Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Dating Via Video Chat Takes off Amid COVID-19

CTV NEWS - Apr 21 - Since the outbreak of coronavirus, a number of video-based dating apps have begun to surface, including Swivel and Quarantine Together. Even established dating apps such as Bumble are making adjustments to adapt to the new reality. One of the latest apps helping users connect via video is Teleport, formerly known as Firstdate. Founded in Toronto, the platform features a series of paid speed dating "events" organized by professional matchmakers from across the world. Users are hand-picked to join events based on compatibility. They meet with five people for six minutes each in an effort to find a match. The unique thing about the app, explained co-founder Chad Goodman, is that users can't look at each other's profiles before meeting. The app currently has ~6K users and is active in 21 countries. According to Goodman, video allows people to focus on what really matters when looking for a partner – a great connection. Hinge has a new "Date from Home" feature where users can tell someone whether or not they're ready for a virtual date.

by Jennifer Ferreira
See full article at CTV News

See the top news on Quarantine Together         See the top news on Teleport Dating
See the top news on Swivel                                See the top news on Hinge

The Top Dating Industry News for Apr 14th

OPW - Apr 14 - Hinge's "Date From Home" feature, Blindlee, Quarantine Together, Swivel, Bumble's Small Businesses Grant. Thanks to our sponsor RealMe. Helping dating apps improve trust and safety.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts , Spotify , Anchor , Stitcher , Overcast , Radio Public or Apple Podcasts . Listen to the trailer for the channel.

A 28-year-old CEO Launched a Quarantine Dating App

BUSINESS INSIDER - Apr 12 - Daniel Ahmadizadeh launched a new quarantine-inspired dating app - Quarantine Together. Since it was created in March, it's grown to 7K users with 20% increase in new users every day. Ahmadizadeh has also launched two new initiatives - one to help sales people affected by layoffs connect to companies that are hiring contractors, and another free suite of tools to help small businesses grow. Quarantine Together rewards people for behaviors that help "flatten the curve" (for example, washing hands and staying at home) by pairing them up with a new match each day at 6 p.m. Ahmadizadeh and his friend built an initial prototype that required no coding - using no-code tools like Zapier, Twilio, Airtable, Typeform, and Webflow - and launched the site with their own funding.

by Mary Kearl
See full article at Business Insider

See the top news on Quarantine Together

Quarantine Together Is a Dating App for These Times

CNN - Mar 29 - Daniel Ahmadizadeh and Christopher Smeder designed Quarantine Together, a dating app for exactly this moment. The app launched on March 8. The app is text-based. Every day at 6PM, the app asks its registered users whether they washed their hands. If they say yes, they are introduced to another user by text. After 15 minutes, the matched users will be offered a link to video chat.

by Aditi Sangal
See full article at CNN