OPW - Feb 18 - Gay dating app Chappy shutting down, Facebook Dating Launch in Europe Postponed, Tinder's New Social Features, GDI & Global Love Conference.
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SENSORTOWER - Feb 18 - The top grossing dating app worldwide for January 2020 was Tinder with $86M in user spending. 40% percent of Tinder's revenue was from the United States, followed by 7% from UK and 5% from Brazil. Bumble was #2 with $20M in gross revenue, which represented 27% YOY growth.
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2OCEANSVIBE - Feb 13 - Lover is a recently launched app that helps couples to get that spark back, by tackling particular issues like low libido, boredom, or dissatisfaction in the bedroom. The app has apparently received notable funding from "the founder of Tinder" (according to Mashable), but we're unsure which founder it is. The app boasts hours of activities covering everything from low desire to difficulty reaching orgasm.
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TECH CRUNCH - Feb 14 - Tinder is testing a series of new social features designed to boost conversations between users. One of them is a conversational prompt that encourages users to respond to questions or finish a sentence in order to better showcase their personality with their answers. The other, a "Share to Matches" option, allows users to post photos, looping videos and other content that can only be seen by their existing matches. Because the features are tests, some users may see both, some may see neither, and some may see just one or the other. Tinder declined to say where or when the tests were running or when they may roll out more broadly to users.
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FOX BUSINESS - Feb 14 - The loophole allows users to delete and remake their profiles, giving them a second chance to reappear as suggestions for people who previously "swiped left" on their profiles. One Twitter user wrote directly to Tinder on the social media site in April, saying, "Hi Tinder! I would like an explanation as to why a profile that I've swiped left on at least 10 times in the past keeps reappearing. I've tried to report it through the app to no avail." Tinder did not respond to the tweet.
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THE JAKARTA POST - Feb 14 - Tinder is set to release an interactive video titled Swipe Night in Indonesia in March. Available on the Tinder app, Swipe Night brings users on a first-person apocalyptic adventure. The interactive video requires them to make choices at key turning points and their decisions will impact their matches when the journey ends.
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PEDESTRIAN.TV - Feb 11 - Tinder has launched 'Date To Donate' this year with Australian Venue Co. Tinder is going to match up to $100 of what users spend on food and drinks on Feb 14 and donate it to Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation.
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REUTERS - Feb 11 - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has ordered some of the country's major internet companies to give it continuous access to their systems. The list, drawn up by Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, contains more than 200 entities such as popular messenger service Telegram, some Yandex services, social network VK and classified advertisement website Avito.ru. Companies that fail to comply can be blocked. Tinder said last year that it had agreed to be added to Roskomnadzor's register but had not divulged users' personal information.
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OPW - Feb 11 - Match Group's financial results, $2.2B Spent on Dating Apps, Tinder lost Chief Product Officer, New Pew Research Report, Matrimony Acquired Astro-Vision.
For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts
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TECH CRUNCH - Feb 7 - Tinder is expanding users' filtering capabilities. There would be both free and paid options available. In addition, Tinder will also soon roll out new social engagement features, which the company describes as a way for users "to express themselves and show their interests". These would involve a set of text and photo prompts that encourage people to be more thoughtful with their conversations. The prompts are expected to arrive in Q1 2020. Tinder has also confirmed that its in-app, choose-your-own-adventure style story called Swipe Night will roll out to ten new markets this quarter, in parts of Europe and Asia.
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THE INFORMATION - Feb 5 - Tinder's chief product officer, Ravi Mehta, has left the company after less than a year in the role. Mehta joined Tinder in April 2019 from Facebook, where he was a product director working on the social network’s efforts to reach younger users.
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CNET - Feb 5 - Consumers dropped $2.2B on dating apps last year, according to App Annie's State of Mobile Report. The amount is double what was spent two years ago. Tinder and Bumble came in first and second in terms of consumer spending.
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THE MEDIA TIMES - Feb 4 - Tinder informed the Irish data protection officer that it is not necessary to pass on "strictly confidential" information, such as entire chat logs, to users who have requested their data in accordance with strict data protection laws. The data protection agency launched an investigation into Tinder on Tuesday, which raised concerns about the processing of user data and compliance with "applications for protection rights" – when a single user requests all information that a company has.
by Antwan Echeverria
See full article at The Media Times
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MATCH GROUP - Feb 4 - Match Group total Q4 revenue grew 20% YOY to $547M. The number of subscribers increased 19% to 9.8M, up from 8.2M in Q4 2018. Tinder subscribers were 5.9M in Q4 2019, up 36% YOY. Tinder direct revenue grew 39% YOY. Operating income was $180M, up 19% YOY. Full year 2019 revenue reached $2.1B, up 19% YOU. Tinder 2019 revenue was up 43% YOY - $1.2B. Operating income was up 17% YOY - $649M.
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OPW - Feb 4 - Match Group's new CEO, Andrey Andreev moves on, US Inquiry Over Underage Use, Tinder & GDPR, Grindr hit with a class-action lawsuit.
For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts
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, Radio Public
or Apple Podcasts
.
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TECH CRUNCH - Feb 4 - Tinder is the latest tech service to find itself under formal investigation in Europe over how it handles user data. Under Europe's GDPR, EU citizens have a number of rights over their personal data - such as the right to request deletion or a copy of their data. It's not clear exactly which GDPR rights have been complained about by Tinder users but some have accused the company of not providing a copy of all the data it holds on them. Tinder's statement: "Transparency and protecting our users' personal data is of utmost importance to us. We are fully cooperating with the Data Protection Commission, and will continue to abide by GDPR and all applicable laws."
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OPW - Feb 1 - The Annual iDate Awards are out. Here are the highlights.
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METRO.CO.UK - Jan 27 - Tinder has come up with a photo verification method whereby selected users will be asked to take a selfie that matches a pose shown by a model in a sample image. Tinder advises doing this twice before requesting verification. The photos are then sent to Tinder's community team, which determines whether the account is legitimate or not. If all is as it should be, a blue checkmark will be assigned to the account. Tinder is also working on a tool to weed out potentially offensive messages. The new moves come after a partnership with safety app Noonlight which give daters an easy way to call emergency services.
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NEWSDIO - Jan 27 - Tinder will use machine learning to automatically detect potentially offensive messages. If a message is marked on the system, Tinder will ask its recipient: "Does this bother you?" If the answer is yes, Tinder will direct them to the report form. The new feature is currently available in 11 countries and nine languages, with plans to eventually expand to all languages and countries where the application is used.
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TECH CRUNCH - Jan 23 - Match Group has invested in and partnered with connected safety platform Noonlight to roll out a series of new safety features to its dating apps. The tools include emergency assistance, location tracking, photo verification, and an updated in-app Safety Center. Match Group didn't disclose the size of the investment, but did say it was joining Noonlight's Board of Directors. Noonlight, which has been operating for five years, today partners with Uber, Lyft, Alexa, Google Home, Fitbit, Canary, SmartThings and others. It has handled ~100K emergencies to date and runs 3 monitoring centers. One key addition to Tinder, powered by Noonlight, will allow U.S. users to share details about upcoming dates via Noonlight's Timeline technology. Tinder users will be able to share who they are meeting, where and when by adding the date to their timeline. Another new feature will allow users to easily and discreetly trigger emergency services via the Noonlight app, if they're feeling uneasy or in need of assistance.
by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch
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This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
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