Features

Technology has made it easier than ever to connect with singles around the world, but it has introduced its own set of questions and complications to the dating process. Match’s new service, AskMatch, aims to help curious, confused and clueless users navigate online dating by making a team of dedicated dating coaches available for one-on-one phone sessions.

Unlike the AI chatbots found on other apps, AskMatch coaches are live humans with professional resumes. Members can consult these experts for guidance, actionable tips or a sympathetic ear by selecting the “Talk to a coach” option under the “Discover” tab of the app. After the phone call, members can choose to remain in contact with their coach through the app to ask further questions or provide progress updates.

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.

Longtime denizens of the online dating world are marking the loss of an institution. With neither fanfare nor explanation, Plenty of Fish has announced that it has shuttered its forums. Visitors to the forum page are now greeted with a terse message announcing the shutdown:

“To focus on better serving our members, we've decided to shut down the POF forums. While regular posting is now disabled, you can continue to view all threads until the end of June 2019. Event Hosts can still create and promote events while we work on a new and improved event creation service for you.”

The POF forums were an active destination for digital daters for 15 years. Users created more than 10 million posts before the closure, covering a broad spectrum of topics including dating, love, relationships, marriage, parenting and breakups. The forums proved equally popular for general discussions that ran the gamut from cooking and creative writing, to sports and science, to travel and humor, to music and philosophy.

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.

Live video chats might be the future of dating according to recent reports, and new Washington D.C.-based dating app Spottle is betting on it.

The way Spottle works is simple: you download the app, and then you can join live video chat sessions on Thursday and Saturday nights at 9:00pm eastern time. The way it works is like an online “spin the bottle” session according to DCist.com, and also acts much like a virtual speed dating event.

Jiayuan now allows users to livestream.

In technology-forward China, single people are looking to new ways of connecting with each other via dating apps beyond the traditional swipe. Now, online dating companies in China are experimenting with livestream, and soon U.S. companies could follow.

Gizmodo reported on the trend of Chinese dating apps integrating livestream features into their platforms. Jiayuan, China’s largest dating app, launched its new livestream feature this past January with an interesting twist. Instead of two users opting to chat with each other over the app in private (like with Facetime), a user can set up a chat topic and see if someone wants to join. Once one person accepts and the two start a chat, it becomes a broadcast where other users can watch and comment.