BBC – Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB), a dating app boasting ~10M sign-ups globally, experienced a multi-day system outage starting on 27 August, frustrating many users. Some users missed planned dates, with one individual resorting to LinkedIn to reconnect. There's online speculation about the cause, ranging from a ransomware attack to potential data breaches. Amidst the company's assurances of working on the issue, users have criticized the lack of detailed information regarding the outage.
Month: August 2023
MillionaireMatch Implements AI Nude Image Detection for User Safety
BUSINESSWIRE – MillionaireMatch, a dating site for affluent individuals, has integrated an AI feature to identify explicit content shared within its platform. This system prompts senders to confirm or cancel the transmission of potentially explicit images. Additionally, for the protection of recipients, the platform automatically blurs detected explicit content, giving them an option to view or block the image. The move is in line with efforts to enhance user safety and comfort on the site.
Virginia Venture Partners Funds CarpeDM, a Dating App for Professional Black Women
EIN NEWSDESK – Virginia Venture Partners has invested again in CarpeDM, a D.C.-based dating app specifically designed for professional Black women. The app combines personal matchmakers with algorithms to create matches. Members undergo background checks and interviews for vetting. The purpose of this investment is to support CarpeDM's expansion.
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Cosmic: a Unique, Free Dating App Using Personality Quizzes
TECH CRUNCH – Cosmic, a new dating app from startup Friendly Apps, introduces a unique approach to dating profiles: instead of user-written bios, it offers a personality quiz. The answers, kept private, are then processed using machine learning to create a profile. Founded by Michael Sayman, an experienced app developer with stints at Facebook, Google, and Twitter, Cosmic aims to combat superficial dating app experiences and better capture a user's personality. Unlike other platforms, Cosmic doesn’t charge users for essential features like undoing swipes or seeing likes. The app, available in select countries, stands out by not having ads, boosts, or subscriptions. How it plans to monetize remains uncertain.
Meme-Based Dating App ‘Schmooze’ Debuts in India
Tinder Combats Romance Scams in Southeast Asia
Tinder’s ‘It Starts With a Swipe’ Campaign Partly Drives 6% Q2 Revenue Surge to $475M
Dating Apps Put a Hefty Price Tag on Finding Love
Match which will roll out a superpremium tier on Tinder in the fall. "If you actually take a small fraction of our payers at higher price points, you actually get a number that's in the tens of millions of dollars on an annual basis," CEO Bernard Kim said.
Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd sees premium services delivering new opportunities. "We see that there's a lot of runway to expand there."
Even if uptake is slow, there is precedent behind the move to raise prices. Mark Brooks, CEO of Courtland Brooks, which helps online dating companies grow, said that other brands, such as eHarmony and Tawkify, have for years priced their premium services above what Tinder, Hinge and Bumble charged. The stakes are high in showing users that paying is worth it, Brooks said. Otherwise, they could defect to competing platforms. "They've got to actually really deliver on it, because they'll get crucified if they don't," said Brooks.
Taru Kapoor Is Leaving Tinder
AFAQS – She was working as the General Manager for Tinder and Match Group in India. In a LinkedIn post, she said that she will be finishing up over the coming weeks. Kapoor joined Tinder as India's General Manager in 2015, and was promoted to General Manager of South Asia and Turkey for Match Group in 2018. Kapoor launched and established Tinder's operations in India.
Hulah Dating App Hits 100,000 Users Milestone
LINKEDIN – The new dating app, Hulah, has reported surpassing 100K users since its March 2023 launch. The platform, founded by Heather Hopkins, distinguishes itself by requiring male participants to be endorsed by female users before joining. To ensure genuine profiles, a five-minute video chat is mandatory before text conversations commence. Despite its recent inception, Hulah has quickly ascended to #9 on Apple's top charts without any expenditure on paid promotions.