Relationships

Bumble Gender Options

Image: Bumble

In response to recent criticisms from its non-binary users, Bumble has announced changes to its app to create a better, more inclusive experience.

According to NBC News, Bumble has now updated its gender preference options to include non-binary as its own category for dating profiles. When a user chooses, they are prompted to “add more.” For example, a user identifying as a woman can choose from trans, intersex woman, transfeminine and cis woman, among others. Men can choose from intersex man, trans man, transmasculine, etc. If a user doesn’t identify with any descriptor on the list, they can add their own. Nonbinary users can choose from numerous descriptors, including bigender, genderfluid, gender questioning, and pangender among others.

Prior to this change, Bumble tested a pilot feature where users could choose non-binary as an option for gender preference, but this option was listed under the “male” and female” gender options, one of which had to be selected first.

A new study found that dating app users experienced higher rates of depression and hypersexuality, or sex addiction. Researchers said it could point to those who already struggle with mental health issues using dating apps as a coping mechanism.

According to Psy Post, researcher and author Giacomo Ciocca, an assistant professor at Sapienza, University of Rome, explored these two mental health challenges as they relate to dating apps, to see if there was a correlation. “Much evidence shows that the formation of couple relationships is often related to the use of dating apps. Also, sexual behavior is mediated by the use of these technological tools. Therefore, psychological research is called to study this contemporary phenomenon,” he said in the paper.

The research team surveyed 1,000 Italians between ages 18 and 60 via an online questionnaire. Participants answered questions about “relationship status, sexual orientation, contraceptive use, and whether they were currently in a stable or casual sexual relationship,” according to Psy Post. They were also asked whether they used dating apps.

Match Group is bringing the free background checks feature on Tinder to two more of its dating apps: Match (its signature app) and Stir, an app geared toward single parents.

The feature allows users two free background checks on matches, and after that there’s a cost. Right now, premium users on Tinder get four free background checks, and the same will apply for users of Stir and Match, according to The Verge.

The background checks feature was implemented in partnership with security service Garbo which actually runs the background checks. According to The Verge, when a user is chatting with someone and suggests meeting, a box pops up to ask if they want to do a background check. If they tap on the link, they see some safety tips before being transferred to the Garbo platform where the report is accessed.

Researchers from the University of Texas in Dallas, Stanford and Columbia Universities have developed a new dating app algorithm that they say can improve match rates up to 45 percent.

Their study was published in the INFORMS journal Manufacturing & Service Operations Management by authors Dr. Ignacio Rios from the Naveen Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas, along with Dr. Daniela Saban of Stanford University and Dr. Fanyin Zheng of Columbia University.

“One of the biggest issues is how to decide which profiles to show to each user in order to ensure that they will get meaningful matches,” Rios told the University of Texas Dallas news. “In many dating apps, we see a lot of frustrated users because they struggle to find a match that leads to a longer-term relationship. This is partly because of inefficiencies in how these apps work.”

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble is rekindling its “Stand for Safety” initiative in India to help combat online abuse.

According to Business Today India, the company released a guidebook created in partnership with the Centre for Social Research (CSR), a non-profit, and Nyaaya, an open-access digital resource center that educates people about their rights. The guide will “drive awareness around digital safety and support the community in recognizing and combating online abuse, bullying, and discrimination.”

Bumble decided to relaunch the initiative after conducting a survey across India on the scope and effects of online harassment. The company found that 50 percent of respondents had seen hateful online content, and around 40 percent have faced hate speech and bullying in regard to their particular community, or to their physical appearance.

In time for Pride month, Tinder has launched a new glossary and resource called “Let’s Talk Gender,” aimed at helping its users to understand and talk about gender with potential dates.

According to the dating app company, the guide was described as a “dynamic, living guide and glossary, developed with a diverse group of several contributors from the LGBTQ+ community,” according to Business Today. Tinder’s LGBTQ+ population has grown at twice the rate of its overall membership, according to the company, making this an important issue to address for those who might not know how to talk about gender and sexuality.

LetsTalkGender.in was developed by experts in partnership with Gaysi Family, a media platform for LGBTQ+ people from across Southeast Asia to help them share their experiences and stories, as well as to engage with others in the community.