Features

Online dating has always held some risk, and in recent years, the challenge of protecting consumers from trolls and unwanted messages has increased. Many dating apps like Tinder are finding themselves at risk to hackers who are creating fake accounts and hacking other users - this in addition to increasing problems with lewd messages. A new dating app called Hily aims to change that trend.

Many dating apps are trying to put more safety measures in place to verify their users. According to an article in TechCrunch, cyber security researchers found that hackers could create a Chrome plugin so that a Tinder user could find the locations of Facebook friends who were also on Tinder (even though they didn’t disclose this information on their social media feeds), a scary thought for online daters who are trying to keep their personal information private.

The lack of security has been especially difficult for young women who use dating apps. More and more are reporting getting trolled or harassed by other users on online dating sites, or sent unwanted messages and photos. This is one of the reasons female-friendly apps like Bumble have become so popular – women have more control of their experience on the app. But verifying profiles has remained a challenge, as hackers have found ways around protections.

Remember when people wondered if Tinder would ever successfully monetize? Those days seem like a lifetime ago.

The company has released a string of money-making features since its 2012 launch, ranging from Super Like to the premium Tinder Plus membership. The latest to join the line-up is Tinder Gold - an optional, upgradeable tier that allows users to see who swiped right on their profile without swiping right back.

Tinder Gold was released in the United States in late August following testing in select markets around the world. The members-only service offers the app’s most popular exclusive features, including Passport, Rewind, Unlimited Likes, five Super Likes per day, one Boost per month, and more profile controls. It also includes the new Likes You feature, which reveals who’s into you before you swipe.

The dating app that started a cultural revolution, at least as far as online dating goes, is changing its focus from swiping - a fundamental part of its technology. Tinder, which made its reputation as a hot-or-not dating app thanks to its innovative swiping function, is now offering more functionality to profile viewing through tapping.

Instead of just swiping through different user profiles, Tinder is offering a deeper look and more functionality and ease to check out a person’s profile before you say yes or no. This includes toggling between a user’s photos and also between photos and written profiles.

Part of the rollout includes a new visual approach. Each profile photo extends to the edges of the phone, giving users a better, cleaner look at a potential match (as well as an even more visual experience). The look is also similar to other visual apps, like Snapchat.

Popular dating app Bumble is a rising star among competitors to Tinder, mainly because of its female-friendly focus, giving women the power to initiate contact with matches. Now, Bumble is expanding beyond the dating scene with its new platform BumbleBizz, aiming to connect professionals looking for a new job, a business partner, or to hire new talent.

According to a feature in Fast Company, Bumble aims to give LinkedIn a run for their money, focusing once again on women in the workplace. Bumble itself is a female-only operation, with CEO Whitney Wolfe (a former co-founder of Tinder), at the helm. She has hired a team of women to help grow the company and launch BumbleBizz.

Notably, Wolfe is aiming to attract women. BumbleBizz works as its dating app counterpart does, where anyone can create profiles and swipe, but women initiate contact. While LinkedIn might be king of networking opportunities, Bumble aims to give it a run for its money by targeting a female demographic and giving them a leg-up.

The ultimate goal of dating apps is real-life love, but all too often, users find their swipes end in ghosted message threads. Though services like How About We have emerged to encourage singles to take their digital romances offline as soon as possible, many still struggle to turn online matches into in-person connections.

A recent trend in online dating appears to be yet another effort to connect users IRL. Apps from Bumble to Happn to Tinder are opening spaces and hosting events around the world to bring their members together.

Bumble opened its first physical location in New York City earlier this summer. Dubbed ‘The Hive,’ the installation was clad head-to-toe in Bumble’s branding and offered users and non-users alike a date spot, a place to hang with friends, a co-working space, or a quiet respite from the buzz of city life. The Hive featured a coffee bar, a real bar, and a shop with Bumble merchandise. It also hosted styling sessions from Drybar and a series of talks and social events.

Tinder's New Look

Will dating apps soon be saying sayonara to the swipe? Tinder, the app often credited with popularizing the swipe gesture, has gotten an updated look and new navigation gestures to go with it.

“Over the past few months, we’ve been hard at work refreshing the user experience,” said a company blog post. “Today, we’re excited to start rolling out a more seamless way to navigate Tinder for our users around the world.”

Tinder promises a new user experience that is both smarter and better looking. On the aesthetics front, the app now boasts a cleaner design and photos take up more real estate, extending all the way to the edges of the screen. Tinder calls the makeover “part of an ongoing effort to make our app as fun and attractive as the community it serves.”