Features

Are you a private school alum living in the UK? You’re in luck – a new dating app called Toffee will be launching to connect you with other private school types.

Toffee was founded with the notion that "people who hold similar views and values, and have shared the same life experiences (such as going through the same education system) are more likely to be attracted to each other and stick together," according to its website.

There has been mixed response to the buzz the app is generating. Instagram posts and a short introductory video on the app’s website point to an elite clientele, with young men dressed in suits and tuxes and attractive women decked out in evening gowns, champagne at the ready. Many reviews are labeling it as another elite dating app, geared to help connect wealthy people.

Tinder changed the game when it popularized the swipe. Now the company is hoping a new movement-based feature will keep it on top of the mobile dating heap. Introducing Loops, two-second looping videos that promise to put more personality in profiles and “set your swipe game in motion.”

“Loops represents the next step in the evolution of our classic profile,” Brian Norgard, Chief Product Officer at Tinder, said in a statement. “With the addition of video, users have a new way to express themselves while also gaining key insights into the lives of potential matches. Whether it’s dancing at a concert, doing cartwheels on the beach, or clinking glasses with friends, Loops makes profiles come alive.”

Like Vine (RIP) and Boomerang before them, Loops allow users to upload videos from their phone and trim the footage within the app. The result is a short, repetitive clip that gives users another way of expressing their most dateable selves.

Worried about finding a date for your next event, a wedding, or even a dinner party? Apply to Date is a new dating platform that wants to help you put the word out, and like The Bachelor, encourages other seeking singles to compete for a chance to date you.

Similar to networking apps like LinkedIn, the platform lets you build a sharable web page (like a resume) that allows people to submit applications to date you. You can add your social media, including tweets, Instagram bios, and Snapchat stories on your webpage profile, according to website Mashable.

Apply to Date was created by Lucy Guo, who was looking for a date to her company’s office party and grew tired of swiping and messaging over apps like OkCupid and Tinder. Seeking a new strategy, she turned to her own personal networks, and eventually created a webpage asking people to submit their applications to go on a date with her. She was surprised when she received over 250 applications, and some from former friends she knew back in middle school.

Tinder stalkers of the world, rejoice! After testing a chronological feed with users in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada late last year, Tinder has announced it’s rolling out the feature to all users worldwide.

A December 2017 blog post describes Feed as “an exciting new way to see more of what someone is all about by giving you a true glimpse into their world—their passions, their personality, their latest adventure—all leading to better conversations and deeper connections.”

Feed aggregates real-time updates from your matches, including recent photos and Spotify Anthems, to present “a visual and interactive experience that helps you spark conversation with the people you want to meet most.” Posts appear in the timeline in order beginning with the most recent changes to a profile. A match’s occupation and distance from you (the last time they opened the app) is also listed beneath each entry.

Blockchain technology has become a buzzword these days, thanks to the soaring popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Now, new dating app companies are incorporating the same blockchain technology into their matching and verification processes to compete with big-name brands like Tinder.

There is a growing need for dating apps to address a persistent problem in online dating: lying and misrepresentation in dating profiles. Most dating apps use social media accounts as a way of verifying profiles, but this hasn’t curbed the proliferation of fake accounts and scammers. Blockchain technology is based in a democratic oversight of users, by users, to improve the overall experience.

Tinder changed the game for online dating, creating a mainstream acceptance of looking for love by swiping over a phone. A large part of the app’s success was gameifying the online dating process – look at a picture, and swipe left or right depending on whether or not you were interested. It was possible to go through dozens of profiles in seconds, making the swiping process more fun than pouring over dating profiles.

Positive Singles earlier this month announced over 10 new features for their dating service which matches people with STDs together. PositiveSingles.com has been online since 2001 and now has over 1.3 million registered users. You can access the service via the website and dating apps which is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

On the dating service side of things Positive Singles has added a feature called "Let's Meet". This feature is like an instant match maker. It shows you another member who matches your set of matching criteria and STD status. You can then choose to like the member and then check out their detailed profile. If you decide to ignore the member you will be shown a new profile.

You can also now find on PositiveSingles.com more than 2,000 Success Stories which you can read. Members can log in and submit their own story including pictures and videos.