Dating Services

Tinder has partnered with ride sharing company Lyft to let users purchase rides for their dates, encouraging people to meet for dates after more than a year of lockdown restrictions from Covid-19.

The new feature can be found in the company’s Explore section of the app, where a user can buy a ride credit for a person they have matched with, according to The Verge. While the person buying the ride credit can set the meeting location, time, and how much they want to spend, they won’t be able to see their match’s address or other personal information. 

If you are the recipient of a rideshare gift, you have the option to turn it down. When someone has purchased a Lyft ride for a match, the match is sent a link via a phone number or email address, and it is up to that recipient to accept or reject the ride. The Verge points out that while this is a good step in enacting some safety precautions for users and giving them some control, there should also be a way to opt out of the feature altogether. (Currently, there’s not.) 

Tinder is breaking new ground in the dating app industry by offering its own in-app currency for users to spend as they swipe. 

According to Bloomberg, Tinder will be testing in-app “coins” that users obtain by keeping their profiles updated and being active on the app, or alternatively, they can purchase them with real money. The coins can be spent on paid features Tinder offers like Super Likes (letting someone know you’re very interested) and Boosts (which promote your profile to other users).

Tinder is expanding its offerings beyond the swipe to create more stickiness with young daters, and the new currency is a way to monetize these features as people spend more time on its app. The company announced the launch of the Explore section in September, which features short form original content like its hit series Swipe Night and virtual speed dating with “Hot Takes.” 

The attitudes of Indian singles towards dating, sex and intimacy are changing as a result of the global pandemic. Interestingly, their parents’ attitudes are shifting along with them.

According to Mint, a recent survey of Bumble users pointed towards this cultural shift, with 34 percent of respondents from India saying they were “more open to exploration” when it comes to sex, ahead of users in the U.S., Australia, Canada and the U.K. This finding was part of a larger study of users across different countries taken over the summer, including over 2,000 participants from India.

A majority of Indians – 65 percent – said the pandemic has changed their approach to sex and intimacy. Almost one in three respondents (33 percent) said they have started living with someone they met on a dating app since the second wave of Covid hit India in March and lockdowns began, according to Mint.

Woman Tearing Down OkCupid Ad

Image: Twitter

Dating app OkCupid has responded to a viral video showing a woman tearing down posters of its new LGBTQ+ ad campaign “Every Single Person” from a subway train in New York. Two other passengers joined her in the effort, and one filmed and posted the rant.

The notably unmasked woman was reacting to the campaign’s bold images, featuring queer people, pansexuality, and people who identify as non-binary. As she tore down the signs, she claimed to be concerned about children seeing the images, saying that the ads were “affecting the next generation” and calling them “propaganda.”

She also called the images “disgusting” and said that it’s “not about equality, you guys…it’s about communism” with no additional context.

ParshipMeet Group, parent company for popular dating apps like eHarmony, MeetMe and Skout, has started preparations for its initial public offering, notably on the heels of Bumble going public earlier this year.

According to Reuters, ParshipMeet Group’s IPO is scheduled for the first half of 2022, but there is some speculation that it may be pushed back in light of Bumble’s falling stock price in recent weeks. ParshipMeet is estimated to be worth upward of $4.1 billion, based on its core earnings, and the company reported revenues of 280 million euros for the first half of the year, up 19 percent.

ParshipMeet is 43 percent owned by General Atlantic and 53 percent by German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media. These co-owners have begun to invite banks to help organize the initial public offering, but the company has not confirmed who they have invited or begun working with.

Image: Happn

Happn, one of the most popular dating apps, is launching new voice features to help its users better connect.

According to India TV News, the new features will be rolled out globally over the next few weeks. One of the new features allows users to add an audio note up to two minutes long in their profile, so that other users can get an idea of their personality from their voice. Happn is also rolling out an audio chat feature that allows people who match to talk with each other directly over the app. 

The third audio feature is audio feed, where Happn will offer a feed of profiles in which users will be able to hear the voices of potential matches before seeing the rest of their profiles (like their photos, bios, etc.) – emphasizing the importance of the connection someone feels to a person’s voice, instead of just viewing their photos or interests. It’s an intriguing new way for users to assess their matches.