The value for dating app Bumble’s stock has dropped 14 percent after the company lowered revenue forecasts for the fourth quarter, and Gen Z users have increasingly stopped renewing their subscriptions.

Bumble expects Q4 revenue to be between $232 million and $237 million according to Reuters. This is lower than Wall Street projections of $254.5 million, according to Refinitiv data. Still, the company pointed out that paying users for the third quarter increased to 3.3 million from 2.9 million last year, a sign of growth despite the downturn.

According to Motley Fool, on a call with investors, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said that the economic slowdown affected spending for “certain segments of its user base,” notably younger daters, who were not renewing subscriptions at the normal rate. Motley Fool also noted that shares had already fallen 38 percent this year as investors fled dating and tech stocks in general, following a surge of interest and rising subscriptions in dating apps during pandemic lockdowns.

Image: Grindr

Dating app Grindr announced the launch of its new video series Play Safe, intended to educate dating app users about its safety policies and practices. The videos will be available in the app as well as across the company’s social channels.

According to the company’s press release, the safety features the dating app will be highlighting include the ability to mute, block and report bad actors on the app. Grindr says its team of “human moderators who have been trained on LGBTQ-specific cultural sensitivities and gender-inclusive content moderation” will be reviewing all reports around the clock.

“We work day-in and day-out to make Grindr a place where our users can feel safe and supported, because we know that the world at large is not always accepting of the LGBTQ community,” said Alice Hunsberger, VP of Customer Experience at Grindr.

Dating app Bumble announced it will be cracking down on false reports from users who target gender non-conforming and other LGBTQ+ users.

According to CNET, Bumble moderators are already dismissing close to 90 percent of violation reports directed at gender nonconforming members, not because they violated rules as the report points out, but because these reports aim to force LGBTQ+ people off the app. Bumble announced that it will not be tolerating this type of behavior, and they will be removing users who repeatedly engage in the practice of submitting false reports.

"Identity-based hate is an issue that negatively affects many communities and is something that increasingly many gender-nonconforming folks, like trans and nonbinary people, have faced in online dating," the company said in a statement.

Dating app conglomerate Match Group reported third quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations, with more of its users paying for subscriptions on dating app Tinder. The company’s stock rose 16 percent in response.

Despite the effects of inflation and a slow first half of the year, along with poor execution of some new features and executive team changes made by new CEO Bernard Kim, Match Group turned things around and impressed investors and analysts with better-than-expected revenue gains. Match Group revenue reached $810 million for the quarter ending September 30th, beating analysts’ estimate of $793 million according to Refinitiv data.

Tinder’s revenue grew 6 percent and its paying users jumped 7 percent according to Reuters. Tinder users account for the vast majority of Match Group’s estimated 100 million active users.

Dating app Hinge announced that users can now add their astrological signs - as well as what kind of pet they have - to their dating app profiles.

Hinge is adding popular features that offer more insight into potential matches, and many singles want to know if their stars align. Astrological signs figure prominently into dating today, with dating apps noticing a surge of interest starting in 2020.

According to The Verge, the new astrology feature lets users add their main “sun” sign to their profiles, along with age and other important information. And while some zodiac-focused singles may only be interested in compatibility with certain signs, for the majority of singles, it provides a way to strike up conversation.

Image: Bumble

Bumble has open sourced the AI it uses to detect nude photos, giving developers the technology to help combat the sending of unsolicited images over their platforms.

Bumble’s photo blocking feature called Private Detective aims to curb so-called “cyber flashing” that users have long complained about on dating apps, giving the user the option to delete and report the sender without having to view it. The refined version of the same AI is now available on GitHub for commercial use, distribution, and modification, according to Tech Crunch. The idea is to provide the technology to smaller companies who don’t have the time or resources to develop themselves.

In theory, as Tech Crunch points out, this AI could go beyond dating apps to be incorporated into any app or social platform to help shield users from unwanted content and cut down on lewd photos sent over many types of apps.