LAWSTREET MEDIA - The suit started in January when a Bumble user alleged that it employed false advertising in connection with two "freemium" features. The plaintiff argued that Bumble exaggerated the degree to which users could enjoy dating success by advertising that the features would provide "Up to 10x more matches" and "Up to 10x more conversations." Bumble called for the case's dismissal last month. The user now argues that Bumble cannot genuinely defend its "up to" qualifier in the context of the contested advertisements. The dismissal hearing is scheduled for June 30.
575 posts categorized "Bumble"
Bumble User Resists Dismissal in Freemium Feature False Advertising Suit
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Background Checks on Dating Apps
EYEWITNESS NEWS - One study found 81% of online daters misrepresented some aspect about themselves, be it height, weight, or age. The Federal Trade Commission says phishing and dating scams on apps cost victims $304M in 2020, double the amount of the previous year. Top10.com researched the background check and user verification processes for the most popular dating apps and websites.
Match Group
The company announced in March 2021 a partnership with nonprofit background check technology Garbo. The app provides historical information about domestic violence and abuse.
Badoo
The app makes sure the person is legitimate by having users take an image in a unique pose to verify. Badoo also allows users to further verify using a phone number or social network account and marks verification on their profile.
Bumble
Bumble uses a combination of AI and human-led monitoring systems to review accounts and messages for violations of their terms of service. These include imagery or language that discriminates against someone's race, ethnicity, disability, gender expression, and a range of other criteria.
AdultFriendFinder
AdultFriendFinder doesn't do background checks. While users are to accept sole responsibility for their own interactions with other users, users have recourse to report account abuse, and moderators are also looking out for abnormal behavior on the site.
Ashley Madison
User verification and background checks are counterintuitive to the goal of Ashley Madison.
Happn
Similar to Badoo, Happn users have the opportunity to certify their profiles by taking a video posing with unique head gestures, as instructed by the app. While Happn claims noncertified profiles are not fake, they do not provide any additional background on whether a vetting process exists for noncertified profiles.
Zoosk
Zoosk provides online dating safety tips for people new to dating online. Although, in those tips, it's suggested that users do their own research on potential suitors because Zoosk asserts it does not "routinely screen our members, inquire into the background of our members, attempt to verify information provided by our members, or conduct criminal screenings of our members."
Eharmony
While the dating service does not conduct an official background check, it does provide users with an 80-question survey to narrow in on the specificity of the website's services.
Grindr
Grindr notes in its terms of service that it does not conduct criminal or other background screenings of its users and doesn't verify the information users provide.
by Vivian Muniz
See full article at PA Homepage
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Investor Wariness of Subscription Tech Services Extended to Dating Apps
WALL STREET JOURNAL - Investors have fallen out of love with tech subscription businesses lately, facing the reality that there is no such thing as infinite growth. Dating has been no exception: Match and Bumble shares were down an average of ~59% over the last year as of Wednesday's close. Over that period, S&P 500 has lost under 5%. Dating companies are looking to international expansion to tap into markets where their apps are historically underpenetrated, but where they think opportunity is especially ripe. Bumble has made a big push in India, while Match has had a lot of success with its Pairs app in Japan.
by Laura Forman
See full article at Wall Street Journal
See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Bumble
See the top news on Pairs
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Bumble Q1 Results: Bumble Revenue up 38%
BUMBLE - Total Revenue increased 23.7% to $211.2M compared to $170.7M. This includes an unfavorable impact of $5.1M from foreign currency movements YOY. Bumble App Revenue grew 38% to $155.4M. Badoo App and other revenue, including Fruitz which was acquired in January 2022, declined 4% to $55.8M. Total Paying Users increased to 3M. Net earnings were $23.9M.
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Dating Apps and Environmental Advocacy
DW - Dating apps like OkCupid, Bumble and Tinder have noticed more and more of their users mentioning climate issues on their profiles - and have integrated features to help them connect with each other. On Bumble, users can add badges to their bios as as a way of aligning with different causes. Tinder says that "climate protection" was one of the most mentioned phrases on German Gen Z members' bios last year. OkCupid has reinstated its climate change advocate badge, which was first rolled out in 2021 and is only available for April, Earth Month. When it was introduced last year ~400K people used the badge.
See the top news on OkCupid
See the top news on Bumble
See the top news on Tinder
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Bumble's New IRL Program Includes Free Concerts and Workout Classes
ELITE DAILY - Bumble's new IRL program will get singles out and meet actual people at free events. The Bumble IRL program includes workout classes and concerts so people can meet while doing something they love. The program just launched and is expected to last through the rest of 2022 in 10 different cities - Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. Bumble is also teaming up with different companies like Live Nation, SoulCycle, Topgolf, and the James Beard Foundation to make sure these Bumble IRL events are unique.
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Bumble Tells Court to Toss Premium Feature False Advertising Case
LAWSTREET MEDIA - Bumble has moved to dismiss a consumer complaint alleging that the dating app misrepresented the success a user could enjoy by purchasing two premium features. The suit was filed in January and explained that Bumble has a "freemium" business model. Two of the upgrades users can purchase are "Spotlights" or "SuperSwipes" which "increase the likelihood of matching with another user." The consumer claimed that Bumble promotes these features by suggesting that users will receive up to 10 times more matches if they purchase Spotlights, and up to 10 times more conversations if they purchase Superswipes. The plaintiff is arguing that he received no discernible benefit from the premium features, despite the company's advertisements. The dismissal hearing is scheduled for June 30.
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Bumble Is Doing More to Criminalize Dick Pics
JEZEBEL - When Bumble conducted a national survey in 2018, they found that 1 in 3 women have received an unsolicited nude image in their lifetime. 96% confirmed they were received without their consent. Since that survey, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd and new Policy Director Nkechi "Payton" Iheme have quietly been leading the effort to criminalize sending nudes without consent. Bumble has also rolled out a protective feature called, Private Detector which utilizes AI to automatically blur images determined to be lewd. By March 2019, House Bill 2789, which made sending a lewd photo without the recipient's consent a Class C misdemeanor and punishable by $500, was introduced. The bill was signed into law just two months later by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia - have either advanced or successfully passed legislation that would follow Texas' suit. The FLASH (Forbid Lewd Activity and Sexual Harassment) Act recently passed California's State Senate. New York State Sen. Alexandra Biaggi has also seen her legislation - Senate Bill S4843, which would establish the unsolicited disclosure of an intimate image as a crime - move forward in both senate and assembly votes. Bumble is also reportedly urging Florida legislators to introduce similar legislation. Last month, "cyberflashing" was made illegal in England and Wales, but unlike U.S. legislation, perpetrators face up to two years in prison.
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'Single Shaming': Why People Judge Singles
BBC - Asking why someone is 'still' single and assuring them they'll 'find their person soon' may seem like thoughtful, even sensitive, ways to check in on single friends. However, these simple phrases constitute 'single shaming' - and they're likely to be more harmful than helpful. Data from a survey by dating service Match, shows 52% of 1K single UK adults reported experiencing single shaming "since the start of the pandemic", likely due to the increased focus on whom people could rely on during lockdowns. And even though 59% said they were "content with their relationship status", they still were the target of intrusive questions. Match asked about the common "shaming phrases" single people have heard from others, and 35% said they were told "you'll find someone soon". 29% heard "you must be so lonely", while 38% reported general pity over their relationship status. Bumble's research from October 2021, showed that 53% of Bumble users surveyed "realized that it's okay to be alone for a while", thanks to the pandemic.
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Tinder Crushes the Dating App Scene, but Its Rivals Are Winning Hearts
EMARKETER - Bumble and Hinge attracted more downloads worldwide in 2021 than the previous two years. Meanwhile, Tinder outpaced them both by at ~54M downloads. As of January 2022, the monthly active user base across all three dating apps had grown 17% over the same month in 2019. Hinge posted the fastest growth during this period, at 344%, while Bumble registered a 96% increase. Tinder's already massive user base, however, stayed roughly the same size.
by Sara Lebow
See full article at eMarketer
See the top news on Tinder
See the top news on Bumble
See the top news on Hinge
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What's Next for the Online Dating Industry
BENZINGA - The online dating industry is now transforming into something much bigger. As Dating Group Chief Strategy Officer, KJ Dhaliwal, explains, the dating industry is about more than just dating; it's all about social discovery. "Personal connections aren't always going to be about romance," said Dhaliwal. "Relationships can be for platonic friendship, entertainment, hobbies, travel, work…. you name it. And that's social discovery; people connecting around mutual interests and creating deeply personal long-term, non-ephemeral interactions." Dating Group is betting heavily on metaverse, travel, music and video. Match Group recently revealed that it has its eyes fixed upon the metaverse. Match Group CEO Shar Dubey said, "Now, the technology allows us to create experiences online where people can meet and discover each other more serendipitously and real-time through shared experiences in a way that is more akin to how they would do in real life." On the other hand, Bumble has indicated that it is keeping its sights on the online dating category. The company has recently acquired Gen Z dating platform Fruitz for an undisclosed sum.
by JT Ripton
See full article at Benzinga
See the top news on Dating Group
See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Bumble
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Google to Let Spotify Use an Alternative Payment System
BARRON'S - Alphabet's Google and Spotify Technology have reached a deal that allows the streaming giant to offer its own billing service within its app, paving the way for other developers to wrestle back billing control from app stores amid antitrust concerns. Google said the partnership with Spotify was a pilot with a small number of participating developers, designed to explore ways to offer users the choice to pay the developers directly while maintaining Google's "ability to invest in the ecosystem." The company plans to explore user billing choice in other select countries. Over the last year, Google's parent company, Alphabet, and Apple have faced antitrust litigation regarding the fees the app stores charge developers. Spotify and Google did not disclose whether - or how much - Spotify will have to pay Google for in-app billing services. If Google was imposing a lower fee, it could serve as a positive precedent for other app developers, like Match Group and Bumble.
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Russia's App Store Lost 7K Apps Since Its Invasion of Ukraine
TECH CRUNCH - The Russian App Store has lost 6,982 mobile apps since the start of the Ukraine invasion, as numerous companies have now pulled their apps and games from Apple's iPhone and iPad App Stores in the country. Amid the widespread exits, several Big Tech companies' apps continue to rank highly on the Russian App Store. Russia is not the only country being impacted in this way. Many publishers also removed their apps and games from the App Store in Belarus. That country has now seen a loss of 5,900 apps since the invasion's start. Bumble and Badoo are gone, too.
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Which Dating Apps Got the Most Press Coverage Last Year?
OPW - Last year, we mentioned 281 internet dating industry brands in 1,066 posts. Although Match Group and its brands are clearly dominating this list, Bumble takes first place this time, even though only by one post. Here is the full list of companies with the most press coverage for last year.
- Bumble (131 posts)
- Tinder (130 posts)
- Match Group (96 posts)
- OkCupid (43 posts)
- Hinge (42 posts)
- Match.com (35 posts - shared)
- Grindr (35 posts - shared)
- The Meet Group (31 posts)
- Blued (23 posts)
- Spark Networks (22 posts)
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Why Bumble Is Calling on Daters to Close the Romance Gap
ADWEEK - According to a survey commissioned by Bumble and conducted by YouGov, 74% of people believe different gender expectations and behaviors exist in romantic relationships. 52% said society expects men to take the lead in relationships; 32% of women voiced concerns about appearing to be clingy, attached or desperate while dating; and a third of women admitted they changed their behavior to make matches feel more powerful or comfortable. In a campaign by 72andSunny Amsterdam, Bumble showcases women from around the world who deliver a speech about romantic inequalities. The digital campaign will run in the U.K., Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.
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