Quick links to today's dating news headlines.
- Bumble dating app pilots SOS button for dates gone wrong – Israel Hayom
Month: January 2022
Hong Kong-listed Firm Behind Yumy Dating App Is Testing Metaverse
SCMP – Newborn Town is testing metaverse features for its dating app Yumy, which has 30M users outside China. The feature is called Meta Town, and it will be incorporated into its dating app Yumy. The app has had ~30M worldwide downloads since launching in early 2021, with some of the best performing markets being Egypt, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Britain. Users taking part in the beta test have been able to create avatars based on their photo, find other virtual figures, and engage in audio conversations that are supported by AI. Match Group is working with South Korean-based Hyperconnect to create a virtual world "Single Town". Similar to Yumy's Meta Town, singles can interact and engage in audio conversations in virtual locations.
Tinder’s Pricing Algorithm Discriminates Against Gay Users and Over-30s
POLITICO.EU – Gay and lesbian people, as well as people over the age of 30, have to cough up significantly more to use the premium features of Tinder, according to a study by British consumer group Which?. The consumer group used 200 mystery shoppers to create profiles on the dating app. On average, gay and lesbian users were asked to pay 10% more than bisexual users, and 8% more than heterosexual users for the premium service. Younger gay and lesbian users aged between 18 and 29 paid 37% more than their heterosexual peers and 30% more than bisexual users. Older users were also asked to pay more. Users aged 30 to 49 paid 48% more than younger users, while those over 50 faced a 46-percent-higher bill. In a blog post, Tinder called Which?'s research "deeply flawed" and criticized the study's methodology.
MatchGroup Accuses Muzmatch of Free-Riding
BUSINESS INSIDER – MatchGroup is suing Muslim-oriented dating startup Muzmatch in the UK. Match accused Muzmatch of "free-riding" off its reputation, alleging the app copied the look and feel of its logo and apps and used the word "Match" and "Tinder" in its SEO and meta tags to boost traffic. It claims users could confuse Muzmatch for its own services. Match Group has previously sued Bumble and threesome app 3nder, now called Feeld. Muzmatch's founder Shahzad Younas claimed Match's legal action came after he turned down four acquisition offers from Match in 2018 and 2019. When acquisition talks failed, Match purchased a different Muslim dating app, and sued his firm, the filings stated. The two-day UK trial took place on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18, and the judge expects a decision will be made in six weeks.
Gaming Dating App Kippo Pivoting Into Metaverse App
VENTURE BEAT – Kippo opened its dating and social community for gamers in September of 2019. And now it is pivoting to turn its experience into a metaverse application. Kippo has grown to 180K monthly active users. ~30% of Kippo users utilize the app for meeting friends, and 70% are there specifically for dating/finding a partner. Matching will still live within the Kippo 2.0 update.
Dating News Headlines: Yumy, Tinder
Quick links to today's dating news headlines.
Dating News Headlines: Match Group, Kippo
Quick links to today's dating news headlines.
- Kippo 2.0 Pivots Gamer Dating App to the Metaverse – Venture Beat
- Amazon and Match Are Among Firms Asked by New York Pension for Racial Audit – Bloomberg Law
JWed Releases Voice Intro
JNS – Derek Saker, CEO of JWed says: "Voice Intro is another unique tool, where we enable members to creatively personalize their profile. Allowing for a maximum of 60 second recording, members are able to record and share any type of audio intro."
Romance Scams Cost Americans $350M in 2021
ATLAS VPN – Atlas VPN analysis reveals that victims lost $343M (up 28% YOY) in the first three quarters of 2021. Elders ages 60-69 were affected the most, with $145M in monetary damages. To see the full report, please click here.
Ghosting on Dating App Snack Will Make Users Invisible
FAST COMPANY – Snack, a video-centric service that pitches itself as TikTok meets Tinder, says people who ghost too frequently will become less visible on its platform. Users who ghost other users too frequently can be reported for doing so, Snack says, and if the behavior keeps up, the visibility of their profile will be reduced over time. Snack launched early last year with $3.5M in pre-seed investment led by Kindred Ventures and Coelius Capital. The Vancouver-based company was founded by Kimberly Kaplan, a dating-app veteran and former executive at Plenty of Fish, now owned by Match Group.