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US appeals court says Tinder Plus pricing is discriminatory
They say all's fair in love and war, but those that have used Tinder will probably disagree. And that includes Allan Candelore, a man suing the dating app over the pricing of its premium service, Tinder Plus. Candelore and his lawyers argue that charging $9.99 a month to users under 30, and $19.99 a month to those over 30, is age discrimination, and violates two California laws: the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Unfair Competition Law.
Tinder flaws could expose your swipes to prying eyes
Today, the security firm Checkmarx released troubling information about two vulnerabilities within Tinder, the popular dating app. The issues are present in both the iOS and Android app and allow a user on the same network to monitor what a person is doing on Tinder. Additionally, an attacker could control the pictures a user sees on Tinder; it's possible to swap them out for malicious content.
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's 'real' name push isn't sitting well with users
OkCupid is facing a lot of backlash for ditching usernames in favor of real names. As TechCrunch noted, its app's Google Play and App Store pages are flooded with one-star reviews posted over the past month, complaining about the features the service has recently changed or killed. The reviews talked about how the forced transparency of the new name requirement could compromise people's privacy and security, since the service now also matches users with others nearby based on their shared interests. Those with stalkery tendencies might take advantage of these new offerings. A lot of them also discussed concerns that Match.com is simply turning OkCupid (which it owns) into another Tinder (which it also owns).
Tinder's new feature is a social feed from your matches
Today, Tinder introduced a new feature called "Feed," which allows you to learn more about the people you're most interested in. From Instagram posts to their favorite artists on Spotify, Feed works with other services to bring you real-time updates about what people are doing across their social media networks. The service is currently being tested in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
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.
Tinder is using AI to figure out who you’ll really like
In 2015, Tinder introduced a new feature called the "Super Like." We all know you can swipe right to let a user know you're interested. But if you're really interested, that's where the Super Like comes in. Swiping up meant you Super Liked a person. Now, Tinder is launching a new feature called "Super Likeable," and it uses AI to figure out who you're likely to Super Like.
Tinder adds Reactions to help you make a point in chats
Tinder has frequently tweaked its offerings. Over the past year or so, it's introduced a new user interface, more inclusive gender options, a feature that figures out which of your photos are more appealing as well as GIFs and emoji. If you're willing to pay a little, Tinder also offers the ability to move your profile to the front of everyone's queue and see who has already liked you. Today, the app launches another way for you to communicate with other users -- Tinder Reactions.
Tinder Gold launches worldwide to reveal who likes you
Tinder has been trying out its Gold subscription service in a handful of countries since June, and now it's launching the experimental tier worldwide. Pay $5 per month on top of Tinder Plus (this price isn't set in stone) and you can find out who likes you without having to swipe through an endless sea of profiles. In that sense, it's more like a classic dating site -- you can go straight to the people who fancy you and match up with the ones who pique your interest. You also get other premium Tinder features like Passport, Rewind and one Boost per month.
Tinder's app tweaks make profile stalking more intuitive
If you regularly use Tinder, you may notice that the app looks different than it used to. The online dating service is rolling out an updated interface that includes new navigation and larger photos.
Dating app Hinge is back on Android after nine-month break
Android fans haven't been able to use the Hinge dating app for around nine months, but that's all changing. The relationship-minded dating app is now available on Google's mobile OS. Hinge says based on its previous Android user-base that it expects that to grow by 30 percent from current numbers. Which in turn means better chances at finding long-term love. What's more, the company says that its amount of daily active users has grown by 50 percent in the last two months alone -- more potential matches can only be a good thing for everyone involved regardless of what software their phone runs.
Tinder's new 'Gold' subscription shows your likes before you swipe
Tinder is introducing another subscription option, which comes with an exclusive perk to get existing premium members to fork out some extra cash. Tinder Gold gives you access to a new "Likes You" option that basically allows you to browse through all of your pending likes. Think of it as a shortcut that lets you cut out the riff raff and head straight to the people on the app that are interested in you.
Videos are the latest way to seduce people on your dating app
The dating app Hinge has just added a video option to its users' profiles. Now, any of a user's six profile photos can be swapped for a video that will autoplay whenever someone scrolls through their profile. The videos can be uploaded from Instagram, Facebook or a phone's camera roll.
Norway complaint changed the way Tinder uses your swipes
If you actually read the terms and conditions or end-user license agreement before you click the "agree" button, raise your hand. Okay, stop being funny, we know that you actually didn't and you aren't going to score any brownie points with us. In Norway, Tinder recently got into trouble over how its terms and conditions are worded, according to regional news publication Dagens Næringsliv (translated).
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."
There's a secret, celebrity-only version of Tinder
Celebrities have the same needs that the rest of us, they're just wealthier, better-looking and demand more privacy. It's why Tinder quietly set up a special members-only version of its app, called Tinder Select, to keep elite bloodlines in the elite. As the name implies, it's a secret dating world where only the beautiful and the wealthy can connect. Unfortunately, the great unwashed don't have a chance of getting in unless you're invited by a core group of members.
Medium's Series feature looks a lot like Snapchat Stories
Snapchat is the muse of virtually every app right now. Everybody from Instagram to Tinder is borrowing ideas from the platform, and now it's Medium's turn. Today, the self-publishing site is introducing a new feature for its mobile app called Series, and it looks like a wordier version of Snapchat Stories.
Tinder just bought a Snapchat-like video app
With Tinder's acquisition of collaborative video messaging app Wheel, the swiping app of choice may soon offer more than photos of available people in your area. Tinder expanded beyond dating last July with the introduction of Tinder Social, which connects groups of friends to hang out. As Business Insider notes, Wheel is similar to Snapchat's "Live Stories," which allows users to post to a public feed of themed videos.
Disappearing videos are coming to a Bumble profile near you
The next way dating app Bumble is separating itself from Tinder is video. If you're familiar with Snapchat Stories or Instagram's ephemeral offerings, BumbleVID should sound be pretty recognizable. Users can make a story out of an unlimited amount of ten-second video clips from within the app. Anyone swiping past your profile can see them and after 24 hours, they disappear.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 22: Filmore Jive
Senior editor Aaron Souppouris, senior HD editor Richard Lawler and senior editor Mat Smith join host Terrence O'Brien to talk about the tech announcements at CES that will shape 2017. Just like every year, it's a big TV show. LG, Samsung, Sony and plenty others came with their biggest and brightest sets. But it was LG that stole Lawler's heart with its crazy thin W-series OLEDs. The group also chats about how OLEDs are quickly becoming cheaper and more readily available.
