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According to a recent study by Match, a majority of online daters are looking for serious relationships as the coronavirus continues to impact our personal lives. The study also found that different political affiliations can be a dealbreaker for a majority of daters, too. 

The 10th annual Singles in America study was released by Match in early October, and revealed that 59 percent of daters were considering a wider range of potential partners and 55% were fast tracking their new relationships compared to before the coronavirus spread. Moreover, 69% of respondents are “thinking more about who they’re really looking for,” according to a report by The New York Times, and 50% admit they are “no longer chasing after people who aren’t interested in them.”

Dating app Bumble announced the addition of three new COVID-related profile badges that users (it is unclear if this is just for users in India or all users) can choose from to indicate how socially distant they want to be on a date.

The three badge choices are virtual, socially-distanced, and socially-distanced with masks to clearly identify their comfort levels with dating during the pandemic. Company executives told The Hindustan Times that this alleviates the awkwardness of conversations surrounding COVID-19, and how each dater feels about interaction.

Match Group, parent company to popular dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge, has appointed Tracey Breeden to be its new Head of Safety and Social Advocacy.

Breeden is in a newly created position and will be overseeing trust and safety policies for Match Group’s dating apps, and will also be working with the company’s product teams to develop new safety features. According to Inside Hook, Breeden is the former Head of Women’s Safety and Gender-Based Violence Operations at Uber, another tech company that has encountered safety issues for both its customers and drivers. She is also a former investigator and police officer.  

A new report revealed that dating app scams in the UK had significantly increased during the summer as the coronavirus spread and lockdowns continued, and as more people turned to the apps for connection.

More than 600 reports of fraud a month were reported during June, July and August according to Sky News. In addition, there was a 26 percent increase in reported frauds overall during the past year. Since August of 2019, UK police have seen about 400 reports of fraud per month on average, with victims losing over 66 million pounds total over the past year.

Dating app Bumble has announced it will donate a “high six-figure commitment” to the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s new “love is respect” initiative, which aims to empower young people to end abusive relationships. According to news site Built in Austin, the partnership will continue for a three-year period, building on the $100,000 donation Bumble made to the organization back in March. 

When the pandemic progressed and stay at home orders went into effect, many women were placed at risk, because they were essentially trapped with their abusers. Domestic violence is a problem in the U.S., where guns are pervasive and far too often women are the victims in domestic assaults.

OkCupid is launching a new campaign dubbed “VILF” to engage users with the upcoming elections and to add a fun and risqué twist.

The dating app will provide a VILF badge users can display on their profiles to attract people who want to talk about politics, and to show their engagement with GOTV, or get out the vote. This year is a politically charged one in the U.S. with the Presidential election around the corner, and activists want to make sure people are registered to vote and that they cast their ballots.