Category: Reporters – Sarah Perez

Bumble Launches Spotlight, Its Own Version of Tinder’s Boost

Posted on February 12, 2019

Bumble spotlightTECH CRUNCH – Feb 11 – Bumble is launching its own version of Tinder's "Boost" feature – "Spotlight". It allows users to pay to bump their profile up to the front of the queue, in order to be seen by more people than they would otherwise. To use Spotlight, Bumble users must pay 2 Coins (bought through a separate in-app purchase). 1 coin is $0.99 in the U.S., or £1.99 in the U.K. Spotlight will then show their profile to more users for the next 30 minutes.

by Sarah Perez
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Match Group Fully Acquires Hinge

Posted on February 7, 2019

Match Group Hinge LogosTECH CRUNCH – Feb 7 – Last year, Match Group acquired a 51% stake in Hinge. The company has now confirmed that it fully bought out Hinge in the past quarter, and today owns 100%. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Match believes Hinge can offer an alternative to those who aren't interested in using casual apps, like Tinder. As Match explained in November, it plans to double-down on marketing that focuses on Tinder's more casual nature and use by young singles, while positioning Hinge as the alternative for those looking for serious relationships. The company said it would also increase its investment in Hinge going forward, in order to grow its user base. "Hinge downloads are now 2.5 times more than the next largest app, and 40% of Bumble downloads," said Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg.

by Sarah Perez
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Apple’s New Developer Guidelines – Scammy Subscription Apps’ Time Is Up

Posted on January 30, 2019

Apple developer logoTECH CRUNCH – Jan 30 – Apple is sending out a message to app developers: stop tricking users into subscriptions. A number of scammers had begun to take advantage of the subscription model in order to trick consumers into recurring payments, in addition to constantly pestering their free users to upgrade.

  • The monthly subscription price has to be clearly displayed, while information about how much people can save if they opt for longer periods of time, like a year, has to be less prominent.
  • Messages about free trials have to say how long trials last and what will be charged when the trial ends.

by Sarah Perez
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Users Will Soon Be Able to Gift In-app Purchases

Posted on December 23, 2018

Apple-ios-app-storeTECH CRUNCH – Dec 20 – Apple will allow iOS users to gift in-app purchases, not just paid apps. This means developers may soon have the tools to allow users to purchase virtual goods or even subscriptions through their app, which can then be gifted to others. It's unclear at this time how the change will be implemented, from the developer's side. It's likely Apple will soon share more information with its developer community to inform them of how to get started.

by Sarah Perez
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Coffee Meets Bagel Goes Anti-Tinder With a Redesign Focused on Profiles & Conversations

Posted on December 12, 2018

Coffeemeetsbagel new screenshots dec 2018TECH CRUNCH – Dec 12 – Coffee Meets Bagel is announcing a significant makeover, which includes a change to the way the app works. The app has ditched the big "Pass" or "Connect" buttons. Instead, Coffee Meets Bagel's new interface puts more emphasis on user profiles – showcasing more of the text, and giving users the option to "heart" the profile or comment. Before a match takes place, users can tap a new commenting button that allows them to respond to the user's profile directly, before making a connection. Coffee Meets Bagel says that during its beta testing, members who sent comments to their matches had a 25% higher chance of getting liked back. And when comments led to conversations, there was a 60% increase in total messages exchanged. Coffee Meets Bagel has raised ~$20M since launching back in 2012, and has 7M installs to date, according to data from Sensor Tower, and ~$25M in gross revenue. Users spent ~$900K in the app last month, up 30% from Nov 2017.

by Sarah Perez
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Tinder Tests an Expansion of Tinder U

Posted on November 15, 2018

Tinder rivalry weekTECH CRUNCH – Nov 15 – Starting this weekend, Tinder will allow college students on its Tinder U service to match with others outside their own university for the first time. The dating app is positioning this market test of a potential Tinder U expansion as the "Rivals Week" – a way to match users with those who attend a rival university (for a limited period of time). Tinder U's Rivalry Week starts Nov 17 in the U.S. for students attending four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities. It ends Nov 24. Tinder U launched a few months ago as a way to attract more younger users to its service. College students can choose to opt into Tinder U by signing up with their ".edu" email address. Until now, however, Tinder U limited users to matching only with those who attend their same school. That changes with "Rivals Week". The Tinder U product is live in ~1,200 colleges across the U.S.

by Sarah Perez
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Tinder to Roll Out Expanded Set of Gender Options in India

Posted on November 13, 2018

Tinder gender options2TECH CRUNCH – Nov 13 – These same options have been live in the U.S. since November 2016, when Tinder added options for transgender and gender non-conforming people. Tinder says it's expanding its support team and educating its staff about the issues that these communities face in India. Additionally, Tinder is inviting back users who were banned after being unfairly reported by others due to their gender. They will be able to email the company with a link to their Facebook profile in order to have their request reviewed by Tinder's team, in order to be let back in.

by Sarah Perez
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Tinder Doubles Down On Its Casual Nature

Posted on November 8, 2018

Tinder on mobileTECH CRUNCH – Nov 8 – Tinder has never really shaken its reputation as a "hook up" app, instead of one designed for more serious dating. Now, it seems Tinder is planning to embrace its hook up status. According to Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg, Tinder is launching its first-ever brand marketing campaign that will promote the "single lifestyle" with billboards and other digital initiatives. "The market defined the brand, versus the business defining the brand," said Ginsberg, referring to its "hook up app" reputation. The company will also invest more in Hinge going forward. Ginsberg said Hinge will help the company to address the "previously underserved" audience of 20-somethings looking for a serious relationship. The plan is to make Hinge the anti-Tinder, then pull in users as they exit Tinder in search of something real.

by Sarah Perez
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Hinge To Measure Real World Success

Posted on October 16, 2018

Hinge wemetTECH CRUNCH – Oct 16 – Hinge is launching a new feature to improve its recommendations, based on whether or not matches had successful real-world dates. With a new feature called "We Met," Hinge will ask users a few days after they shared their phone numbers if they went on a date, and, if so, if they'd want to see that person again. This data will be used as a signal to inform Hinge's algorithms and improve matches, if the user later returns to the app. During beta trials, Hinge says that 90% of members said their first dates were great, and 72% said they wanted to go on a second. Hinge says We Met will launch today, October 16, on iOS first. Android will soon follow.

by Sarah Perez
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Bumble Responds To Match Group’s Patent Infringement Lawsuit

Posted on September 27, 2018

Bumble logo whiteTECH CRUNCH – Sep 27 – Bumble is continuing to go on the offensive against Match Group by serving Match Group with papers. Bumble is taking Match Group to court for fraudulently obtaining trade secrets during acquisition talks. Today, Bumble is also officially responding to Match Group's suit against it, which claims patent infringement and misuse of intellectual property. "Bumble has today formally responded to Match's lawsuit from March 2018 alleging patent infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets. We believe all of the claims are baseless, and are seeking to have several claims dismissed immediately, given their lack of merit." Bumble says Match Group filed its original lawsuit against it to make it less attractive to other potential acquirers. The claims Match Group makes around patent infringement involve Bumble's use of a stack of profile cards, mutual opt-in, and its swiped-based gestures.

by Sarah Perez
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Summarized by the IDEA team