V MAGAZINE – May 4 – Statistics show that online daters will be looking for long-term relationships once social distancing orders are lifted. S'More conducted a COVID-19, and according to their findings, 58% of online daters surveyed reported that they plan to be more cautious when dating and screen their dates to a greater degree than before the pandemic. 49% say they will go on fewer dates and meet fewer people. 42% are looking for something more serious than they were before, increasing to 48% when looking at millennials.
Month: May 2020
Dating App Wingman Donates Bandanas to London Bus Drivers
Coronavirus Has Changed Dating Apps Irreversibly
SIFTED.EU – May 4 – Dating apps say that virtual features will last beyond the pandemic as video dates become the new norm. "The current normalisation of video communication is in one way irreversible," says Philip Jonzon Jarl, the cofounder of Swedish dating app Relate. "There might be a new kind of pre-date step being born." Founded in 2018 to make matches based on "values" rather than profile pics, and with $1.3M behind it, Relate has seen its active users increase 40% during lockdown. Another UK app, The Intro, was founded in London in 2019, just months before lockdown. Founder George Burgess, who previously launched several educational apps, says this has pulled in thousands of users across the capital – despite having raised just £750k. Her, a UK-based dating app geared towards lesbian, queer, bisexual and bicurious women and non-binary people, has 5.5M users around the world. Founded by Robyn Exton in the UK in 2015, it has raised $2M to date. Her moved its matchmaking mixers online to host virtual speed dating events. The founder says virtual speed dating will almost certainly continue after the pandemic. Meanwhile, Swiss dating app Once has built a live video feature in just five days. Already ~18K virtual dates have taken place on the app. The record duration of a virtual date so far is 11 hours and forty minutes (between two people in Paris). Not every dating app has been fast off the mark. Happn says it has seen an 18% increase in the lengths of in-app conversations and will launch video dating this month. Muzmatch, the worlds' biggest dating app for Muslims, is also preparing to launch video and voice calling within the coming weeks.
by Kitty Knowles
See full article at Sifted.eu
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People in Relationships Are Signing up for Dating Apps During Covid-19
NY POST – May 2 – 42% of Americans in relationships have downloaded a dating app since the start of COVID-19, according to a new study of 1K people in relationships not quarantining with their partner. A third of those in a relationship have reached out to an ex. The survey was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of LELO, a company that sells sex toys. 67% admitted social distancing has even increased their cravings for physical intimacy.
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The Meet Group’s Shareholders Want to Stop the $500M Merger With NuCom
LAW360 – May 2 – Shareholders of online streaming and dating platform The Meet Group filed a proposed class action in Pennsylvania federal court last week, trying to stop a $500M merger with the parent company of eHarmony, claiming The Meet Group's board of directors had undervalued the company.
Top Dating Apps in China During Coronavirus Pandemic
SCMP.COM – May 1 – The nine largest dating apps by China iOS app store ranking are Yidui, Tantan, Momo, Soul, Yimu, Zhenai, Hezi, Blued and Rela. ~622M people used dating apps in China last year, and the market is set to hit $290M in revenues by 2024, according to Statista.com.
- Yidui
Video-based speed matchmaking app, targeting singles in lower-tier cities, it later introduced a professional matchmaker in the app and added a live-streaming feature to speed up matches - Tantan
China's Tinder clone, launched in June 2014, raised ~$120M. In 2018, the company was acquired by Momo - Momo
Launched in 2011, evolved from a simple location-based dating app to a general social platform that, in addition to its original features, also includes group chats, live-streaming, short-video, and casual games. The company went public on Nasdaq in Dec 2014. - Soul
Launched in 2015, it matches users based on a personality test, targeting young users. Soul has closed a Series C round of an undisclosed sum last year. - Jimu
Released in late 2016, the app melds features of dating apps with youth social networking functions, targeting urban residents who like art, fashion, and music. The company raised "tens of millions of yuan" in June last year from a Series B round led by Bluerun Ventures and Sequoia Capital. In July 2019, Hong Kong-listed Chinese live-streaming firm Inke bought Jimu for $85M. - Zhenai
Founded as early as 2005, is one of the oldest and well-known matchmaking websites in China, which also offers offline services. Zhenai has made several updates to its app in a bid to reach younger users as well, adding features including personal assessments, live-streaming, and a status-posting section. - Hezi
Voice-based social app Hezi was launched at the beginning of 2019, founded by two senior executives from Momo. - Blued
Launched in 2012 by the Chinese LGBTQ community website Danlan, Blued is the top gay dating app in China. The company has raised ~$130 M. - Rela
Founded in 2012, the first location-based dating app for lesbians in China.
Dating Safely With UrSafe
SPECTRUM LABS – Whether they help members find a quick fling, a lasting relationship or something in between – all dating apps consider user safety to be important. UrSafe is the first and only hands-free, voice-activated personal safety app fully integrated with 911 in ~200 countries. Users can share their location with friends and family in real time and, when in danger, discreetly call local law enforcement and start a recording using designated safe words.