Social Networks

Facebook Dating has announced a new audio chat feature along with other offerings related to virtual dating, which has soared in popularity since the pandemic began.

According to The Verge, “Audio Dates” allows users start an audio-only conversation after they match. If one user reaches out, the other receives an invitation, and if they accept, they can start chatting.

In addition to Audio Dates, Facebook is launching a feature called Match Anywhere, where a user can add up to two additional locations where they want to look for matches besides where they live. This is similar to Tinder’s Passport which became hugely popular in the wake of the pandemic, especially as people began to move away from the cities where their jobs were located and work virtually. Dating someone who lives in another city, or even another country, no longer seems like a barrier as so many embraced the freedom that comes with remote working. It opened up a lot more opportunities that are still appealing to singles.

Dating app conglomerate Match Group announced that it will launch new audio and video chat features to its suite of dating apps over the next two years. The company shared this news on its second quarter earnings call with investors.

The company plans to debut a new audio chat feature and group video chat, along with other “livestreaming technologies” across its apps, according to Tech Crunch. The rollouts will happen over the next 12 to 24 months, with two of their dating apps debuting it before the end of this year, followed by more rollouts in 2022.

Adding new livestream and chat features are the result of the company’s pricey acquisition of social discovery platform Hyperconnect (the acquisition’s officially closed in mid-June). Match Group owns a series of popular dating apps including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish among others, and has said that the future of dating apps will likely resemble social platforms, with livestreaming and video being at the forefront.

TikTok and Twitter users are posting profiles of closeted Olympic athletes who are discreetly using Grindr while they compete in Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics, raising alarm among LGBTQ+ communities.

Some of the athletes who have been highlighted have not come out as gay, while at least one comes from a country where same-sex sexual relations are illegal, putting them in danger. According to a report from Insider, there are other risks as well because the Olympics are taking place in Tokyo, and Amnesty International has said it’s a culture that “systemically discriminates against gay people.”

The social media users are logging on to the Grindr app and using its “explore” feature to find profiles of athletes in the Olympic Village. When they find an athlete, they take screenshots and video, zooming in on their photos and posting them without the athletes’ consent or knowledge. So far, ten profiles have been posted to Twitter and four to TikTok, with one post gaining at least 140,000 views according to Insider.

Are you wondering how to meet people over Facebook Dating? The easiest method is to focus on your interests and start joining groups through the dating app – you can connect with people who share those interests, and hopefully make a better match.

Facebook Dating offers groups for its users to join once they begin searching, making it a bit easier to find someone compatible with you. There’s no limit to the number of groups you can join, or how specific you want to be in your search. There are also a number of groups that offer tips and dating advice if you feel stuck or want to commiserate. If you want to find like-minded singles you can join niche groups like vegan daters, or if you’re not interested in narrowing your options too much, you can connect with others based on location.

Here are some popular groups that you might want to check out:

Tinder was testing a group video chat feature before its parent company Match Group struck an acquisition deal for South Korea social discovery company Hyperconnect.

The new feature was called Tinder Mixer and was being tested in New Zealand before it was scrapped, according to Tech Crunch. Tinder Mixer allowed people nearby to join group chats and play online video games together, adding to the app’s existing one-on-one virtual chat feature.

Tinder Mixer was discovered by researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, who found references to the feature in the app’s code. However, Tinder shut it down quickly and told Tech Crunch it’s not impacting its “product roadmap” for this year. However, Paluzzi’s findings about Tinder Mixer shows that Match Group is experimenting with new social discovery features through its dating apps, which shines some light on the company’s deal with Hyperconnect.

A new study found that people who suffer from anxiety and depression, especially now during the pandemic, benefit from using dating apps – and those helped were mainly women.

According to Scientific Times, researchers from Ryerson University in Canada analyzed symptoms of social anxiety and “the use, motivation, and interaction associated with dating apps.” 

The researchers found that as lockdowns took place and people were physically isolated from one another, women turned to dating apps to feel connection and ease symptoms like depression. Many singles have felt increasingly disconnected during the pandemic, with some looking to dating apps for a quick quarantine partner as an alternative to being alone.