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.
Category: Outlets – Tech Crunch
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.
TikTok-style Dating App Desti Filters Matches by Date Destinations
TECH CRUNCH – Desti is a new video-focused dating app that allows users to find matches based on a preferred date destination. The app launched in Austin, Texas. Desi doesn't have a "like" feature, so people are forced to start conversations. Users can send a message to a person, and the receiver can accept or reject the message. They can only see one at a time and must pass or reply to the message to move on to the next. There is also a friend version of the app called Besti, which is currently in beta. The company raised $1M at $5M valuation.
:-( Meta Closes Tuned, Its Social App for Couples
by Kyle Wiggers
See full article at Tech Crunch
Mark Brooks: What sticks. Nothing? A failed experiment for them? Hardly, they will learn enough to know what to include and not include in other Meta apps, and in VR.
This post also appears on VerySocialNetwork
Google Files Counterclaim to Match’s Antitrust Lawsuit
TECH CRUNCH – The two tech giants have been battling it out in court after Match sued Google this May over its alleged monopoly power in Android app payments. Match is claiming Google has too much control over the Google Play app marketplace and uses anti-competitive tactics to maintain its hold on that ecosystem. Epic Games is also suing both Apple and Google. The companies largely want to offer their own in-app payment systems to avoid the commissions that come with having their apps distributed through the Google Play store and App Store. Now, Google has filed its counterclaim in this ongoing lawsuit, where it argues that Match is misleading the court in saying Google only provides payment processing fees and that Match Group seeks to access the global distribution platform for free. Plus, Google argues that its 15% fee for Match Group subscriptions is "half the amount" other major platforms charge – a reference to Apple, but misleading since both platforms reduce commissions from 30% to 15% in an app's second year.
Gen Z Social App Yubo Rolls out Age Estimating’ Technology
TECH CRUNCH – Yubo, a social livestreaming app popular with Gen Zs, is adopting a new age verification technique that uses live image capture technology to identify minors using its app, in order to keep them separated from adult users. Founded in 2015, Yubo users hang out in livestreaming rooms where they can socialize, play games and make new friends. The company today has seen 60M sign-ups, which is up from the 40M it reported in 2020 when it closed on its $47.5M Series C funding round; 99% of them are Gen Z users, ages 13 to 25. Yubo is seeing increasing revenue via its à la carte premium features and subscriptions, which grew from €7M in 2019 to now €25M as of last year.
by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch
This post also appears on Very Social Network
Match Group and Google Reach an Interim Compromise Over App Payments
TECH CRUNCH – Match Group is getting along better with Google. On Friday, Match withdrew its request for a temporary restraining order against Google, which it accuses of wielding unfair monopoly power in its mobile app marketplace. Match filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google earlier this month over the company's restrictions on Android in-app payments, which drive app users toward remaining in its mobile ecosystem. The company filed the temporary restraining order request a day after suing Google.
Hinge’s Latest Feature Aims to Help Users Spark Conversations About Self-care
