TECH CRUNCH – Google is expanding its user choice billing pilot, which allows Android app developers to use other payment systems besides Google's own. The program will now become available to new markets, including the U.S., Brazil and South Africa, and Bumble will now join Spotify as one of the pilot testers. Google additionally announced Spotify will now begin rolling out its implementation of the program starting this week. Developers interested in adopting user choice billing have to follow certain UX guidelines set by Google that detail how to implement the feature in their apps. While the general terms offer a 4% reduction in commissions paid to Google when user choice billing is used, Spotify wouldn't comment on its confidential deal with Google, but notes it meets the company's standards of fairness. It's unclear if the streamer has been offered more favorable terms as an early adopter.
Category: Outlets – Tech Crunch
Relationship App Sparks Helps Couples Plan Dates
Bumble Is Testing Speed Dating
TECH CRUNCH – Bumble has been quietly testing a speed dating feature in the U.K., which allows users to join the app on a designated night and time to engage in brief chats with other members before they've seen their photo or matched. If the date goes well, the members can choose to match to keep the conversation going. Bumble has been offering speed dating on Thursdays at 7 PM in the U.K. However, according to some posts by users on social media, the service didn't always have enough users to get the game started. Others who tried it had positive things to say about the experience, however.
Inner Circle Adds a Suite of Anti-ghosting Features
Tinder Celebrates National Dog Week
Hinge Adds More Ways to Connect With New Polls and Video-specific Prompts
Google to Allow Alternative Payment Systems in More Countries
TECH CRUNCH – Google is expanding the user choice billing program for Play Store, which lets users choose alternative payment systems for in-app purchases, to India, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, and the European Economic Area. The company is calling all non-gaming developers globally to apply for this program, and if they qualify, they can use third-party payment systems in the above-mentioned regions.
9count, Maker of Wink and Dating App Summer, Raises $27.5M
TECH CRUNCH – Alex Hofmann once served as Musical.ly's president, overseeing the North and South American markets for the TikTok precursor, then leaving shortly after the app exited to Chinese tech giant ByteDance in 2017. He launched 9count, the maker of the popular friend-finder Wink, mobile dating app Summer (previously Spark), and others. 9count is raising $27.5M in new funding which is an extension of 9count's earlier Series A and includes only its existing investors. 9count's backers were impressed with the metrics coming out of Summer, which launched as Spark back in May but later rebranded. The dating app targets a younger demographic, ages 18 and up. But unlike traditional swipe-based dating apps, Summer shows many users at once – an experience meant to more closely mimic the way it feels to walk into a crowded space in real life. Summer has ~300K monthly active users and 500K downloads. Hofmann claims it's the fastest-growing dating app to hit the market since Bumble arrived in 2014. The video chat app Wink has 2M monthly active users, remaining 9count's largest app to date. In total, 9count's app portfolio now reaches ~10M users.
Bumble Revamps “Bumble BFF”
TECH CRUNCH – Bumble revealed plans to strengthen its social networking features during last week's Q2 earnings to attract a new audience beyond just young singles. Bumble BFF's new offering, called Hive, may include features like group chat, polls and video calls. Bumble briefly referenced its plans for Hive on its Q2 2022 earnings call with investors, noting Hive was a "next-generation offering" focused on helping people find "platonic connections through small communities." In addition to Bumble BFF's Hive, the company is working on new astrology features, product enhancements for LGBTQIA+ users, tests of "messaging before match" features, audio and video features, and other monetization products.
Meme-Based Dating App Schmooze Allows Matches to Share Memes With Each Other
TECH CRUNCH – Schmooze is designed to match users with like-minded people who want to make each other laugh. To use the app, a person swipes right to like, left to dislike, and up to love memes from a selection curated via AI. Match suggestions will pop on the screen based on meme choices, and the person can select either "Snooze" or "Schmooze." Today, Schmooze launched a new feature called "Schmooze Flirts" for users to share memes with their matches. Vidya Madhavan and Abhinav Anurag founded the startup and beta-tested it at Stanford University. In March 2021, Schmooze came out of beta. The dating app has grown to 50K users. The company raised $3.2M in seed funding.