Features

BLK, the dating app for Black singles, has partnered with Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” non-profit to encourage young Black singles to vote this coming November.

According to Essence magazine, BLK will launch the #ElectionSZN campaign along with When We All Vote, aimed at boosting voter participation and engagement through multiple offerings, including special features, profile badges, and surveys aimed at getting people engaged for the upcoming election.

This move is significant according to Essence, because the Black community historically has faced many barriers to voting and systemic disenfranchisement. And this year, for the first time, a Black woman will be the Presidential nominee for the Democratic ticket.

Image: Grindr

Grindr has shut off the explore option on its platform for the Olympic Village in Paris to protect the identities of athletes who are staying there to compete.

According to Pink News, the gay dating app has blocked global visibility for the Village area. Social media posts have shown that when you search for people in the Olympic Village, no profiles are offered.

According to Grindr’s announcement about the move, it said: “We're turning off features like "Explore" and "Roam" within the Olympic Village. The ‘show distance’ feature will also be turned off by default, but users can share their approximate distance if they decide to turn it on.”

Tinder has launched its new feature Photo Selector, an AI-based tool that helps users choose the best photos to use in their profiles to generate the best match results.

According to Tech Crunch, the new feature uses facial detection technology. When a user uploads a selfie on the app, the AI detects the unique facial geometry to identify the person’s face and pulls up matching photos from their camera roll. The feature then curates a collection of ten photos that will perform best on the person’s profile.

Photo Selector is intended to help users through what can be a time-consuming process of sifting through camera roll photos. According to a recent survey by Tinder, 68% of participants expressed that an AI photo selection feature would be helpful, and 52% reported having trouble selecting profile images. 

Bumble has announced a new reporting feature for users to alert the app if they suspect a profile of displaying AI-generated photos and videos.

“Fake Profile” allows users to flag and report accounts that they think are AI-generated and being used to deceive other app users. According to Tech Crunch, people using AI to beef up their profiles is creating a new problem on dating apps (aside from the typical bots, spam accounts, and safety issues that have been around for a while) – and that is whether or not to believe that the person in the profile they are seeing is actually that person, or an AI-enhanced version of them.

For example, someone could generate a photo of themselves to make them look more like Taylor Swift, or alter their bodies to show muscles they don’t have in real life, hoping to attract more matches through deception. In other words, they are gaming the system with AI.

Hinge and Grindr are two standout dating apps as they continue to grow in a tough market; powerhouses Tinder and Bumble are seeing more users leave their platforms.

In general, dating apps have had a rough couple of years, with the coveted Gen Z market looking to other options besides dating apps to meet singles, including in-person events, running clubs, and social media platforms like LinkedIn.

“Online dating trends have continued to decelerate industry-wide, showing minimal relief from the recent struggles,” wrote Morgan Stanley analysts Nathan Feather and Brian Nowak in their research, according to Quartz.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble has launched a marketing campaign in India to highlight its new feature Opening Moves, featuring two young Bollywood celebrities.

According to The Times of India, the campaign stars Khushi Kapoor and Vedang Raina in a series of films, where Kushi asks Vedang questions like “what is your guilty pleasure?” and “what is your iconic date idea?” Opening Moves allows women to post a question to potential suitors, so Bumble’s ad is demonstrating the feature in a fun way.

The beloved Bollywood actors share personal anecdotes and talk about the changes Bumble has made, as well as the cultural shift of dating in India, where women are feeling more empowered and more and more people are meeting online.