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.
Category: Outlets – Tech Crunch
:-( 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.
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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
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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
Match Group Sues Google Over ‘Monopoly Power’ in Android App Payments
TECH CRUNCH – The lawsuit, filed Monday in California's Northern District, accuses Google of deploying "anticompetitive tactics" to maintain a monopoly on the Android mobile ecosystem. Match's lawsuit is the latest instance of app developers demanding relief from Google and Apple over the 30% standard cut – now, sometimes 15% – that those tech giants extract from in-app payments. Google dismissed the new Match lawsuit as a "self-interested campaign" to avoid paying its fair share.
Match Group Google Play Store Complaint Triggers Dutch Antitrust Probe
TECH CRUNCH – A competition complaint against Google's Android Play Store by Match Group, has led to a preliminary investigation by the Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) into whether the tech giant is abusing a dominant position. "Dating-app providers allegedly are no longer able to use a payment system other than Google's payment system. In addition, dating apps claim they are no longer allowed to refer to other payment methods either," the ACM said. A Google spokesperson said: Match Group's apps are eligible to pay just 15% on Google Play, which is the lowest rate among major app platforms. But even if they don't want to comply with Google Play's policies, Android still provides them multiple ways of distributing their apps to Android users, including through other Android app stores, directly to users via their website or as consumption-only apps.
Match Names Zynga President Bernard Kim as CEO, Replacing Shar Dubey
TECH CRUNCH – Just over two years after assuming the top exec position, Match CEO and 16-year employee Shar Dubey is stepping down. Shar Dubey will remain on the company's board and continue to serve as an advisor. Bernard Kim, the current president of Zynga, will become CEO effective May 31 and will join Match's board of directors. Kim has been president of Zynga since 2016 and has overseen a number of key functions, including global marketing, user acquisition, revenue, consumer insights, data science, product management, mergers and acquisitions, and communications.
by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch
Mark Brooks: Mr Bernard Kim's experience in gaming is no doubt indicative of where Match will go next. A more gamified, engaging, and immersive Internet dating experience. Match must get AI/VR right, for what I think will be the next big critical media shift.
An Early TikTok Exec Launched a Dating App, Spark
TECH CRUNCH – A former president at musical.ly (now known as TikTok), Alex Hofmann, helped build an app that could compete with social giants like Meta, YouTube or Snapchat. After ByteDance acquired musical.ly for ~$1B in 2018, Hofmann left the company to become an investor, but he soon decided he wanted to make apps again. He founded 9count, the parent company of apps like Everland, Helpline, Juju and the friendship-making app Wink, which has millions of users. Wink connects people without regard to location. "It was interesting that some of the 18+ users asked us, 'Oh, it would be great if I could look for people in my city,'" Hofmann said. "So that was one of the reasons for launching the dating app Spark." On Spark, users can see people around them all at once in a grid, kind of like on Grindr. But unlike Grindr, they can only receive messages from people if they've both "sparked" each other. Spark has already "soft-launched" in hundreds of countries, climbing to #1 in the iOS app store in Ireland and the Netherlands within a day.