Month: October 2025

Match Group Launches “The Unbreaking Project” to Combat Romance Scams and Support Victims

Posted on October 30, 2025
Logo of Match Group

LINKEDIN – Match Group has launched The Unbreaking Project with Kate Kleinert, who experienced a romance scam and now works to protect others, together with Advocating Against Romance Scammers and the Center for Combating Elder Financial Abuse. The initiative helps law enforcement handle romance scams more effectively and provides emotional and practical support for victims. It offers free virtual training, survivor care packages, and education to help prevent future scams.

See full article at LinkedIn

Courtland Brooks, Our Work

Posted on October 30, 2025
Logo of Courtland Brooks

OPW – For the first time, we’ve pulled back the curtain on what we do, on the Courtland Brooks website. If you’d like to get a sense of the core of our work, you can now see the new page on Courtland Brooks, which showcases examples of our work that my team and I are most proud of.

Tinder Expands Safety Efforts in India With Mandatory Face Check Feature

Posted on October 29, 2025

YOUTUBE – In an interview with ET Now’s Startup Central, Yoel Roth, Head of Trust and Safety at Match Group, said India is the first country in Asia where Tinder is launching its Face Check safety feature to verify user authenticity and combat fake accounts, the top concern for nearly 23% of daters. The feature will be mandatory in India to ensure every Tinder profile represents a real, unique person. Roth noted that ~90% of fake accounts on Match Group’s apps in India are now removed proactively without user reports.

Grindr for Equality 2025 Awards

Posted on October 28, 2025
Grindr for Equality 2025 Awards

GRINDR – Grindr for Equality has announced the 2025 Awards, supporting five partner organizations that advance LGBTQ+ health, rights, and safety worldwide by pairing community expertise with Grindr’s global reach. The partners include ITPC Global, addressing HIV prevention gaps across Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe; Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines, connecting users to HIV testing and mental health support; Freedom to Marry Global and Marriage For All Japan, leading marriage-equality efforts; and SAATHII in India, improving community safety and access to legal aid. The Awards are disbursed through the Grindr for Equality Fund at the Tides Foundation.

See full article at Grindr blog

Location-sharing Is the New Way Couples Make It Official

Posted on October 28, 2025
Location-sharing is the New Way Couples Make it Official

LIFE360 – According to Life360’s 2025 survey of 1K adults, 95% of people in relationships now use location-sharing, with 60% saying it makes their relationship feel more official and 74% feeling more connected to their partner. Apps like Life360 have evolved from safety tools into relationship essentials, helping couples build trust, improve communication, and simplify daily life, whether managing long distance, coordinating family routines, or just checking in with peace of mind.

See full article at Life360

Liam McGregor – The Success Story of Marriage Pact

Posted on October 28, 2025

LTR – Liam McGregor, founder and CEO of Marriage Pact, joins Mark Brooks for an insightful conversation about the innovative matching platform that has revolutionized dating on college campuses. With over 628,000 participants across 110 colleges, Liam discusses his journey from building a LIDAR system for self-driving cars to creating an influential dating service. They delve into the academic roots of Marriage Pact, the unique matching philosophy, and the surprising outcomes, such as couples meeting, dating, and even getting married. Liam also shares plans for expanding the platform beyond colleges with Matchbox.

[**See the video here on YouTube**]

The June LTR was kindly sponsored by Dating Through Curiosity and Courtland Brooks

Grindr Shareholders Offer to Take the Dating App Private for $3.46B

Posted on October 27, 2025
Grindr

REUTERS – Two major Grindr board members, Ray Zage and James Lu, who already control ~60% of the company, have proposed taking the LGBTQIA+ dating app private at a $3.46B valuation ($18 per share), a 51% premium over its Oct 10 price. The offer aims to consolidate control amid slowing user growth and “swiping fatigue” affecting the dating industry. Zage and Lu, who bought Grindr in 2020 and took it public in 2022, claim to have secured strong financing commitments. Grindr’s special committee of independent directors is currently reviewing the unsolicited offer.

See full article at Reuters

Match Group Warns Apple’s 30% Fee Will Hurt Growth in India

Posted on October 27, 2025
Match Group

REUTERS – Match Group told India’s antitrust regulator that Apple’s up to 30% App Store commission will stifle its long-term growth in India and urged the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to impose heavy fines and force Apple to end anti-competitive practices. Match argues Apple’s policy limits third-party payment options and unfairly classifies Tinder as a digital service while charging lower fees to apps like Uber, which it claims also provide “matchmaking” services. India’s dating app market is projected to reach $1.42B by 2030. Apple controls only 4.5% of India’s 735M smartphones, but the CCI can fine it up to 10% of global turnover. The complaint follows similar antitrust rulings in the EU and UK, where Apple has been fined for restrictive practices against app developers.

See full article at Reuters

Bumble Expands ‘Opening Moves’ Feature App-Wide

Posted on October 27, 2025
Bumble Opening Moves feature

FINDARTICLES – Bumble has rolled out its Opening Moves feature across the app, replacing its long-standing women-message-first rule in heterosexual matches. Now, all users can start conversations by responding to up to three prompts added to profiles, such as “Two truths and a lie.” The feature aims to make first messages more engaging and eliminate generic openers like “hey.” The app still works on the standard mutual-like model, with matches expiring after 24 hours unless someone messages. Free users can extend one match daily; paid subscribers get unlimited extensions and extra perks. Bumble offers three subscription tiers: Boost, Premium, and Premium+, priced up to ~$32.99 per week, adding visibility tools like Spotlight, SuperSwipes, Travel Mode, and Incognito Mode.

See full article at FindArticles

Singles Return to Real-World Dating Amid App Fatigue

Posted on October 27, 2025
Aili Seghetti, founder of The Intimacy Curator, leads a sensorial dating event in the city

MID-DAY – A growing number of singles are turning to offline events to meet partners after years of app burnout. Startups like Up 2 Date IRL and The Intimacy Curator have organized over 25 events for 2,000+ participants, offering mixers such as pickleball meetups, supper clubs, and queer socials. The shift follows frustration with dating apps, which many users find impersonal and exhausting. Offline dating, however, faces its own issues such as poor turnout, no-shows, and gender-ratio imbalances. To address this, organizers screen participants, limit group sizes, and use “vibe-check” forms. Experts predict hybrid dating, combining online apps with curated in-person events, will dominate going forward.

See full article at Mid-Day