THE VERGE – Mar 15 – Tinder will soon let users run a background check on a potential date. Match Group announced an investment in Garbo, a nonprofit allows people to run background checks with only their first name and phone number or full name. The investment, of which Match didn't disclose the amount (a seven-figure investment), will help make the group's tech available to Match's users, starting with Tinder. Garbo says it collects "public records and reports of violence or abuse, including arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent crimes. Notably, Garbo said it won't publicize drug possession charges. The company says drug-related offenses don't meaningfully predict "gender-based violence". Garbo also doesn't disclose traffic violations. The background checks on Tinder won't be free, but Match is working with Garbo to figure out how to price them so they’re accessible to most users.
Month: March 2021
CEO of Jigsaw, Alex Durrant, to Speak at LTR Edition 6
OPW – Mar 16 – TOPIC: Jigsaw's Rise and Raise
Alex was an accountant in a former life. Now he runs Jigsaw, which just raised $3.7m. Jigsaw is the anti-superficial dating app that puts your personality first. The app covers the faces of hundreds of thousands of single Brits and Americans with a jigsaw puzzle, revealing each other piece by piece. We've seen a rise in the number of apps combating Tinder with new and interesting approaches to swiping. Alex will tell us the story of Jigsaw, their challenges and opportunities, and their recent raise.
LTR Edition 6 is on Thursday 18th March starting 11:30am EST (New York). If you hold a full time leadership role at an Internet dating company then you are welcome to join IDEA for free, and welcome to join LTR events for free. See the LTR Edition 6 overview and invite page here. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP for LTR. There are 80 places only.
LTR is kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by The Meet Group, Utopia Analytics, Real Gifts & Courtland Brooks.
Xiaomi Is Launching an App Called Heyy
TECHGENYZ – Mar 15 – The app is by Metso Software Design which Xiaomi acquired back in 2015. Heyy is an online voice speed dating software that will show recommendations, dating habits and characteristics of that user. The app could also be used for voice one-on-one chats, games and voice talks; users can also make new friends on the app.
Thursday Is a New Dating App That Only Works on Thursdays
MIRROR.CO.UK – Mar 15 – Dating app Thursday, which launches in the UK last April, only works one day a week. Anyone who has used a dating app knows that while it can be a lot of fun, it can also be frustrating, time-consuming and a bit dull. Thursday is hoping to change the way people date. Users are encouraged to only log on in the morning if they are free that evening. The idea is to cut out the small talk, and match, chat and meet all on the same day. The app is completely free. All members are verified before they join using either a driving licence or passport. 93K people have signed up already and the team hope to have 150K members by the time they officially launch next month.
Taimi Launches a Referral Program
TAIMI – Mar 15 – The program is an extension to the LGBTQ+ platform's livestreaming, serving as a "passive source" of Taimi Diamonds for the users. After the invited users start utilizing Taimi's livestreaming, the referrers will receive 30% of all Diamonds their referred persons collect.
Singles Are Finding Each Other on TikTok
CNET – Mar 15 – Anything can function as a dating app – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. But there are reasons why TikTok in particular could be conducive to dating these days. TikTok is kind of like getting into somebody else's world without being in the same room as them. During the pandemic, TikTok's seen a surge in popularity. According to App Annie, it was the top-grossing app globally in the App Store in the Q2 of 2020. Perhaps TikTok is filling the void left by not being able to go out to a bar or club and be around other random humans.
New, Made-in-Toronto Dating Apps
THE STAR – Mar 15 – Dating app Alike has replaced images and written bios with short video prompts. The app is made for second-generation and third-culture Asians. Torontonian Hanmin Yang is the founder of Alike. "Our goal is to celebrate the Asian experience," he explains. "Our core message to the Asian community is 'love yourself'." Alike entered beta testing in Dec 2020 and had 700 downloads across North America in the first week. He's aiming to release the full app in June 2021. Heartcade is another new made-in-Toronto dating app, which soft-launched on March 6 after six months of beta testing. The app combines anonymous messaging – identities and images hidden – with a 1980s video game-themed interface. After 48 hours of anonymous messaging, users can choose who to match with and to reveal their identities.
Dating Site “Dinky One” Is Now Available in Welsh Language
DAILYPOST.CO.UK – Mar 15 – The niche dating platform, 'Dinky One' was unveiled by a Chester businessman who discovered high demand within Wales from men less well endowed. David Minns has launched dating sites for gamers, bald men (and women), transgender people and those who are attracted to "extreme age gaps" in their relationships. Dinky One, the small penis dating site, was launched on the cusp of the pandemic last March and has since attracted 119K members across the world. As a disproportionate number of these were from Wales, Mr Minns decided to create a Welsh language version to run alongside it. A sister site was launched, called Big One Dating, which caters for the opposite end of the appendage spectrum.
How Dating Apps Changed Our Love Lives, for Better or Worse
Singles Are Looking for Love on Strava, ZealMatch, and Other Fitness Apps
YOUR TANGO – Mar 13 – The exercise apps are increasingly being used for dating. At first glance, Strava – the running and cycling app – is an unlikely candidate for the choice dating app of the moment. Most Strava users will remember flybys, a feature which showed other athletes they'd passed whilst exercising. Due to rather questionable privacy controls, Strava's flybys are now disabled by default, unless the user chooses to opt-in. One person to cash in on the growing trend of exercise apps being used for dating is entrepreneur Izzy Milburn, founder of soon-to-be-launched app ZealMatch. Izzy met her partner through their running club, which got her thinking about starting her own app. ZealMatch matches users based on their favorite sport to match with people with shared interests.
by Anna Richards
See full article at Your Tango