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Match.com’s Date Check-In sends an SOS to friends in case of creeps
Going on a date with someone you met online can be scary -- not just because of the pressure to be charming, but also because of the horror stories of creepers and criminals that use dating apps to target their victims. Match.com's latest security feature -- Date Check-In -- allows you to designate three emergency contacts who will receive your date's name, as well as the time and location of the date itself. During the date, Match.com will send you an automated text message. If you respond "yes" to the text, your contacts will get an alert.
Ireland's data privacy watchdog opens probes into Google and Tinder
Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has opened two separate GDPR investigations into Google and Tinder. In the case of the latter, the agency says it will examine how the dating app handles people's data and whether it's been transparent about the process.
Study finds Grindr, OKCupid and Tinder sharing sensitive data (updated)
Some of the most popular dating apps have been accused of playing fast and loose with particularly sensitive data. The Norwegian Consumer Council has published a report accusing Grindr, OKCupid and Tinder of spreading various degrees of information about GPS location, sexuality and other personal information in irresponsible ways. While Grindr has vowed not to share HIV statuses and some sexual gropu identification with ad partners, it transmits user tracking info and the app's name to over a dozen companies, effectively identifying users as LGBT. OKCupid even sent data on drug use, ethnicity and political views to the analytics firm Braze.
FTC sues Match for allegedly using deceptive love interest ads
If you've ever been irked by dating service ads claiming that someone was pining for your affection, you're not alone. The FTC has sued Match Group for allegedly using fake love interest email ads to goad customers into paying for Match.com subscriptions until May 2018. "Millions" of the accounts generating the ads had already been labeled as likely frauds, the Commission said, but they were still used to generate "you caught their eye" ads for free users -- you might pay for a subscription only to find the bogus courtier deleted. Match's own studies showed that nearly 500,000 people signed up within a day of receiving one of these ads, according to the FTC.
Tinder's first TV show will make you swipe to advance the story
Even Tinder might have trouble resisting the allure of creating an original show to boost its bottom line. Variety tipsters claim the dating service will release an original, six-episode video series in early October that riffs on its app's well-known swipes to drive the story forward. The show is reportedly set in an "impending apocalypse" and asks you who you'd spend your last night with -- a swipe left or right makes your choice. It's even optimized for vertical viewing, the sources said, and could come to other services later.
Dating app Ship lets friends find your matches
Dating apps are mostly a solitary effort, with users swiping on prospective soulmates from the comfort of their own couch. Ship, a dating app that lets single people involve friends in the matchmaking process, may change that. The Match Group and Betches Media have now released an Android version of Ship, which lets users swipe for their friends and discuss profiles in group messages. The iOS version, which debuted back in January, is now the fastest-growing dating app in the Match Group family, which also includes Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyofFish.
Tinder rebels against Google Play app fees by taking direct payments
Tinder is exploring a different approach to fighting app store fees -- it's simply ignoring what the store operators want. The dating giant has introduced a default payment process into its Android app that skips Google Play's system entirely, instead taking payments directly. And if you go this route, you lose the option of switching back to Google Play after the fact.
Tinder Lite brings the dating app to countries with limited data
Tinder is finally ready to take the wraps off its lightweight dating app. The company has formally unveiled Tinder Lite for Android, a version of the service designed for areas with limited data and lower-cost phones. It still has the familiar swipe-based matching, chats, "super likes" and paid features like seeing everyone who has liked you. For the most part, it's just a leaner app that should perform better in less-than-ideal conditions.
Match app adds an offline dating coach for your online dating woes
Online dating is its own big, scary jungle, and often users are left on their own when it comes to problems like ghosting or mixed signals in texts. Match thinks it can help users navigate that jungle -- by offering some human assistance. The online dating site is launching a new service, AskMatch, that will connect its paid users to a dating coach for a chat over the phone. The service is launching in New York City this month, with the goal of expanding nationwide by 2020.
Tinder preps 'Lite' version of its dating app for data-limited areas
Add Tinder to the growing list of tech giants launching lightweight apps to reel in more users. As part of an earnings call, Match Group divulged plans for a Tinder Lite app that would be smaller and better-suited to area where cellular data "comes at a premium." CEO Mandy Ginsberg made no mention of features or a release date (other than "soon"), but did point to Southeast Asia as a high priority when there's an influx of young people into packed cities.
