Category: Outlets – Tech Crunch

Tinder Is Launching ‘Reactions’

Posted on October 5, 2017

Tinder reactions smallerTECH CRUNCH – Oct 4 – Following in the footsteps of Facebook and iMessage, Tinder has introduced "Reactions," letting Tinder users send each other custom animated responses. These reactions include Hearts, Eye Roll, Round of Applause, Martini Throw, etc. In January of last year, Tinder introduced photo messaging, Giphy support, and bigger emojis. Actress and comedian Whitney Cummings is helping Tinder launch Reactions in a video series called "The Menprovement Initiative," directed by J.J. Adler. The video shows real female employees at Tinder interacting with Whitney Cummings to improve men. Tinder Reactions might make conversation easier between Tinder parties, but it doesn't seem to fit in well with the so-called Menprovement Initiative.

by Jordan Crook
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

M8 Wants Your Friends To Be The Matchmaker

Posted on September 20, 2017

M8 iconTECH CRUNCH – Sep 20 – M8 is a dating app that's powered by human matchmakers. With M8, friends can look through dating apps to find the perfect match for their friends. And if they're successful, they can be rewarded with gifts. Stephen Liu, co-founder and CEO said that he had the idea because he and his wife started dating after a friend vouched for him. So he co-founded the platform with his wife, Linda. So far, they've raised ~$700k for their startup idea. LegalZoom co-founder Brian Liu and Alibaba Group VP Brian Wong are amongst the angel investors.

by Katie Roof
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Hinge’s New App Lets Users Play Matchmaker

Posted on September 20, 2017

Hinge-matchmaker-3-stepsTECH CRUNCH – Sep 19 – Hinge is introducing a new, standalone app called Hinge Matchmaker that will allow people to see which of their friends are on Hinge, and then make recommendations by suggesting potential matches. The new app is more of an experiment at this time, meant to gauge consumer interest in this type of service.

by Sarah Perez
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Bumble Turned Down $450 Million Buyout Offer From Match Group

Posted on August 23, 2017

Bumble logoTECH CRUNCH – Aug 23 – Match Group offered to acquire Bumble for $450 million over the summer, according to sources close to the deal. Bumble launched in 2014, reached 1M users within a year of launch and reportedly has 18M registered users now. Since, they launched BumbleBFF (a service for meeting new friends) and BumbleBiz (for professionals looking for a new job) and introduced paid features. A source close to the company estimates the value of Bumble at over $1B.

by Fitz Tepper
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

YC-backed Muzmatch Doesn’t Want To Be Tinder For Muslims

Posted on August 7, 2017

Muzmatch logoTECH CRUNCH – Aug 3 – Muzmatch's dating app might look best described as a 'Tinder for Muslims' but co-founders Shahzad Younas and Ryan Brodie argue that Muzmatch is for people who are looking for a partner in order to get married. Two years after the launch of the first version of the app, Muzmatch has ~200k users, and is growing ~10%, month on month, according to the co-founders. The founders say the app has led to ~6k couples getting together so far. All users have to take a selfie via the app so their profile can be manually verified to help boost trust and keep out spammers. Users are also asked to rate others they have interacted with to promote positive behaviors.

by Natasha Lomas
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Tinder Adds More Gesture-Based Navigation

Posted on July 19, 2017

Tinder new july 2017TECH CRUNCH – July 18 – With new tappable gestures, Tinder's photos become more like Stories. In the updated app, photos now take up more screen space. The way users move between photos and profiles has changed too, as they now tap on different parts of the screen to navigate between the photos and the text. Swiping is taking a back seat. Users can now move backward and forward between photos just by tapping instead. For example, to move to the next picture, they would tap on the right side of the screen; and to go back to the last photo, they'd tap on the left. A tap on the bottom of the photo will open up the user's profile.

by Sarah Perez
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Bumble Launches SuperSwipe And In-app Currency

Posted on July 14, 2017

Bumble superswipeTECH CRUNCH – July 13 – Bumble's new SuperSwipe feature is similar to Tinder's Super Like button, which launched in late 2015. At the time Tinder said that conversations initiated with a Super Like lasted an average of 70% longer than other conversations. To let users pay for this new feature, Bumble is launching Bumble Coins. Priced at $0.99 each with a discount for buying in bulk, these coins will become the official in-app currency to pay for SuperSwipes, as well as additional paid features that the dating app will be launching before the end of the year.

by Fitz Tepper
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Dating Apps Are Embracing Video

Posted on June 30, 2017

Dating-apps general pic croppedTECH CRUNCH – June 28 – This week, both Hinge and Zoosk's Lively are rolling out support for video, each in their own way. Hinge will now allow users to add videos up to 30 seconds long into their profile by pulling from those that already exist on their phone. However, it's shying away from short-form, disappearing videos like those found in Instagram, Snapchat, or Messenger "Stories." Meanwhile, Zoosk's newer product Lively is hoping to capitalize on video to bring more people to its app. In Lively, users upload photos and videos that are then turned into story collages, which also include transitions and movement. Again, the idea is that using video can show off someone's personality much better than static, photo-only profiles. Now, Zoosk is pushing the bar even further in terms of video with the launch of live video chat. Users will be able to pick a topic and start chatting with others who are also available to chat. But the screen will be blurred so users feel more comfortable. Bumble will roll out its own video support as well. Even Match.com is getting into the video game with its Stories feature.

by Sarah Perez
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See all posts on Hinge    See all posts on Bumble
See all posts on Lively    See all posts on Match.com

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Tinder’s New Subscription, Tinder Gold, Lets Users See Who Already Likes Them

Posted on June 30, 2017

Tinder-gold-screenshots1TECH CRUNCH – June 28 – Tinder will be testing a new service called Tinder Gold in select markets, aimed at increasing the number of paying users. With Tinder Gold, users will see all those who have already swiped right on their profile, through a new feature, "Likes You." The company will initially test the service in Argentina, Australia, Canada, and Mexico. It won't be available in the U.S. at this time. Tinder is also not detailing the pricing for the upgrade. However, for existing Tinder Plus subscribers, it will only be a small additional fee beyond what they're already paying.

by Sarah Perez
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Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

WittyThumbs Helps Decipher What Messages Really Mean

Posted on June 7, 2017

Witty thumbs logoTECH CRUNCH – June 6 – WittyThumbs is essentially RapGenius for dating conversations. Users take a screenshot of their text messages, upload it to the site, and other users can annotate and give feedback. There's also a premium option to chat with a dating expert for one on one feedback – this is billed by the minute, and starts at $30 for 30 minutes of advice.

by Fitz Tepper
See full article at Tech Crunch

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team