Matchmakers

Cheers, a new matchmaking app founded by former Instagram engineer Sahil Ahuja, has launched in New York.

The new app is focused on building connections by offering a similar format to social platforms like Instagram, where users can add unlimited photos and videos to their profile (similar to social media apps), so other users get a feel for who they are. Cheers uses AI in some of its features as do most dating apps now, including for photo selection and to set up user profiles.

According to Tech Crunch, Cheers is differentiating itself from apps like Tinder and Bumble by offering posting features and friend-matchmaking in addition to romantic connections, leaning heavily into the social media model.

The government in the municipality of Tokyo announced it will be launching a state-run dating app to help young singles connect, and to increase birth and marriage rates. This state run dating app was first brought to our intention back at the beginning of the year.

According to Associated Press, “Tokyo Futari Story,” the city’s new initiative, is an effort to increase couples or “futari,” in a country where young people are more commonly alone. The initiative will involve an online dating site, but the government is also developing an app.

Tokyo City Hall is heading the project and has declined to disclose many details. However, The Japan Times reported that singles who sign up will need to verify their identity through official documentation, and to prove that they are single. Government officials told the paper that tax records will be required to prove income, and potential users of the app must sign a form that says they are ready to marry. (The intention of the app is, after all, to increase marriages and childbirth rates.)

Tinder has unveiled a new feature that lets friends and family choose your matches for you.

According to The Verge, Tinder Matchmaker lets users invite their loved ones and trusted friends to view and recommend potential matches, regardless of whether they are on Tinder themselves. How it works: users can start a Matchmaker session via a profile card or in the settings of the app, where they can create a link to share with up to 15 friends and family members. Matchmakers can either login if they are Tinder users themselves, or continue as a guest.

There is a time limit for sharing opinions! The invited matchmakers have only 24 hours to recommend profiles before the link expires. Then the Tinder user can look through the match list, where profiles will be marked as a “recommendation” for those who liked a particular match. (Those rejected profiles won’t be marked at all, and will remain in the running for the user to ultimately decide if they are interested.)

Parents in China are taking matters into their own hands with their single adult children and using dating apps to help them find someone to marry.

Parent-facing dating apps are taking off in China, according to Rest of World, which reports on tech trends globally. Many parents are using online matchmaking platforms like Perfect In-Laws, Family-Building Matchmaking, and Parents Matchmaking to set up dates for their grown and unmarried children.

On platforms like these, the parents set up profiles for their children, sometimes without their knowledge or consent, according to Rest of World. When the match is made, it’s the parents who meet and get to know each other first, similar to matchmaking apps used in India.

Image: Netflix

Netflix launched its latest dating reality TV show Jewish Matchmaking in May, and it’s already sparking new interest among young singles to try the age-old practice.

According to Jewish Unpacked, matchmaking is ancient but gets a fresh new look on the Netflix series, hosted by Aleeza Ben Shalom, Dating Coach and Matchmaker. One of the contestants is content creator Cindy Seni (who has also hosted videos for Unpacked), who was contacted by the production team to audition.

“I was making a lot of reels about being single,” Seni told Unpacked. “So I was sent an email, and then I just applied as a joke at the beginning, because I had just gotten out of a relationship. And I was like, Well, why not? You know, if someone’s gonna find me a husband, it’s going to be Netflix.” 

Tinder has confirmed it is testing a new ultra-premium service priced at $500 per month, tentatively called Tinder Vault.

According to Fast Company who broke the story, Tinder Vault is offering different perks for the price point, including a 24/7 Concierge Service for those willing to pay. The details about the service are still vague, and the company said they might not offer it if there isn’t the demand, but that remains to be seen.

Tinder’s chief product officer Mark Van Ryswyk said in an interview with Fast Company that the feature is still “in its early days,” and that Tinder could even end up drastically cutting the price. There was no word on when the company plans to release the service more broadly.