Tinder

Binging on Netflix has become a social occasion, with friends gathering together to watch their favorite shows and movies in the comfort of home. Now, Tinder has proposed that online dating can be a social occasion, too - and like Netflix, experienced via your TV.

This past December (notably in time for the holidays), the company launched Tinder for Apple TV, which allows you to search for dates on the big screen, presumably with your friends gathered round to comment. The tvOSapp for Apple TV allows you to swipe left and right on potential dates on the big screen to make it a group activity. Perhaps while you’re opening presents or eating turkey and pumpkin pie with your family?

It’s the same Tinder as the version that lives on your phone, but available for display so your friends and family don’t have to squint or pass your phone around to give you their opinions.

“With a new, swipeable remote control and the world’s hottest app now in HD, modern dating is taking a page from the age-old book of matchmaking,” reads the Tinder announcement of the new tvOS app. “Let’s face it—the people who know you best have traditionally had a high rate of success when helping you pick a partner.”

Tinder might have gotten a lot of action in 2016, but according to a recent article in The Washington Post, niche dating apps are poised to get more attention this year.

Research from online dating sites and apps have shown that the biggest increase in memberships and activity occur from New Year’s Day through Valentine’s Day. It’s the time when the most people are looking for love, or at least a few dates. Traditionally, people have gravitated to the bigger sites like Tinder or Match in the hopes of having the widest pool of daters to choose from. But this year, people are looking for new ways to connect.

Part of the problem according to the Post is that dating apps don’t necessarily lead to users getting more dates. It’s easy to swipe endlessly, but that doesn’t seem to translate to meeting in real life. In the past year, poor and flaky dating behavior has left a lot to be desired, and daters are increasingly frustrated.

The last place many love weary daters would go for advice on how to date is consulting a dating app. Especially Tinder, which has often been accused of being a “hook-up” app, and recently taken to task by competitor Hinge for that reputation.

But last month, Tinder launched a brand new podcast offering online daters some much-needed advice.

Branded podcasts are popping up everywhere, since the platform has really caught on with the way the public consumes information. According to Edison Research, about 21% of Americans over the age of 12, or 57 million people, listen to a podcast monthly, up from 17% last year. It seems Tinder is trying to capitalize on its success and pave a more helpful and hopeful path while expanding its user base.

Recipient
Tinder

The 2016 Editor's Top Pick - Dating App Award goes to Tinder. 2016 was another big year for Tinder being the most popular dating app on iOS and Android. It's estimated value was pegged at $1.2 billion USD in 2016 and it has now more than 1.5 million paid subscribers (end of Quarter 3 in 2016).

In 2016 Tinder introduced a number of new features for it's members including the paid feature Tinder Boost which allows members to jump to the front of the line and get your profile seen by other members first. Tinder also added dozens of new gender identity options, and Smart Photo which figures out which of your profile photo's people like best. Tinder also partnered with Spotify to allow sharing of your favorite tunes along with a partnership with Giphy which enabled GIF support in all Tinder messages.

Dating apps have provided a great way for people to connect, but along with the positives, the downside to dating apps still looms large - users aren't necessarily safe when they are meeting new people.

Dating app users can become easy targets for sexually predatory behavior. The question of security in online dating has once again entered the news headlines, thanks to the conviction of Stephen Port, a UK man who was accused and found guilty of killing four men he met through gay dating apps.

Port met his victims by catfishing them through various dating apps including Grindr, posting fake profiles and avoiding using any real details about himself, encouraging them to meet in person before drugging their drinks. 

Dating app giant Tinder is trying to maintain its huge lead in the online dating market, and is also looking for new ways to monetize. In late 2016 the company launched Tinder Boost, a new paid feature to help users “skip the line” and be more prominently featured to other users. This comes after the success of the launch of its premium paid service, Tinder Plus.

Tinder Boost provides a unique advantage to its users. The new feature places its users at the top of searches for 30 minutes, giving them up to 10 times more profile views than the standard method. While Tinder Boost is activated, other relevant, potential matches within the area will see your profile before anyone else’s. This could make a huge difference in your chances of connecting, since competing among Tinder’s 50 million users can be quite challenging. It’s easy to be overlooked, especially if users are mindlessly swiping.

Tinder Boost also offers a built-in timer that lets people see how many minutes are remaining, so you can take full advantage of the thirty minutes you get.