TECH CRUNCH - A new dating app called After launches in Austin, Texas, aiming to reduce ghosting by requiring users to explain why they unmatched someone before continuing to swipe. After nudges users to respond to messages, and if they don't, the match expires. The app focuses on accountability, offering closure for unmatched users and limiting inactive matches. It also includes features like dating guides, mood check-ins, and operates on a freemium model. After plans to expand throughout Texas before reaching other states.
11 posts categorized "Reporters - Aisha Malik"
New Dating App "After" Launches in Austin to Combat Ghosting
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Twitter's Former Head of Trust & Safety, Yoel Roth, Joins Match Group
TECH CRUNCH - Yoel Roth, former head of Trust & Safety at Twitter, has joined Match Group as VP of Trust and Safety. Roth, who faced harassment at Twitter, will now focus on ensuring safety across Match Group's dating apps, including Tinder and Hinge. With experience in handling online abuse, Roth aims to enhance user protection, particularly against scams and fraud. He also advocates for collaboration with app stores to improve safety measures. His move comes at a time when online dating safety is a growing concern, with a recent Pew Research study showing declining trust in the safety of online dating.
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Dating App Blush Launches With $7M in Funding
TECH CRUNCH - Invite-only dating app Blush has raised $7M in seed funding to scale and expand its platform. Founded in Oct 2023 by Matthew Alfin, Blush is currently operational in LA and plans to extend to cities like Miami, New York, Chicago, and Austin. It matches users based on shared favorite local venues, aiming to make online dating more personal and connected to real-life experiences. Blush also hosts private community events for members and offers zodiac compatibility charts. Future plans include broadening its reach and introducing an AI dating coach to provide personalized dating advice.
by Aisha Malik
See full article at Tech Crunch
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
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Tinder Will Remove Social Handles From Profiles
TECH CRUNCH - Tinder is updating its community guidelines in a bid to keep the dating app safe and respectful. As part of the updates, Tinder will automatically remove social handles from bios and discourage users from posting private conversations with their matches on other platforms. In addition, Tinder is making it clear that an account should be for a single person, and that users in poly and open relationships should create separate accounts for each partner.
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Tinder Rolls out New Safety Features, Including an Incognito Mode
TECH CRUNCH - One of the new features is called "Incognito Mode" and is a step up from fully hiding your profile. Members can still swipe, but only those whom they've Liked will see them in their recommendations. The feature is designed to allow users to control who sees them while scrolling through profiles on Tinder. Incognito Mode is a premium feature available for Tinder+, Gold and Premium members. Tinder is also launching a new "Block Profile" feature that allows users to choose who they want to see on Tinder. In addition, Tinder is making it easier for users to report bad behavior by introducing "Long Press Reporting", which lets people tap and hold offensive messages, launching the reporting flow directly in the chat. Last, Tinder is updating its "Does This Bother you?" and "Are You Sure" prompts to include more language that it classifies as harmful.
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Executive Shake-Up at Match Group
TECH CRUNCH - Match Group is bringing on former VP of Product at Snap Will Wu as its new CTO in a newly created role. Wu will oversee product innovation across Match's portfolio of apps. Match says Wu will now work directly with its executives to launch new features, emerging technologies, and innovative products. Gary Swidler, who was previously the COO and CFO of Match, will become the president and CFO of the Group. In addition, Malgosia Green, who was previously CEO of Plenty of Fish, will become CEO of Match Group Asia. Hesam Hosseini, the CEO of Match and Affinity brands, will become CEO of Evergreen & Emerging Brands. In this position, Hosseini will oversee Match, Meetic, Plenty of Fish and OkCupid, in addition to emerging brands such as The League, BLK and Chispa. Last, Justin McLeod, the founder & CEO of Hinge, will now report directly to Kim.
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Relationship App Sparks Helps Couples Plan Dates
TECH CRUNCH - Sparks is an app for couples looking to introduce new and fun experiences to their lives. The Barcelona-based startup, which exhibited as part of the Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt, debuted as an MVP in May 2021 and officially launched this week. The startup was founded by CEO Ankit Nayal, who came up with the idea for Sparks after reflecting on his relationship with his partner. He found that he and his partner were often too busy to find things to do together. Nayal decided to create an app focused on helping couples enhance their relationships by finding new experiences, whether it's choosing a new movie, recipe, game, restaurant or vacation. The startup is looking to raise a pre-seed round in Q1 of 2023 and plans to use the funding to add more features to the app.
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Hinge's Latest Feature Aims to Help Users Spark Conversations About Self-care
TECH CRUNCH - Hinge is introducing a new "Self-Care Prompts" feature that is designed to inspire initial conversations between matches about self-care priorities. Hinge's in-app prompts are conversation starters that users answer as part of their profiles and are displayed to potential matches. There are 15 new self-care prompts that users can answer and add to their profiles.
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Tinder Is Partnering With Spotify for a New 'Music Mode' Feature
TECH CRUNCH - Users will hear a 30-second looped preview of a potential matches' chosen song while checking out their profile. Users who link their Spotify accounts and add a chosen song, called an "Anthem," to their Tinder profiles will be able to enter Music Mode. It's worth noting that Tinder and Spotify first partnered in 2016 to launch the Anthem feature, which allows users to add music to their dating profiles. This latest integration is a new way for users to discover their potential matches' favorite songs. Music Mode will be rolling out to Tinder users globally, in all markets where Spotify is available, in the coming weeks.
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Hinge Launches 'Voice Prompts' Feature
TECH CRUNCH - Voice Prompts will allow users to answer a prompt through a 30-second voice recording. The new feature is rolling out globally. The company says 65% of its users say they believe hearing someone's voice would help them determine interest in a match, and 75% of users said it's difficult to feel connected with a match when their conversation is limited to just text and photos. Hinge also plans to launch a new "Voice Notes" feature later this fall. Bumble and Happn both have voice note features. Additionally, a new app called String lets users only communicate through voice notes.
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Tinder Is Releasing a New 'Plus One' Feature to Help Users Find a Wedding Date
TECH CRUNCH - Tinder is rolling out a new way for its users to find a plus one for the upcoming end-of-year wedding season. The new feature is accessible within Tinder's Explore section, which launched last month and offers ways to discover matches by interests and more. Starting today, the first 100 eligible Tinder users to join Plus One will receive $460 to help cover the costs associated with upcoming weddings, such as travel, gifts and accommodations.
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