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Tinder VR is part social commentary, part huge disappointment
Can you bring the matchmaking magic of Tinder to virtual reality? No. CES brings tech's biggest players to Las Vegas and even if there's nothing to launch, it's the place to strike deals and network. Naturally, that means the swipe-matching app Tinder is in attendance. Its unassuming stall looks like a dream sequence from Twin Peaks. It's uniformly red, with white plinths to show off its PR pitch: a Tinder VR headset. While it may be a headset, there's no screen and no motion tracking; just no technology. The company says (just like its app) the idea is about connecting strangers. But literally this time.
eHarmony is trying to play catch up with Tinder
These days, the term "dating app" is pretty much synonymous with Tinder. eHarmony wants to remind everyone that it's still around, though, and it's willing to make big changes to get with the times. Starting in January, the dating service is getting rid of its lengthy questionnaire that asks you 150 or so multiple choice questions to get your matches. You can still take the personality survey, but it's no longer a compulsory part of signing up. Now, you only need a few minutes to set up a new profile and answer some basic questions about yourself.
Tinder's Apple TV app gives you another way to swipe right
If you've ever thought that you'd rather browse Tinder profiles on your TV screen rather than swiping on your phone, you're in luck. The company now has an Apple TV app that will allow you to just that. Thanks to the set-top box and its touch-friendly remote, you can swipe right, left and up while browsing for perspective matches on the biggest screen in your house in HD.
Tinder adds trans-inclusive gender options
Starting today, Tinder users in the US, UK and Canada will have the option to define their own gender. Where previously, users could only choose between male or female, now they can pick transgender, trans man, trans woman, or whatever term they identify with. Additionally, they can opt to appear in male or female searches, and decide to not disclose their gender at all.
The Engadget Podcast Ep 13: A Chicken with its Head Cut Off
Editor in chief Michael Gorman and executive editor Christopher Trout are in town this week and stop by to talk Peter Thiel, Vine and online voting with host Terrence O'Brien and reviews editor Cherlynn Low. Then, after they've had their fill of beating up on Thiel, the four will explore how dating and sex have changed in the age of apps. Warning, things get a little NSFW.
Tinder's premium Boost feature is rolling out worldwide
Tinder's latest idea to monetize its mobile matching service is rolling out worldwide, as users outside of Australia and the UK will be able to Boost to the top of nearby dater's queues. Getting Tinder to put its thumb on the algorithm is free once a week as a part of the variably-priced Plus subscription, or it can be purchased individually. Either way, it lasts just 30 minutes, so Pokémon Go players can just treat it like a lucky egg -- the company says it can result in as much as a 10x increase in profile views.
Tinder 'Smart Photos' uses swipe data to select your best pic
When you're swiping through Tinder it's pretty easy to dismiss someone based on their first photo. Maybe it's poorly compressed, from the delivery room or the church steps on a person's wedding day. Those might be red flags that push people to instantaneously dismiss a potential match before looking deeper at a person's profile. To help your right-swiping sojourn, though, Tinder is using data to make sure someone's best picture is the first you'll see.
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.
Tinder Boost puts you top of the pile for 30 minutes
Tinder's next stab at monetization is, effectively, a queue jump system. Activating a new "Tinder Boost" will turn your account into a "top profile," helping you to "skip the line" for 30 minutes. The idea is pretty simple -- Boost and you'll head to the front of everyone's queue, increasing your visibility and the likelihood of a match. If you have a Tinder Plus subscription ($9.99 or $19.99 per month, depending on your age) you'll get one "free" Boost every week. Any user can also buy Boosts individually.
After Math: Tinder profile make-overs and one-terabyte SD cards
Is your new iPhone hissing? Is your replacement Galaxy Note not exploding? Regardless, we shall begin. This week we saw plenty of new (and old-school) cameras at Photokina, one editor tried to improve his odds on dating apps by outsourcing the task, and one of Japan's pro-league basketball courts got covered in LED screens. We also had our collective minds blown by the mere notion of a 1TB SD card. Arguably, our minds are easily blown. Let's After Math.
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.
Tinder brings swipe judgement to your iMessage conversations
Productivity apps have been trying to improve the hassle of group discussion for years, often by setting up basic "polls" that look more at home in enterprise software. But now you can spice up your queries with the interface everybody knows and loves: Tinder. The dating (and friend-finding) service is lending its swiping interface to iMessage users to better ask their friends photo-laden questions. Prepare to get your "hot or not" fix when picking dinner in your next group text.
Land that Tinder match with your favorite Spotify track
If you, single person, often find yourself nostalgic for the bygone days of MySpace profile songs*, Tinder and Spotify would like to get you back in the mood with their latest collaboration. Starting today, anyone can add a Tinder "Anthem" to their profile page, show off their top artists on Spotify and quickly swipe through potential mates based on their music tastes.
Tinder says GIFs and emoji lead to better connections
Who knew that the secret to successful online dating lay in GIFs? The next time you find yourself spending an hour coming up with the perfect greeting and introduction on Tinder, stop and find a GIF instead. According to Tinder's research, GIF messages are 30 percent more likely to receive a response than non-GIF ones.
Tinder Social is a new feature for finding friends to hang with
You already meet potential love matches on Tinder. Why not use the app for making new friends to go and hang out with? That's what the company hopes you'll do with the launch of Tinder Social, a new feature that lets users create groups to make connections and hang out together.
The Tinder movie no one asked for is happening
Tinder has been used to market movies like Ex Machina before, but we can't think of any that revolve around the app. That's about to change with Warner Bros.' Worst Tinder Date Ever, a film from Friends with Benefits writers Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, according to THR. The story is about a disastrous Tinder date that (of course) draws the main characters together by the end. So, it's like a modern take on You've Got Mail, if the Hanks/Ryan characters just wanted to have sex.
Dating app Bumble is putting networking ahead of romance
Bumble, a swipe-based dating app in the same vein of Tinder, is looking to offer its users a very different way to network.
Tinder: one in five Brits swiped right to learn more about Brexit
Despite its reputation as a dating app for millenials, Tinder often uses its powers for good. In the US, it's already helped Americans find their presidential match and learn more about the dangers of STDs. But in the UK, over the past three weeks, Tinder has been educating users about tomorrow's EU referendum -- commonly known as the Brexit vote -- and it's had quite the effect.
Tinder blocks under 18s from swiping for love
Tinder. an app that connects people so that they can have sex, has announced that it'll ban under 18s from its service. In a statement, the firm's Rosette Pambakian told TechCrunch that the company has "the responsibility of constantly assessing our different user experiences." The user experience for 13 year olds, presumably, wasn't up to scratch because of the whole thing about using Tinder being a crime. "Consistent with this responsibility," Pambakian continued, "we have decided to discontinue service for under 18 users." From next week, all users will have to be 18 or older in order to decide if someone's worth doing a sex with on the basis of how good they look.
ICYMI: Raining tiny satellites and the laundry-folding machine
Today on In Case You Missed It: A company called FoldiMate is selling a standalone machine to sit alongside a washing and dryer and fold about 20 garments at a time for $850. Cornell University engineers are sending tiny interstellar computers to the ISS this summer, there they will act as satellites and, eventually, collect information from our nearest neighboring star system, Alpha Centauri. We also round up the week in our TL; DR segment. If you grew up playing The Sims, this piece of news might interest you. We're also very interested in the Visa payment ring the Olympic athletes can wear in Rio. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
