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Hinge is adding video identity verification to combat scam accounts and catfishing
Selfie Verification will prompt users to upload a video of themselves to confirm they look like the person pictured in their profile.
Tinder will let you block people based on their phone number
Using its newly introduced Block Contacts feature, you can prevent people you have in your phone's address book from showing up when you go to swipe on Tinder.
OKCupid security flaws could have given hackers access to user accounts
Security researchers discovered vulnerabilities in OKCupid's website and dating apps.
Tinder’s catfish detector is now available in the UK
Take two selfies and Tinder will compare them to your photo library. If it's a match, you'll get a blue checkmark.
Airbnb and Bumble push virtual first dates to stay relevant
Airbnb is introducing a collection of Bumble-approved online experiences, and Bumble is kicking off a contest to give away 100 virtual first dates.
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.
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.
Why did Tinder just buy a photo-messaging app?
Strangely, for an app that's all about appearances, Tinder has never allowed its users to directly send images to one another. That could be set to change, however, as the dating startup has announced its first-ever acquisition: Tappy, a Snapchat-like app. Tappy launched last summer as a high-concept ephemeral messaging app. To start a conversation in the app, users had to send an image, which would disappear after 24 hours. The idea was that photos would spark conversations, but despite positive reviews, the app never really took off.
The Daily Grind: What do you think of MMO dating?
When we talk about MMO dating, we're not talking about the creepy guy in your guild who hits on all the female characters until you kick him out. No, we're talking about genuine dating, forming a relationship with someone and eventually asking the other person out on a date, possibly even in-game. Lucent Heart is unique in some ways because it offers a similar function baked in to the client, but nearly every longtime veteran has at least one story of the couple that met via the game and wound up in a happy relationship. On the one hand, if the key to making a relationship work is a shared interest, dating someone you meet via an MMO certainly seems like a viable approach. On the other hand, virtual relationships face a unique level of challenge even without introducing the possibility of a long argument over who should have rolled need on that last piece of gear. So what do you think about the idea of MMO dating? Is it a good idea with some problems or something that sounds nice but just doesn't work right? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Drama Mamas: Love is all around
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. I know that Love is in the Air, but I like the song Love is All Around so much better. Of course, my favorite version (or perversion) is Billy Mack's, but 'tis no longer the season. Love is certainly all around us right now, what with hearts and cupids being displayed all over the physical world as well as WoW. Mix it with all of the Lunar Festival lanterns in game, and you've got one gaudy Azeroth. However, romance isn't just about decorations, fragrances and boxes of chocolates. It's also about couples getting to know each other and exploring relationships beyond friendship. Hi. About two months ago I met a woman on WoW that I play the game with quite often now, and I'm very interested in her romantically. How should I approach this? I have spoken with her and flirted with her quite a bit, but I dunno if dating her would ruin what we have on WoW, or if it's really a good idea to do this. I've never dated anyone I've met on a video game before. I'm mostly a casual gamer, but I have played WoW for about 6 years now, on and off. Note: I have talked with her via social networks as well, and I have seen what she looks like. I am currently 26 years old. If you have any insight, please and thank you, I appreciate your time and effort. Romeo
The Daily Grind: How much of your social life comes from MMOs?
While we may be the target of mockery or quizzical expressions for mentioning our online friends, relationships in MMOs are often a significant part of a gamer's social life. After all, gamers are places where we all share a common interest, can go on uncommon adventures, and have the potential to forge bonds that transcend the game itself. So how much of your social life comes from MMOs? Do you have a great group of friends or a guild that's there to support you, laugh with you and have fun with you? Did you ever fall in love in an MMO and perhaps find your way to the altar together? Do you log in more to hang out and be goofy with your pals than to grind your way to the level cap? Are MMOs just a small fraction of your social scene or the majority of it? For a bonus question and a cookie, does your MMO social life mirror your social life outside of the game or is it the polar opposite? Do you have a few friends in real life but a ton online, or are you the same party animal in game that you are out on the town? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's The Daily Grind!
Study suggests internet will become number one matchmaker
"Love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is... hold on, email." -- Anonymous Since we can't presume all Engadget readers regularly attend their NPR All Things Considered listening parties, here's something you might've missed this week. In a segment on the growing trend in online matchmaking, Jennifer Ludden cited a research from Stanford University's Michael Rosenfeld that seems to fall in line exactly where we'd expect: it's really easy to be yourself and find matching partners when you have the ability to reach out to strangers who present so much personal information from the get-go. More specifically, the study found almost one-fourth of couples met online -- a number that jumps to 61 percent if you single out (no pun intended) same-sex couples -- and it's growing at a pace that it' "may soon become the No. 1 way Americans find a mate." For now, however, it's ranked second, just above meeting at bars / restaurants and below the classic, meeting through friends who just love tricking you into bad blind dates with the "great personality" line anyway. Make sure you have the right camera just in case.
The Daily Grind: What's your best relationship that started in a MMO?
I have a confession to make: I would not be married with two wonderful kids if it wasn't for the internet. Yes, I hold my head up high when people ask how my wife and I met, and I tell them... an online dating website. That sort of thing might have been odd and unusual ten years ago, but nowadays, forming great relationships through the internet is almost as common as in real life -- and just as meaningful. So our question today is less about the gaming side of things and more about the social aspect: what's the best human relationship you've experienced that started in a MMO? Did you meet a significant other, a wife, a husband, a confidant, a best friend, a soulmate or a crony in game? Did a game help to rescue an estranged relationship and smooth over the cracks? Has your guild gotten so close that you meet regularly to help each other solve mommy issues?
