Category: Match Group

Dating Apps Prepare to Launch AI Features to Help Users Find Love

Posted on January 1, 2025
Dating Apps Prepare to Launch AI Features to Help Users Find Love

THE GUARDIAN – Match Group is increasing investment in AI with new products coming in March 2025 for its “AI transformation.” Match Group’s digital assistant will perform core dating tasks such as selecting the photos it calculates, which will garner the most responses and recommend prompts and information to put in a bio. It will help users choose the perfect partner. The AI will conduct a spoken interview with the user to establish what they want to get out of their dating experience, suggest messages to send to people, and provide “effective coaching for struggling users.”

Anastasiia Babash, a PhD candidate at the University of Tartu in Estonia and a member of the international Ethical Dating Online project, said the increased reliance on AI in dating could be detrimental to people’s ability to interact without it. Also, can Match Group be trusted to safeguard the immense amount of data they are collecting and using to train their algorithms or to remove data bias problems? “AI systems used in dating apps are often trained on data that reflect existing biases. If these biases aren’t addressed, AI could reinforce stereotypes or even discriminate.”

Faye Iosotaluno, the CEO of Tinder, said the company had been taking a careful approach to AI in relation to how it handles data. “I think it does have a chance to really revolutionize how users are engaging. We want to be super thoughtful about that.”

by Raphael Boyd
See full article at The Guardian

Mark Brooks: People need help navigating the huge amount of choices we’ve served up for them. They need help with all the associated decisions; how to choose, communicate, and decipher feedback. AI will become a mainstay for larger dating apps and an enduring USP.

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Online Dating Is About to Radically Change

Posted on December 23, 2024
A woman using a smartphone with a text overlay promoting Bumble's Private Detector feature, emphasizing user control and safety.

CNN – Dating apps are on the cusp of a major transformation. Personalized chatbots dating other chatbots on your behalf. AI concierges fielding questions about potential matches. Advanced algorithms predicting compatibility better than ever before. At its investor meeting, Match Group teased plans to use AI to improve user experiences and help make better connections. Hinge will offer more personalized matching, smarter algorithms that adapt to users and better understand them over time, and AI coaching for struggling daters. AI is going to transform the dating app experience, taking it from a do-it-yourself platform to an expertly guided journey that leads to far better outcomes and much better value. Bumble uses AI in safety features like its Private Detector – an AI-powered tool that blurs explicit images – and Deception Detector, which identifies spam, scams and fake profiles. Similarly, Match Group offers tools like buttons that say “Are You Sure?” to detect harmful language and “Does This Bother You?” to prompt users to report inappropriate behavior. Startup Rizz is experimenting with chatbots that help respond to messages. During Match Group’s investor day, Hinge’s CEO, Justin McLeod announced plans to build the “world’s most knowledgeable dating coach.” Hinge has seen a higher number of matches and subscription renewals with its improved AI algorithm among early test groups.

by Samantha Murphy Kelly
See full article at CNN

Mark Brooks: Large incumbent dating companies are sitting pretty because of large troves of data that can be used to inform AI to help move people towards finding better matches, improve their dates, and then make better decisions about what to do next.

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Match Group Launches Azar in the US

Posted on December 18, 2024
log of Azar, match group

FAST COMPANY – Azar, a one-on-one video chat app owned by Match Group, has launched in the U.S., targeting Gen Z users who make up 60% of its global base. The app allows random video chats with paid options for filters like gender or location and has facilitated over 100B chats worldwide. Its launch comes amid rising loneliness in the U.S., but concerns remain about safety, as the platform lacks age verification despite employing AI and moderators.

by Jessica Bursztynsky
See full article at Fast Company

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Tinder’s Overhaul: Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain for Match Group

Posted on December 16, 2024
Tinder logo in pink and orange gradient

WAL STREET JOURNAL – Tinder faces slowing growth and investor skepticism. Despite boasting 47M monthly active users, Tinder struggles with its hookup reputation and fake accounts. Match’s recent analyst meeting unveiled a $1.5B buyback, its first dividend, and a forecasted revenue decline for Tinder in 2025 – below market expectations – causing a 6% share price drop. To address challenges, Tinder plans improvements, including biometric verification, AI for better matches, and new features like “double-dating.” While these updates are promising, they’ll take time to yield results. Wall Street remains cautious, awaiting proof of execution.

by Dan Gallagher
See full article at Wall Street Journal

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Tinder Reshapes Strategy to Shed ‘Hookup App’ Label and Boost Growth

Posted on December 13, 2024
Tinder logo

BLOOMBERG – Tinder is shifting its focus from monetization to improving user experience, aiming to rebuild trust and move away from its “hookup app” reputation. CEO Faye Iosotaluno warned of declining revenue through 2026, with growth expected to resume in 2027 as the platform introduces features like AI-powered recommendations, face-photo requirements, and double-date matches to meet evolving user expectations. While these changes may temporarily reduce its user base, Match also lowered its Q4 revenue forecasts due to currency headwinds, disappointing investors seeking faster progress. Activist investors, including Starboard Value, have pressured Match for growth, even suggesting a sale if turnaround efforts fail, as the company faces management changes and a $41B market cap loss since 2021. Despite these challenges, Match plans to return 100% of free cash flow to shareholders through dividends and buybacks, signaling its commitment to long-term shareholder value.

by Natalie Lung
See full article at Bloomberg

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Judge Orders Tinder Addiction Claims to Arbitration

Posted on December 13, 2024
Logo of Tinder, a popular dating application, featuring a stylized flame in pink and orange colors.

REUTERS – A U.S. judge ruled that claims accusing Match Group of designing addictive dating apps must be resolved through individual arbitration rather than a class-action lawsuit. The plaintiffs, from several states, alleged the apps prioritized profits over users’ relationship goals and used features to encourage addictive behavior, violating consumer protection laws. Match argued that its user agreements mandated arbitration, a stance the judge upheld, putting the case on hold. The ruling is part of a broader trend, with similar lawsuits targeting tech companies like TikTok and Snapchat for allegedly designing addictive platforms.

by Mike Scarcella
See full article at Reuters

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Match Group Faces Pressure to Revive Tinder Amid Investor Scrutiny

Posted on December 12, 2024
Logo of Match Group

BNN BLOOMBERG – Match Group faces heightened expectations at its investor meeting, with analysts and activist investors demanding a clear turnaround plan for Tinder, which has struggled with declining subscriber growth despite recent updates. The company’s market value has fallen by $41B since 2021 due to frequent leadership changes and limited product innovation. Activist investors, including Starboard Value, are pushing for growth and have proposed a sale if improvements fail. Tinder’s new CEO has a limited window to demonstrate progress as analysts call for a credible strategy to stabilize user trends by 2025. Other concerns include capital allocation, growth for Hinge, and expansion in Asia, but Tinder remains the primary focus as Match works to restore investor confidence.

by Natalie Lung
See full article at BNN Bloomberg

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‘It Feels Like Admin’: Why Are People Falling out of Love With Dating Apps

Posted on December 10, 2024
Dating apps

THE GUARDIAN – ~1.4M people in the UK left online dating in the past year, as experts say users view it more as a chore than a social activity. Ofcom’s 2024 Online Nation report reveals a 16% decline in the use of the top 10 dating apps between 2023 and 2024. Tinder saw the largest drop, losing over 500K users since May 2023, while Bumble and Hinge lost 368K and 131K, respectively. Researchers at the University of Leeds’ Centre for Love, Sex, and Relationships (CLSR) attribute the decline to user fatigue and a sense of detachment from reality. Natasha McKeever, a lecturer at CLSR, notes that virtual dating feels more like a task than a social experience. Another factor is the monopolization of dating apps; Match Group accounts for over half of the 7.27M users of the top 10 apps in 2024.

by Raphael Boyd
See full article at The Guardian

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Gen Z Is Breaking up With Dating Apps, Ofcom Says

Posted on November 29, 2024

TinderTHE GUARDIAN – Ofcom reports a decline in the use of top UK dating apps like Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, and Grindr, with Gen Z increasingly favoring real-life connections. Tinder lost 600K users, and Hinge dropped by 131K since 2023. Analysts suggest the novelty of dating apps is fading for younger users, who now romanticize in-person interactions. Apps still appeal to younger adults, reaching 18% of 18-24-year-olds, but challenges like safety concerns and overwhelming choices persist. Match Group acknowledges the shift, aiming to create lower-pressure, more authentic experiences for Gen Z users.

by Dan Milmo
See full article at The Guardian

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New Dating Apps Betting on Matchmaking

Posted on November 28, 2024

Cheers logoBUSINESS INSIDER – Several new "matchmaking" dating apps have launched in the past year, addressing dating-app fatigue. Sitch is an AI matchmaking app launched in New York in November. Cheers is an app that lets friends play matchmaker in a social-media feed, launched in October. Facebook Dating even launched a matchmaking feature last month. Tinder's cofounder and former CEO, Sean Rad, said on a September episode of the 20VC podcast that he had always imagined the dating app moving beyond swiping and into matchmaking. In 2017, Hinge launched a stand-alone app called Matchmaker that lets friends swipe for each other. It appears to have since shut down. Tinder, also owned by Match Group, launched a similar feature in 2023.

Loop is a matchmaking app where everyone can set up their single friends. Only a third of the user base are singles; the rest are friends and family members or even professional or hobbyist matchmakers. Loop launched in 2023 and is currently free for all users.

Arrange should launch in December and will let users link their profiles with a "scout," a trusted friend or family member, who can talk with potential matches ahead of time and vet for compatibility.

Amori is a dating-advice app with characters users can chat with, is experimenting with matchmaking using a personal assistant (though it isn't live within the app yet).

by Sydney Bradley & Daniel Latu
See full article at Business Insider