Features

Coffee Meets Bagel launched in 2012 as a slower-paced alternative to the superficial, swiped-based apps that dominate the dating market. Now seven years into the business, co-founders and sisters Arum Kang, Dawoon Kang and Soo Kang are seeking new ways to differentiate and monetize their product.

2018 saw big changes and big victories come to Coffee Meets Bagel. After revamping its paid subscription services, the company raised $12 million in its series B and doubled its number of users. A premium monthly membership offers users activity reports about their matches (a “bagel,” in the app’s parlance), read receipts and 6,000 beans (the in-app currency) every month. At the time of its launch, Dawoon Kang told VentureBeat the membership was the company’s “first step toward a freemium subscription model.”

During Pride month Tinder announced that users will now be able to identify their sexual orientation on their profiles. The ‘Orientation’ feature allows users to choose up to three labels they identify with in order to more effectively match based on sexual preferences.

To edit or add more information about your sexual orientation on Tinder, simply edit your profile. Tap Orientation to select up to three terms that you feel best describe your sexual orientation. There are nine options to choose from, including “straight,” “gay,” “bisexual,” “queer” and “asexual.” New users will see these options as part of their onboarding process.

Hot on the heels of Match’s announcement that its new service, Ask Match, will make dating coaches available for one-on-one phone sessions, Ashley Madison is planning a coaching service of its own. The dating site for affair seekers recently revealed it has been testing a "cheating coaches" feature in Brazil and the United States since March of this year.

Hiring a coach to improve your romantic game is nothing new, but Ashley Madison may be the first to apply the idea to infidelity. The feature will allow users to search for an available coach through the mobile app, then purchase time with them via a credits system. Each credit costs around 50 cents, according to Business Insider. A continuous conversation with a coach will set you back eight credits.

Dating app Lumen is coming out strong for the over 50 online dating market. It has already achieved one million downloads in just eight months (Android and iOS). In June, the company announced the launch of an international campaign dubbed “50 is just the start,” partnering with over-50 dance group The Silver Classix Crew in its ads.

The dance group performs in costumes that hide their identities, so they could be mistaken for much younger dancers. The end of the ad has them removing their masks to reveal performers with gray hair and other signs of age, meant to make viewers question their preconceptions of what “older” means. The ad will air in various global markets on both broadcast and digital platforms like Comcast and Hulu, according to website Campaign US.

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.

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.