Tinder unveiled several new safety features, including “Incognito Mode” where users can control their visibility as well as how they interact with others on the app. The new features were rolled out February 6th to coincide with Safer Internet Day.

According to Tech Crunch, “Incognito” is a bit more advanced than just being able to hide your profile – users who opt for this feature can still Like and Pass on potential matches, but only those they have “Liked” will be able to see them.

The new feature is available for paid subscribers for Tinder+, Gold and Platinum members only.

OkCupid is testing ChatGPT questions to provide users of its app, harnessing the popular AI technology for itself.

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, with millions of people testing its writing skills, so naturally daters are using it to chat with their matches over dating apps. OkCupid has often analyzed user behavior and preferences to choose new features to add, so now the dating app is sharing that it’s been sending out questions formulated not by people, but by the popular AI ChatBot.

According to Tech Crunch, the six questions generated by ChatGPT have already been answered more than 135,000 times, mostly by Gen Z users. In fact, 31 percent of Gen Z users on OkCupid said they don’t think that using AI to create a profile or message someone on a dating app is a violation of trust, according to Mashable.

The questions introduced by ChatGPT include:

A new Pew study has found that over half of dating app users (53 percent) said that their experiences have been at least somewhat positive, including 14 percent who said they had very positive experiences. About 46 percent say their experiences on dating apps have been at least somewhat negative, showing the dating population is divided on how well the platforms are working for them.

While 53 percent shows that more than half of daters have had positive experiences, dating apps have a long way to go in satisfying their customer base, as some users reported facing harassment or scams, according to the report. Peoples’ experiences also vary by race, gender and ethnicity, as well as household income and sexual orientation.

Pew reported that 57 percent of men report positive experiences compared to 48 percent of women, and 61 percent of LGB users have had positive experiences compared to only 53 percent of straight users.

This is a summary of the awards and their recipients for the 16^th annual Dating Sites Reviews Choice Awards. These awards honor the best dating apps and sites of 2023 in 11 different categories and were handed out starting this new year in January and continued through to February 14^th (Valentines Day). The dating services listed below are the ones worth checking out in 2023 for those interesting in participating in online dating to find a partner.

Our top award is the Single's Choice Award which is decided by our readers. To participate all you had to do was cast a vote in our poll which ran from October 1^st 2022 until December 31^st 2022. The poll asks you to recommend your choice for the top dating service (app and/or site) from a selection of the ten leading dating services on the internet which we have an editorial review for. The top three dating services who receives the most votes will be the recipient of a Gold, Silver, and Bronze award. This year the poll saw 280 votes cast and with all dating services except 1, receive between 20 (7%) and 39 (14%) votes making it a really race when compared to previous years.

Single's Choice Award

Recipient POF

The Gold Single's Choice Award recipient for 2023 is Plenty of Fish. With almost 14 percent of the vote, POF still remains at the top of peoples minds for dating, especially those 35 years and older. With unique marketing campaigns and a brand refresh along with a website and app redesign this past year, keeps the dating service relevant and current among its users. This year, POF also picked up the Top Pick Overall and Top Pick Paid Awards.

Recipient Tinder

The recipient of the 2023 Silver Single's Choice Award is Tinder. With just under 13% of the vote, Tinder moves to second place when compared to last year. This app is most popular with young adults and still remains current due to the constant updates to features it receives. With the strong showing during the pandemic, Tinder has experienced flat market growth this year due to dating app fatigue which has been reported in studies of their primary target audience.

Recipient Bumble

The recipient of the 2023 Bronze Single's Choice Award is Bumble. With 12 percent of the vote, Bumble only received 3 less votes than the Silver Award making it a very close race. This 2023 Top Pick Innovative Award winner continued to push for woman's rights on many topics and continues to give them control over dating and communication which continues to strike a chord with it users. Bumble now has over 40 million active monthly users.

Image: Tinder

Tinder announced the launch of its latest safety feature to address abuse over the app, dubbed “House Rules.”

Tinder users must agree to the list of house rules outlined in a 20-page safety guide before they can download the service. The guide highlights the app’s safety features, including photo verification, how to report and block abusive users, according to News.com Australia.

The guide also provides tips for dating in person, including advice to Tinder users to schedule a video call beforehand to “get a vibe for the other person” according to Global Dating Insights. It also provides tips like sharing details and location of the date with friends or family beforehand, and keeping track of drinks to avoid spiking.

Match Group is expected to lay off up to 200 employees, or about 8 percent of its workforce (currently around 2400 employees before the cut) after sharing a disappointing outlook for the first half of 2023 in its latest earnings call.

According to Reuters, the company blamed “significant” poor product execution at Tinder, in addition to dealing with a tough economy and a strong dollar. CEO Bernard Kim brought in a new management team and is in the process of rebranding Match Group’s star app.

The layoffs were primarily in recruiting, with CFO Gary Swidler noting that the company is restricting its hiring to Hinge and other growth businesses, with notable cuts to Tinder staff.