TECH CRUNCH – Sep 17 – Apple is changing how subscriptions work on its App Store. Before, any lapse in payment could cut off the customer from being able to use the app's subscription-based features and make it more difficult for the developer to reacquire the customer. Now, developers will have the option to instead offer a "grace period" for auto-renewable subscriptions, which gives Apple more time to collect payment on the developer's behalf. The new Grace Period, which is opt-in, not opt-out on the developer's part, is enabled from App Store Connect, where developers manage their apps.
Category: Reporters – Sarah Perez
Apple Tweaks Its App Store Algorithm as Antitrust Investigations Loom
TECH CRUNCH – Sep 11 – That Apple has used its App Store to offer itself a competitive advantage is nothing new. Apple displayed its apps in the No. 1 position on the Top Charts, for example, or banned apps that competed with iOS features or positioned its apps higher than competitors in search. Now, in the wake of antitrust investigations in the U.S. and abroad, as well as various anti-competitive lawsuits, Apple has adjusted the App Store's algorithm so fewer of its own apps would appear at the top of the search results.
Facebook Dating Launches in the U.S.
TECH CRUNCH – Sep 5 – Facebook's dating product is today launching to all in the U.S., promising to leverage the company's deep insight into people's personal data to deliver better matches than Tinder, Bumble, Match and others. With its U.S. arrival, Facebook Dating will now also allow users to integrate their Instagram posts in their dating profile and add their Instagram followers to their "Secret Crush" list, in addition to Facebook friends. For starters, the people users are shown on Facebook Dating will not include your Facebook Friends. Users can also opt to have Facebook Dating only show them people without common friends. Dating is an opt-in experience. Officially, Facebook says that match suggestions are based on "your preferences, interests, and other things you do on Facebook."
App Revenue Tops $39B in H1 2019, up 15% YOY
Spark Networks Closes Its $258M Acquisition of Zoosk
TECH CRUNCH – July 2 – Berlin-based Spark Networks, the owner of Christian Mingle, Jdate, LDSsingles, Silver Singles, JSwipe and others, has acquired Zoosk for a combination of cash and stock. The deal values Zoosk at ~$258M. Spark says it will issue 12,980,000 American Depositary Shares (ADS) to former Zoosk shareholders valued at $153M based on the closing price of Spark ADS of $11.78 on June 28, 2019. Zoosk has for a long time struggled to compete against Tinder. A few years ago, the company laid off a third of its staff and even had to call off its IPO. According to data from Sensor Tower, Zoosk has generated worldwide in-app revenue of $250M and has seen 38M downloads since January 2014. In Q1 2019, Zoosk revenue was flat at $13M, the firm also says. Tinder revenue, by comparison, grew 43%. Zoosk's current CEO Steven McArthur is departing Zoosk following the deal, but will join Spark's board of directors.
Tinder Is Preparing to Launch ‘Tinder Lite’
TECH CRUNCH – May 11 – Tinder is preparing to launch Tinder Lite in emerging markets. The light version will offer a smaller, more lightweight version of the current flagship app. Most major tech companies now offer "Lite" apps for the large and rapidly growing online user base coming from these emerging markets – and specifically India, as of late. For example, Google has a full suite of lightweight "Go"-branded apps, like Google Go, Gmail Go, Files Go, YouTube Go, Google Maps Go and Google Assistant Go. There's also Facebook Lite, Instagram Lite, Messenger Lite, Twitter Lite, Uber Lite, Spotify Lite and even TikTok Lite. The company didn't share an exact launch date for Tinder Lite, but, according to Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg, the app is "coming soon."
Tinder Launches ‘Festival Mode’ to Connect Music Festival Goers
Tinder Becomes the Top-grossing, Non-game App in Q1 2019
TECH CRUNCH – Apr 12 – For the first time in years, Netflix is no longer the top grossing, non-game mobile app. That title now goes to Tinder. The change in position is not surprising, given Netflix's decision in December to stop paying the so-called "Apple tax." Netflix no longer allows new users to sign up and subscribe to its service through its app. Now, instead of giving up its 15 – 30% cut of subscription revenue, new users have to sign up through Netflix's website. Tinder saw revenue grow by 42% YOY to reach $260.7M, up from $183M in Q1 2018.
Tinder Launches a Spring Break Mode
by Sarah Perez
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iOS Developers Will Soon Be Able to Offer Discounts to Their Subscribers
by Sarah Perez
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