Liam McGregor – The Success Story of Marriage Pact

Posted on October 28, 2025

LTR – Liam McGregor, founder and CEO of Marriage Pact, joins Mark Brooks for an insightful conversation about the innovative matching platform that has revolutionized dating on college campuses. With over 628,000 participants across 110 colleges, Liam discusses his journey from building a LIDAR system for self-driving cars to creating an influential dating service. They delve into the academic roots of Marriage Pact, the unique matching philosophy, and the surprising outcomes, such as couples meeting, dating, and even getting married. Liam also shares plans for expanding the platform beyond colleges with Matchbox.

[**See the video here on YouTube**]

The June LTR was kindly sponsored by Dating Through Curiosity and Courtland Brooks

Grindr Shareholders Offer to Take the Dating App Private for $3.46B

Posted on October 27, 2025
Grindr

REUTERS – Two major Grindr board members, Ray Zage and James Lu, who already control ~60% of the company, have proposed taking the LGBTQIA+ dating app private at a $3.46B valuation ($18 per share), a 51% premium over its Oct 10 price. The offer aims to consolidate control amid slowing user growth and “swiping fatigue” affecting the dating industry. Zage and Lu, who bought Grindr in 2020 and took it public in 2022, claim to have secured strong financing commitments. Grindr’s special committee of independent directors is currently reviewing the unsolicited offer.

See full article at Reuters

Match Group Warns Apple’s 30% Fee Will Hurt Growth in India

Posted on October 27, 2025
Match Group

REUTERS – Match Group told India’s antitrust regulator that Apple’s up to 30% App Store commission will stifle its long-term growth in India and urged the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to impose heavy fines and force Apple to end anti-competitive practices. Match argues Apple’s policy limits third-party payment options and unfairly classifies Tinder as a digital service while charging lower fees to apps like Uber, which it claims also provide “matchmaking” services. India’s dating app market is projected to reach $1.42B by 2030. Apple controls only 4.5% of India’s 735M smartphones, but the CCI can fine it up to 10% of global turnover. The complaint follows similar antitrust rulings in the EU and UK, where Apple has been fined for restrictive practices against app developers.

See full article at Reuters

Bumble Expands ‘Opening Moves’ Feature App-Wide

Posted on October 27, 2025
Bumble Opening Moves feature

FINDARTICLES – Bumble has rolled out its Opening Moves feature across the app, replacing its long-standing women-message-first rule in heterosexual matches. Now, all users can start conversations by responding to up to three prompts added to profiles, such as “Two truths and a lie.” The feature aims to make first messages more engaging and eliminate generic openers like “hey.” The app still works on the standard mutual-like model, with matches expiring after 24 hours unless someone messages. Free users can extend one match daily; paid subscribers get unlimited extensions and extra perks. Bumble offers three subscription tiers: Boost, Premium, and Premium+, priced up to ~$32.99 per week, adding visibility tools like Spotlight, SuperSwipes, Travel Mode, and Incognito Mode.

See full article at FindArticles

Singles Return to Real-World Dating Amid App Fatigue

Posted on October 27, 2025
Aili Seghetti, founder of The Intimacy Curator, leads a sensorial dating event in the city

MID-DAY – A growing number of singles are turning to offline events to meet partners after years of app burnout. Startups like Up 2 Date IRL and The Intimacy Curator have organized over 25 events for 2,000+ participants, offering mixers such as pickleball meetups, supper clubs, and queer socials. The shift follows frustration with dating apps, which many users find impersonal and exhausting. Offline dating, however, faces its own issues such as poor turnout, no-shows, and gender-ratio imbalances. To address this, organizers screen participants, limit group sizes, and use “vibe-check” forms. Experts predict hybrid dating, combining online apps with curated in-person events, will dominate going forward.

See full article at Mid-Day

Mobile Strategies Conference – New York – Nov 5

Posted on October 27, 2025
Logo for MGS New York

OPW – Geoff Cook and Catherine Cook, the co-founders of The Meet Group are speaking at the Mobile Strategies Conference on Nov 5-6th. Looks like an interesting 2-day conference, covering AI & Mobile Growth. See agenda (scroll down).

Apple Is Cracking Down on Viral ‘Tea’ Apps, Citing Persistent Privacy Concerns

Posted on October 23, 2025
Tea app

BUSINESS INSIDER – Apple has removed the Tea and TeaOnHer apps from the App Store after ongoing privacy and moderation issues. The anonymous dating review apps faced backlash following major data breaches that exposed users’ selfies, IDs, and messages. Despite Apple’s repeated warnings, the developers failed to meet safety standards. TeaOnHer’s founder said his team added AI filters and anti-bullying tools but called Apple’s decision disappointing.

See full article at Business Insider

Tinder Will Require New Users in the US to Verify Their Identity With a Selfie

Posted on October 23, 2025
Tinder selfie verification

TECH CRUNCH – Tinder is expanding its Face Check facial verification feature across the U.S. to combat fake profiles and improve user safety. The tool requires new users to submit a short video selfie, creating a 3D face scan to confirm identity and prevent duplicate accounts. Verified users receive a badge, and Tinder retains an encrypted “face map” for ongoing fraud detection. Already active in California, Canada, Colombia, Australia, India, and parts of Southeast Asia, Face Check will reach more U.S. states soon and other Match Group apps in 2026. Early results show a 60% drop in exposure to “bad actors” and 40% fewer reports.

See full article at Tech Crunch

Bumble Launches Revamped BFF App Focused on Community and Real-Life Friendships

Posted on October 23, 2025
Bumble BFF

THE EVERY GIRL – Bumble has relaunched its friend-finding platform as a standalone BFF app, completely separate from its dating app. Built on Geneva, the community platform Bumble acquired in 2023, the new version focuses on group connections, community building, and improved safety. The app lets users join or create interest-based groups, like yoga, reading, or thrifting, chat with locals, and plan real-life meetups directly within the app using its new “Plans” feature.

See full article at The Every Girl

MFE Takes Control of ProSiebenSat.1 After €1.8B Takeover in September 2025

Posted on October 22, 2025

REUTERS – MFE-MediaForEurope, owned by Italy’s Berlusconi family, has taken tighter control of the German TV group ProSiebenSat.1 after buying more than 75% of its shares in a €1.8B deal. MFE has now made Marco Giordani, a longtime top executive and close aide to Pier Silvio Berlusconi, the new CEO of ProSiebenSat.1. He will also keep his job as CFO at MFE for now. The goal is to turn the company around by focusing on its main TV business and selling off side ventures, such as e-commerce and dating platforms, to reduce debt. The current CEO Bert Habets, CFO Martin Mildner, and COO Markus Breitenecker are all leaving, and Bob Rajan will temporarily take over as CFO. MFE wants to build a strong European TV group that can better compete with big streaming services like Netflix and YouTube.

See full article at Reuters