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Mic Has Just Invented The Perfect Dating App (Too Bad It's Not Real)

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  • Monday, March 02 2015 @ 06:32 am
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With each new dating app that joins the crowded market comes new promises to revolutionize dating. Every app swears it solves the problems of its predecessors, but one by one they all fall short.

We're patiently (or not so) waiting for the real developers to invent the perfect app, but in the meantime, Mic has taken a stab at solving one of the 21st century's biggest problems. They've invented a Super App – one app to rule them all.

According to Mic, if one app could solve all the worst parts of online dating, it would need to:

  1. Filter out lame opening messages. The Super App would have a built in communications rater so you never have to see another one-word message again. Bristlr, a new social network for bearded men, is currently testing a similar feature. Users can rate the quality of the messages they receive and those who are consistently rated highly get a badge on their profile.
  2. Block copy-pasted messages. Everyone has either received a copy-pasted message or been guilty of sending one. Either way, it's not cool. Bristlr is also trying to solve this problem, by automatically sending a notification when a message you've received has been sent verbatim to other people.
  3. Prevent men from overwhelming women with unwanted advances. Who hasn't, at least once, thought “I could really use a stalker blocker?” A lot of women are turned off by online dating because they feel overwhelmed by the number of unwanted (and sometimes downright creepy) messages they receive. Tinder changed the game when it limited messaging to people who had mutually indicated interest in each other. It doesn't eliminate the issue completely, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
  4. Make sure there's something else you're judged on besides looks. Deep down, we know we're all guilty of making snap judgments based on appearance. Enter dating app Talk or Not, which lets users slowly reveal pieces of their profile photo as their conversation with someone progresses. Looks factor into the process eventually, but not before charm, intelligence, and humor.
  5. Weed out the creepers trolling for sex. It's not that there's anything wrong with casual sex between consenting adults, it's just that it gets frustrating to only be approached for sex if you're looking for something more. Mic suggests “A feature that would prominently note that the user in question is looking for a relationship versus strictly hoping to score,” in order to “prevent misunderstandings early on.”
  6. Send you matches directly so you don't waste hours swiping though terrible profiles. Because no one wants carpal tunnel. The Super App would take the Coffee Meets Bagel approach and send matches so you don't have to waste time searching and swiping.
  7. Keep your profile hidden from people you don't want seeing it. Family, exes, co-workers – none of those people need to know what you're up to online. The League allows users to sync LinkedIn with the app so that you never have to worry about someone unwanted peeping your profile.

Let us know what you'd like to see in the perfect dating app, and for more of Mic's suggestions see the original post.

High There – A New Dating App for Weed Lovers

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  • Friday, February 20 2015 @ 06:32 am
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High There Dating App

It was only a matter of time before a Denver-based app developer would take advantage of the city’s new legalized pot industry. High There! - a new dating app specifically for weed lovers, launched this month for Android and will be debuting in the iTunes store soon. In addition to the mile-high city, the app is also available in 23 states that have legalized medical marijuana laws.

High There has been described as “the Tinder of pot smoking,” although instead of matching according to proximity and age preferences, the app asks for your weed preferences, such as vaping or smoking, and what your energy level is when you are imbibing – “low energy couch potato or high energy explorer,” according to a report on Mashable.

The design of the app is similar to Tinder, with photos as the main feature and the ability to accept or reject a match by swiping left or right. Besides how you consume your pot, a few extra questions are added to enhance your profile, including what you are in the mood for – “go out, stay in, or chat?” and your interests (“culture, outdoors”).

CEO Todd Mitchem says he was inspired to create the app after his date called it quits when she found out he smoked pot. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, so he decided he’d rather only date pot smokers – but needed a way to meet them. He wanted to build a community around people who might otherwise feel shunned for their habit. He told Mashable that the app “can also act as a kind of social network for smokers who are seeking recommendations on local dispensaries, to share tips or just make friends with other like-minded folks.”   

High There however is not the first dating app to cater to this particular clientele. My420mate launched last year, and 420Singles has been offering their pot-friendly app for a while as well, though High There seems to be getting a lot more attention in the press.

So far, the reception to High There has been mixed, according to reviews in the app store. The main reason for users’ frustration is that they download the free app and then can’t use it because of the marijuana laws in their particular cities. (If it isn’t available to purchase legally in your town, you can’t use the app.) Many people complain that they do have medical marijuana cards from another city, but can’t use the app because of the legal status in the city where they live.

High There is free and available for Android users, and will soon be available for download from the iTunes store.

Mobile Dating Just Got More Exclusive Thanks To 'The League'

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  • Thursday, February 19 2015 @ 06:50 am
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Let's talk about the Tinder problem.

On one hand, Tinder has been great for mobile dating. Tons of people are on the app, meaning no one is judging you for using it and your pool of potential dates is huge. On the other hand, there are so many people using it that it's difficult to find the needles in the undateable haystack. It's easy to dismiss the entire app as useless once you've swiped left on enough losers.

A new app called The League is hoping to solve that problem – by admitting only the most successful and ambitious users, and keeping everyone else out. Basically, it's Tinder for elitists, although founder Amanda Bradford prefers to say The League “curates members.”

"The best universities curate students. Employers curate their employees. Work and school are the top places where 20-somethings meet each other. So it makes sense for a dating community," she told Business Insider.

The target user is interesting and motivated, passionate and working towards achieving a dream, a young professional who is looking for something more than a hookup. So far the app skews slightly female. Users tend to be in their late 20s and have advanced degrees. All have successfully passed through The League's are-you-cool-enough algorithm, which Bradford says relies more on LinkedIn than Facebook.

If accepted, users are shown a handful of matches each day. At 5pm, a new batch of matches is available. The League ensures you aren't shown first connections or current co-workers, to minimize the potential for awkward encounters.

Accepted users also receive a “ticket” to give to another single friend. Others are put on a waitlist until they’re deemed worthy of entrance into The League. Admittance doesn't guarantee you a spot forever – if you fail to measure up to The League's exacting standards (by responding poorly and earning a bad “flakiness score,” for example), you will be deemed a “low-quality member” and ousted.

Bradford was initially hoping to raise $750,000 from investors, but interest in the app was so high that it's now raised $2.1 million in seed funding. For now, The League is limited to 4,500 beta users in San Francisco. Since November, the app has been responsible for pairing 20,000 people and 19 successful couples. Bradford is focused on growing her small team and expanding to New York City, where there is already a sizeable wait list.

Following NYC, Bradford hopes to conquer London and work her way through more of the world's most interesting cities. The League currently has no plans to come to America's smaller towns, where it's unlikely to find its hyper motivated, career-focused target market.

Users Unhappy With Tinder Changes, Sparks Outrage in App store

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  • Friday, February 13 2015 @ 09:37 am
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This month, Tinder began rolling out its new premium service Tinder Plus in select European markets, and the feedback hasn’t been good.

The popular dating app surged to the top of the online dating market when it launched in 2012, attracting users who had never thought of signing up for an online dating site. Its easy-to-use format and free game-like service offered more entertainment than dating stress, and users flocked to check it out.

But in an effort to make money from this hugely successful endeavor, it was only a matter of time before Tinder’s owners developed a paid model for the app – opting for a premium service over adding distracting in-app advertisements. (Although the company has strategically lent its brand to marketing campaigns, like Gillette’s facial hair survey and Domino’s Pizza Valentine’s Day campaign.)

But Tinder Plus has not been greeted favorably, at least in its initial roll out – and the free service is suffering as a result. Although Tinder Plus is not set to launch in the U.S. until March, and prices are still to be determined, the company needs to find a new strategy - considering the backlash it has gotten in markets where the roll out has already taken place, such as the U.K. Tinder users who are not opting to pay for Tinder Plus and want to stick to the old free version of the app have been leaving bad reviews in the iTunes store (enough to drive the free service’s rating down to one and a half stars).

The problem has to do with new restrictions to the free service. Once a user has swiped a certain number of times, they are blocked for 24 hours from seeing any new profiles, unless they want to pay for the new Tinder Plus service. Since most users log in to Tinder multiple times a day to swipe through matches, this puts a serious hindrance on Tinder’s competitive advantage. Other dating apps that have restrictions on the number of profiles a user can see per day – like Hinge - have been easing up on their requirements, and seeing a surge of new downloads as a result.

With all the promising new free apps coming on the market, such as Bumble (started by an ex-Tinder employee), Tinder will need to think outside the box to keep its market share. After all, any online dating app or site’s currency is their user base. If Tinder loses theirs, then they stand to lose a lot more than the revenue from the premium service. Perhaps they should stick to advertising deals, or instead of taking away features from loyal users, offer more enticing new features.

Android Users Say A Warm Welcome To Coffee Meets Bagel

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  • Tuesday, February 10 2015 @ 06:34 am
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Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel, the service that could win the title of “simplest dating app of all time,” has launched on Android.

Like most dating services, CMB swears it's all about introducing high-quality singles who are on the hunt for meaningful relationships. So far, so good, so blah.

What makes Coffee Meets Bagel stand out is its approach to doing it. CMB operates on three guiding principles:

  1. Unless you want to tell others, your dating life should remain private
  2. Your friends are the best conduits for your dates
  3. Meeting quality people doesn't have to be so awkward or complicated

Those principles became a stripped-down take on the dating app. Users sign in through Facebook, and are matched with one person (their “Bagel”) every day at noon. All they have to do is LIKE or PASS on their Bagel, then kick back and wait patiently until the next noon rolls around.

“We wanted our service to be something that people look forward to everyday, something that can spice up their lunch break,” explains CMB on the About Us page. “Most of our members are busy young professionals, and we know that one thing everyone looks forward to daily is coffee breaks. That led us to choose coffee. There are many things that go well with coffee but we chose Bagels because we launched in New York City!”

If you and your Bagel mutually indicate interest in each other, you're immediately connected by a text message sent from a private company phone line. CMB will also hook you up with free stuff from popular local spots for your first date. How's that for a sweet deal?

If, on the other hand, your Bagel doesn't look like something you want to sink your teeth into, you must wait another 24 hours for your next potential match. It may not be the best app for the impatient, but it's an ideal setup for a busy professional who barely has time to eat lunch, much less surf through hundreds and hundreds of online dating profiles.

Coffee Meets Bagel launched on iOS in August of last year and has since seen double-digit growth and solid engagement from users, TechCrunch reports. Although the mobile market is far from sparse these days, CMB's fresh launch on Android should only boost its already-promising numbers.

Download the app for Android on Google Play and for iOS on the iTunes Store.

New “elitist” dating app The League launches in San Francisco

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  • Tuesday, February 03 2015 @ 06:26 am
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The League

The latest dating app launch is capturing a lot of buzz - and aimed at marketing to the so-called “dating elite.” If you’re single and successful, The League might be the app for you.

The League has gotten attention because of its latest round of funding. Though founder Amanda Bradford was at first looking to raise half a million according to Time Magazine, she has now received $2.1 million from investors looking for the next Tinder – but without, you know – all the low-brow hook-ups.

The League differentiates itself from its competition by offering exclusivity – you have to be accepted into its network. The acceptance algorithm it uses according to Business Insider “scans the social networks to ensure applicants are in the right age group and that they are career-oriented.” The article goes on to say: “That doesn’t mean they have to be Ivy graduates or work for a big-name firm. But they should have accomplished something in their 20s.”

If you are accepted, you are given a limited number of matches each day at 5:00pm, which The League calls “Happy Hour.” You are also given the ability to refer one friend.

The League isn’t the first app to offer more “quality” matches as opposed to the giant dating pool that is Tinder. Hinge is invitation-only, working from your social media circles and offering a limited number of matches per day, as does Coffee Meets Bagel. The difference is that The League utilizes LinkedIn to find matches, avoiding direct contacts (like your boss) and working with those a little further removed. Some have argued that this blurs the line between business and personal, although eHarmony announced earlier this year they would be offering job-matching services to employers and potential employees.

So far, The League has attracted around 4,500 users from San Francisco. Like Hinge, CEO Branford wants to move slowly, city by city, to build her network in a more thoughtful way. She discovered most couples meet through school or work connections, and she wanted to optimize these already-existing networks (hence using LinkedIn for matching). In fact, she is doing much of the business networking herself by attending parties of tech execs in Silicon Valley and fundraisers in San Francisco. She walks around demonstrating her app and offering bracelets with the app’s logo to attendees.

“It isn’t an app for everybody,” Branford told the New York Times. “We’re trying to hit home that…people do have high standards.”

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