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Bumble forges ahead with Tinder countersuit while pursuing an IPO
Earlier this year, the Match Group, which owns the dating service Tinder, filed a lawsuit against rival Bumble, alleging that the company had infringed on patents and misused intellectual property. Just weeks later, Bumble countersued the Match Group for accessing trade secrets fraudulently. Now, Bumble has filed court paperwork for the lawsuit while "actively pursuing an IPO," CEO Whitney Wolfe told TechCrunch. We've reached out to Bumble for a comment.
Tinder's new matchmaking service is just for college students
Today, Tinder introduced a new matchmaking service aimed at students attending a four-year college or university. Called Tinder U, it is primarily a dating service, but can also be used to find new friends, a study partner and more. You must have a .edu email address from an accredited university and be located on campus when you sign up for Tinder. Once you restart the Tinder app, you'll be logged into Tinder U automatically according to TechCrunch. The swipe mechanics are the same as the regular app.
eHarmony can't claim its matches are 'scientific' anymore
Turns out that dating service eHarmony has a weird definition of "science" when the law comes knocking. An ad in the London subway system triggered the UK's Advertising Standards Agency to call the "scientifically proven" matching system "misleading," as spotted by the BBC. From the ASA:
OKCupid unveils major overhaul to cull spam messages
OKCupid (OKC) realizes that it needs to evolve if it wants to stay relevant in the ever-changing online dating world. Specifically, it'll start retooling how messaging works very soon. Starting next week the only way you'll see messages from randoms is if you visit their profile page; the only messages that populate your inbox will be from people you've already liked or already responded to. Sure, there's the risk that you might not see a message from someone special, but if you've been proactive on the site that really shouldn't be an issue.
Match.com turned its most eligible bachelors into free dolls
Match.com is as synonymous with online dating as Tinder is with casual bonking, but even an established platform needs a good PR push occasionally. In a campaign that would've almost certainly become national news if genders had been reversed, Match.com and PR agency Brands2Life set up a pop-up shop in London's swanky Marylebone area this week, offering free dolls modelled (literally) on the site's most eligible bachelors.
Tinder on the desktop: Looking for love in another wrong place
Tinder has arrived to the desktop with Tinder Online, finally helping you find love (or sex) on the web without a smartphone or tablet. The dating site describes the web app as "your English professor's worst nightmare," letting you seek partners where your mobile phone normally can't go, like work or a classroom. The company also sees it as a way to attract users from developing nations who lack decent wireless connectivity or "don't have enough memory to support Tinder on their mobile phones."
Tinder will 'Boost' UK profiles, for a price
"There are plenty more fish in the sea," the saying goes. But what if you're one of those millions, nay billions of fish swimming around, hoping for a little attention? What's the best way to stand out? Well, there's now Tinder Boost -- a premium feature that makes you the "top profile" in your area for 30 minutes. The option premiered in Australia a couple of weeks ago, and now it's rolling out in the UK. Once activated, your profile will be pushed to the front of everyone's queue, improving your visibility and the chance of a new match. The only catch is that you have to keep swiping yourself.
How to outsource your love life
It's 5PM on a Friday. I pour myself a glass of three-day-old white wine and wait for my wing woman to call. Her name is Ally. She has a soothing voice and a gentle demeanor. She lives in Temecula, California, somewhere between Los Angeles and the hyper-conservative, bleach-blonde beaches of San Diego. Over the course of our near-two-hour phone call she will grill me on everything from my favorite dishes to dating deal-breakers, from the time I was held at gunpoint in Mexico to my affinity for gin martinis.
There's no perfect equation for getting laid in the Tinder age
Last July, I joined Grindr and things started off strong. I had a few good screws, a handful of hot dates and an intense summer fling. I saw more action in six months than I'd seen in the past three years. I was winning and a computer was helping me do it. Then, after an eight-day trip to Las Vegas this past January, all the action dried up.
Play Cupid on Tinder by sharing profiles with your friends
Tinder is slowly rolling out the option to share other people's profiles with friends via text messaging. A small number of users will spot a "share" icon under some profiles -- tapping it lets you send a temporary link to that profile via text. The links expire after 72 hours or five clicks, and the person who receives it can then swipe right on the profile as he or she sees fit.
Ghosting redefined
They are our brothers and sisters, our mothers and fathers, our teachers, our students, our bankers, our janitors, the bathroom attendant, the perfume-counter girl, the porn star, the preacher. They are the right-wing nut job, the Left Shark and the guy in the middle seat. There's no discernible difference between us and them. In fact, there's a good chance you're one of them. They are ghosts -- or so we've been told.
Engadget editors on the highs and lows of online dating
Years ago, getting involved in a relationship with someone you met online was a bit of a taboo. Not only was it supposedly for weirdos, but it was also seen as a bit dangerous, since you couldn't tell who was on the other end. These days, however, online dating is not just mainstream; it's almost expected. Young professionals are often too busy to go to singles clubs and bars (not to mention these venues aren't for everyone) and it's just easier to use an app like Tinder than whip up pickup lines. It turns out that many of the staff at Engadget have quite a bit of experience in the online dating world. From those who met their significant other on the internet well over a decade ago to those who are still exploring this brave new world of digital courtship, we've selected a few stories to share with you. Check out our video above and read on below for more.
The incredibly sad world of niche dating apps
When I exited the market in 2006, online dating was akin to wearing sweatpants in the club. It was a sign that you'd given up on the "real" world; a symbol of existential surrender.
Online love with OKCupid and Tinder peaks at 9 PM
OKCupid might send out email blasts telling you to log in during a rainstorm because that's when the site's apparently busiest in any given location, but Nielsen wants you to know when the best time is to log in, period. For the dating website, the uptick starts at 6 PM, peaks at 9 PM and falls off sharply starting at 10 PM according to The Huffington Post. Those rainy-night emails? In my case, they arrive just after 7 PM. Surprisingly, the more fling-favorable Tinder is busiest at the same times as OKCupid in terms of unique audience, with over 50 percent of users beginning their swipe-fests during primetime.
Linked love: OKCupid offers options for polyamorous couples
One of OkCupid's biggest advantages versus other matchmaking sites is the seemingly endless amount of dating data its users provide voluntarily in an effort to find a compatible mate. The flip-side of that is OkCupid can use that information to tailor its site to emerging trends -- like offering the option for polyamorous folks to link their profiles to make finding like-minded people easier. Rather than awkwardly creating a joint account or hoping those 11 letters stand out among the rest of your profile text, The Atlantic writes that now those who list themselves as "seeing someone," "married," or "in an open relationship" can link their profiles (similar to Facebook) to eliminate any sort of confusion.
Tinder adds a third swipe option called 'Super Like'
Tinder is a dating app known for its simplistic swiping system: Swipe right if you're into someone's profile and swipe left if you're not feeling it. But, love isn't that simple. It requires at least one more swipe. Today, Tinder is rolling out the option to swipe up and "Super Like" someone's profile -- it'll be available first in Australia, with a global release scheduled for later this year. Users are granted a limited number of Super Likes, and people who receive an upward swipe will be notified by "the presence of a blue footer on a given profile," Tinder explains. Instead of swiping, users can also just tap the new blue star icon to Super Like someone's profile.
Tinder gets a lo-fi makeover in 'Millennial Swipe Simulator 2015'
If you've been using Tinder for long enough chances are that you've opened the app in the morning with some rather surprising matches. Brainlessly swiping right on whoever fits the bill for you in the hopes that they'll do the same and you'll potentially have a love connection is part of the experience. It's this sort of activity the web-based Millennial Swipe Sim 2015 aims to replicate. In the "game" you have to keep swiping (regardless of direction) to keep your boredom meter from filling lest you die. Seriously. Funnily enough, developer Will Herring (a Buzzfeed creative director and former GamePro (R.I.P.) editor) managed sneaking some of the app's quirks in. Like people in group photos and the same profiles that keep popping up repeatedly, for example. What's missing though are wedding shots from the altar or church steps and profiles consisting entirely of photos of one's children. Maybe in the next update?
Grindr now shows an ETA to your next hookup
Relax everybody: Grindr is going to make finding a potential partner a much simpler affair. You see, now the app will calculate travel time in addition to how far away a potential Lothario is from you, physically. So let's say you've been messaging with Dylan for the past few days, but now that you know he's 45 minutes away that might change the situation a bit -- especially when your fall-back, Bryan, is only a five-minute walk from your apartment. That could affect your evening's plans considerably we'd imagine ('in a quarter-mile, turn right and smile). The app's update also makes swipe-navigation between chats and profiles free for everyone, whereas before it was limited to those paying for Grindr Xtra.
OKCupid test lets you choose nearly any sexual identity
If you don't conform to historical definitions of gender or sexual orientation, online dating can be tough. You frequently have to shoehorn yourself into a category where you aren't comfortable, and you'll probably get many unwelcome advances. OKCupid should soon have a fix, however: it's testing an update that dramatically expands the range of identities you can associate with your dating profile. You can declare yourself as gender non-conforming or pansexual, for example, rather than having to choose from binary options like male/female or heterosexual/gay. The site is only showing the new options to a subset of its users and hasn't said if or when they'll be available to everyone, but it might not be long before you'll have an easier time finding partners that accept who you are. [Image credit: Alamy]
What you need to know about the world of online dating
If a smoky, beer-soaked pub is the last place you'd go to find Mr. or Mrs. Right, online dating is a godsend. Ideally, it brings together like-minded couples in a non-threatening virtual space, so they can get to know each other before committing to a physical date. On top of the countless mainstream sites, there are specialized ones to help you find someone with the same religion, interests and sexual preferences -- whether you're seeking a friendly relationship, life partner or a one-night stand. There are serious pitfalls to avoid, of course: dodgy sites, "catfishing" and, worst of all, online predators. But despite the risks, online dating works. Most of us know at least one person who's met their partner online -- if you don't, I'm one of them. Nice to meet you! All it takes is some common sense and a pinch of savoir-faire.
