Tinder

Russia is requiring 175 companies to share user data with its government law enforcement and intelligence services, including with FSB, the successor of the KGB spy agency. Listed among the companies was popular dating app Tinder.

Russia’s regulatory agency also required the dating app to store six months’ worth of user data on Russian servers, including direct messages, photos and videos. Three other dating apps, Mamba, Wamba and Badoo, currently share user information with Russian government officials, according to CNN.

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder is testing two new individual paid features on its app: Super Boost and Read Receipts.

The new Super Boost feature allows users to forgo the algorithm process and have their profiles pushed to the top of potential match’s feeds during peak swiping hours, according to website The Verge. The second feature allows users to pay for the ability to turn on Read Receipts for a particular chat thread, to see if a potential match has read their messages.

Tinder plans to launch a new, scaled-down version of the app called Tinder Lite.

According to Tech Crunch, the new app is catering to markets where bandwidth, data usage and storage space have all been challenging, which means customers to pay a premium for access to mobile data. Some of the regions Tinder is targeting include India and Southeast Asia, where parent company Match Group has appointed three new executives and dedicated more resources to growing its brands.

Tinder Lite was initially mentioned in an investor call according to Tech Crunch. However, Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg shared few details about the launch or the app. There was no specific date mentioned, and no details about what features would be removed, but likely the trademark swiping and matching would remain as key elements of the Tinder Lite experience.

Match Group recently paid $9 million in stock awards to Tinder employees, thanks to the stellar growth of its most valuable dating app. But this good news could sour for the online dating giant if it helps former Tinder execs win their lawsuit, led by Tinder’s co-founder Sean Rad.

Rad and other former Tinder employees filed a lawsuit against Match Group last year, claiming it devalued Tinder stock options to avoid paying them billions in stock. The new hefty $9.4 million payout to current Tinder employees, based on the popular dating app’s performance over the last year, could be an indication that Match Group might have undervalued Tinder, as Rad argues in the lawsuit.

Tinder has added another buzzy feature to attract younger singles to its platform. “Festival Mode” is a badge that users can add to their profiles when they plan to attend a specific music festival, so that they can connect with other attendees.

When people are swiping quickly through the app, the badge will be easier to spot, according to Tech Crunch. The idea is that festival-goers increase their chances of matching with someone who will be there along with them, and hopefully make more in-person connections. The badges will be available beginning three weeks before each event.

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker - who would fare best on a dating app? A recent study conducted by The Inner Circle analyzed the occupations of 5,000 popular users based in Los Angeles, New York, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Sydney, and Toronto to discover which jobs are most likely to attract potential mates. The findings suggest men and women don’t always seek the same qualities in a match, and that including certain job titles in your profile could significantly boost your desirability.

Women in finance and medicine scored major points across continents. In London, New York and Toronto, female members working in the financial sector received the most right swipes. Women in the medical profession came out on top in Amsterdam in Los Angeles. Ladies in Paris and Sydney proved to be outliers. France’s notoriously stylish capital preferred women working in the fashion industry, while Sydney singles favored women in marketing roles. Other popular industries for women included entertainment, travel, hospitality, law and consulting.