Dating apps are a way to casually engage their commitment.

Dating app Bumble has partnered with Gymshark to create a UK-based ad campaign centered around fitness, a popular first date activity among younger daters.

According to The Drum, the campaign focuses on compatibility for singles, and how they can bond more easily over shared interests. “For Dates That Workout” includes new interest badges that users can add to their profiles, including weightlifting, HIIT and bodybuilding, which were chosen by Bumble based on what’s most popular with Gymshark members. Yahoo! Life noted that the most popular workout activities for Bumble dates were running, and HIIT, yoga and Pilates classes.

Bumble found that 22 percent of Gen Z and millennials have exercised or attended a fitness class on a first date, according to The Drum. This has been especially popular since the pandemic, where meeting for drinks has taken a backseat to more active dates. According to their research, 32 percent of singles have attended a fitness class with the intention to meet someone.

Tinder has confirmed it is testing a new ultra-premium service priced at $500 per month, tentatively called Tinder Vault.

According to Fast Company who broke the story, Tinder Vault is offering different perks for the price point, including a 24/7 Concierge Service for those willing to pay. The details about the service are still vague, and the company said they might not offer it if there isn’t the demand, but that remains to be seen.

Tinder’s chief product officer Mark Van Ryswyk said in an interview with Fast Company that the feature is still “in its early days,” and that Tinder could even end up drastically cutting the price. There was no word on when the company plans to release the service more broadly.

Australia’s Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has ordered the country’s top ten dating app services to hand over information on sexual violence reports, including Tinder, Bumble and Grindr.

According to Australian Associated Press, the information will include reports on “the extent of harm being experienced by users” as well as the safety protocols of these apps. Rowland has also requested data on the number of reports the app companies have received in regard to sexual harassment and abuse among users on these platforms, including during a message exchange or after a date.

Each dating app company is also required to share its protocols for preventing banned users from returning to the app under a new name and account, as well as the actions it has taken in response to reports, including police referrals or other services provided to users, according to AAP.