MIRROR.CO.UK – Iceland has fewer than 400K people and little immigration over the years. To resolve the issue of Icelanders awkwardly finding out they are distant relations while dating, one company developed a practical mobile app called Íslendinga-App, also known as The Book of Icelanders that lists in great detail every Icelander since they first arrived on the island in the 9th century and the ways in which they could all be related. All users have to do is type in a name to see the results of how related one person is to another.
Category: All UK & Europe
Breeze – One of the Top Three Most Popular Dating Apps in Holland
EMERCE – Breeze is now the third most downloaded dating app in Holland, after Bumble and Tinder, respectively. The app encourages users to meet IRL as soon as possible. Users are not allowed to chat but can immediately plan a date with their matches via the app. Breeze claims it helped organize over 28K face-to-face meetups so far, a number that almost doubled in the first half of 2022.
Apple Gives in to Dutch Dating App Developers
PHONE ARENA – The Netherlands' antitrust watchdog, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), said that Apple will allow its customers to pay for various Dutch dating apps by using different payment options embedded in such apps putting an end to a dispute that left Apple on the hook for $53M in fines. Under the new rules imposed by Apple, dating app developers will still have to pay Apple a commission for purchases made outside of its App Store payment platform albeit with a slight discount. Those who were paying Apple 30% of the value of an in-app transaction related to a dating app will now pay it 27%. Apple released a statement today that says, "We don't believe some of these changes are in the best interests of our users' privacy or data security. As we've previously said, we disagree with the ACM's original order and are appealing it."
Finnish Christian Dating App Valo Expands Abroad
YLE – Valo (meaning Light) was launched last year and currently has ~130K users in Finland. The app will soon launch in Sweden and Italy.
Apple Will Allow Dutch Dating Apps to Use Other Payment Options Within Existing Apps
UK to Criminalize Cyberflashing
EURONEWS NEXT – People who send unwanted 'dick pics' will face jail under the UK's new online safety law. Under the proposed legislation announced on Sunday, anyone who sends a photo or film of a person's genitals – "for the purpose of their own sexual gratification or to cause the victim humiliation, alarm or distress" – may face up to two years in prison. The new policy, part of an upcoming Online Safety Bill, will mean cyberflashing carries the same maximum sentence as indecent exposure. The British government warns that its revised online safety bill, due to be presented in parliament this week, will also put more pressure on search engines, social media platforms, and dating sites to tackle a range of illegal and harmful content on their services.
Apple to Charge 27% Fee for Dutch Dating Apps Using Alternative Payment Options
TECH CRUNCH – Earlier today, Apple updated its documentation page that explains how developers of dating apps can take advantage of alternative payment systems in the Netherlands. It's a fairly technical document. But it also says that Apple plans to charge a commission to app developers. Essentially, developers get a 3% cut on the App Store commission as Apple doesn't handle transactions. But the company still thinks it's fair to charge a 27% commission for the various services that it offers. If you're an app developer with users in multiple countries, which is pretty common with dating apps, you can't submit the same app binary. Development teams will have to compile and submit two different binaries – a Dutch app and a non-Dutch app. Apple wants to make it as difficult and expensive as possible to use a third-party payment system. Chances are most developers will just keep using Apple's in-app purchase API.
Apple Will Let Dating Apps Offer Third-party Payment Options in the Netherlands
THE VERGE – This will allow dating apps – and only dating apps – distributed in the country to avoid Apple's 15 to 30% commission on in-app purchases. Dating app developers can either direct customers to a website to complete their purchase or add a third-party payment service within the app. However, if developers choose to snub Apple's payment service in favor of an alternative, Apple says it won't be able to help users with refunds, subscription management, or any payment issues. Apple has also appealed the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets' (ACM) decision. "Because we do not believe these orders are in our users' best interests, we have appealed the ACM's decision to a higher court," Apple explains. "We're concerned these changes could compromise the user experience, and create new threats to user privacy and data security. In the meantime, we are obligated to make the mandated changes which we're launching today and we will provide further information shortly."
Grazer Is a New Vegan Dating App
METRO.CO.UK – Research shows 52% of vegans and 39% of vegetarians don't want to date a meat-eater, and by 2025 it's predicted that 25% of Brits will quit meat. Charlotte Elizabeth, a co-founder of Grazer, a new vegan dating app, aims to 'unite and empower the plant-based community'. "It was an idea that sparked from personal experience. In the UK, 3% of the population are currently vegan. So if dating a meat-eater is a dealbreaker you're already at a massive disadvantage. We want to solve this problem." As of next week, the app will be launching a crowdfunding project on Seedrs in which anyone can invest in the app in return for shares, from as little as £10.
SaferDate Raises £225K
PROLIFICNORTH – SaferDate will receive the cash from investors including the newly formed Women Angels of the North syndicate, launched by Fund Her North. It will be the first project to get backing from the Women Angels of the North group, which was established to ensure that more money goes directly into female-founded businesses and women entrepreneurs. The money will be used to develop the app, which was launched earlier this month by Elaine Parker. SaferDate promises a protected, and secure dating environment for women.
by Stephen Chapman
See full article at ProlificNorth
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