Latest news with #TinderSocial
Cosmopolitan
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
What Is Tinder's New Double Date Feature?
Earlier this week, Tinder launched 'Double Date,' a new feature that allows users to—wait for it—double date by pairing their profiles with friends and swiping for other paired matches. Double Daters can sync their profiles with up to three friends, arguably rendering the 'Double Date' of it all something of a misnomer, but that's neither here nor there. For world-weary daters like myself who have been swiping since the apps went mainstream a decade ago, this news may trigger flashbacks to the mid-2010s chaos that was 'Tinder Social,' a similar (and relatively short-lived) feature that allowed daters to swipe as a group. But enough showing my age. While Tinder Social was ostensibly a flop, launching in 2016 and sunsetting the following year, the app seems to be betting on a new generation of daters better suited to the group-dating mentality. As Tinder's resident relationship expert, Devyn Simone, puts it, 'Gen Z isn't shy about being, well, a little shy.' For a generation of post-pandemic daters who crave in-person interaction but were deprived of it during their formative years, 'Dating can feel like a high-stakes performance,' Simone tells Cosmo. Double Date 'turns it into a team sport, one that comes with a built-in gut check.' Meanwhile, in an age of dating-app burnout where singles are craving real-life connections but aren't sure where to find them, a group-date scenario—however app-originated—could potentially make a first date feel less like an algorithmically generated job interview and more like a low-stakes hang where sparks can fly (or not) organically. According to a press release, the new feature has already proven popular among its target demo, with nearly 90 percent of Double Date profiles coming from users under 29 years old (the oldest Gen Zs are, like my Zillennial self, currently 28). Testing also found that the feature may be particularly attractive to women, who were three times more likely to swipe right on a pair than on an individual profile. As for how that's playing out in real life—well, as one TikToker put it, 'Everywhere I turn they release more tools for men to be absolutely heinous because why did they release a Double Date feature on Tinder? I do not need to be seeing more than one of you guys at once.' Anyway, whether this summer is destined to be the summer of double (or triple or quadruple) dates or Double Date is headed for the same fate as its Millennial predecessor, I think we can all get on board with anything that gets us out of the house and actually interacting with other people. Life's short, go forth and date (with friends!).
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Tinder bets on group dating feature to win back Gen Z
Tired of navigating the online dating landscape alone? Now you can swipe right along with friends. Tinder launched a double-dating feature on June 17, allowing users to create joint profiles with friends to match with other pairs. Double Date, as the feature is called, is the refined version of the failed 2016 product Tinder Social, which was discontinued in 2017 over privacy concerns and user confusion about its purpose. To activate Double Date, users select up to three friends to create a pair with. Then they can browse and like other paired users. When both pairs like each other, a group chat opens between all four people to coordinate plans. The feature also allows users to message individuals within a matched pair privately if they want to transition to a one-on-one conversation. Users can maintain multiple pairings with different friends while keeping their individual dating profile separate. The feature was popular with young users when it was tested in Europe and Latin America. Cleo Long, Tinder's head of product marketing, said the feature is meant to help relieve dating stress for younger users. 'This is a social-first experience that's really meant to help relieve some of the pressure that we know a lot of Gen Z experiences with dating by making it more social, more fun, and bringing your friends in to help reinforce that comfort piece,' Long said. Tinder said nearly 90% of people who tried Double Date were under 29, aligning with the company's push to retain Gen Z. The group dynamic appears to resonate with women, who were three times more likely to show interest in paired profiles compared to individual ones during testing. Users in group chats also sent significantly more messages – about 35% more than typical one-on-one conversations. The company said the feature helped bring users to the platform. About 15% of people who accepted Double Date invitations were either completely new to Tinder or returning after a period of inactivity. The positive testing results prompted Tinder to accelerate its US launch ahead of schedule. Tinder is owned by Match Group Inc, the company behind Hinge and OkCupid. It is facing mounting pressure on its business. In the first quarter of 2025, Match Group reported a 5% decline in paying subscribers across all its apps, while Tinder saw a 7% decrease in subscriptions. In response to these shifts, Match made the decision to lay off approximately 325 employees, or 13% of its workforce. These recent losses are part of a broader pattern. Tinder's paying user base has slipped from more than 11 million subscribers in late 2022 to roughly 9.1 million today. The consistent decline has caught the attention of activist investors, including Elliott Investment Management. The mounting pressure led to significant leadership changes within the company. In May, Tinder chief executive Faye Iosotaluno announced she would step down in July after less than two years in the role. Spencer Rascoff, who was appointed Match chief executive in February to tackle the slowdown in user engagement, stepped in to lead Tinder directly. Rascoff has outlined an ambitious technology-focused turnaround plan. In an internal memo viewed by the Wall Street Journal , he called on staff to speed up product changes and use artificial intelligence, emphasising that employees should prioritise user experience over short-term revenue. The company has rolled out AI features that help users create better profiles and prompt them to reconsider potentially inappropriate messages before sending them. Tinder has also launched 'The Game Game', which uses OpenAI's speech-to-speech technology to let users practice flirting with AI-generated personas in over-the-top scenarios designed to reduce dating anxiety through humour. During the company's first quarter earnings call, Rascoff noted that Match's apps have fallen out of favour with younger daters because many saw using them as a 'numbers game'. He believes Double Date can help shift perceptions, calling it less 'hook-uppy' and more about having 'a good time as friends'. Tinder's struggles reflect broader trends in the dating app industry. Dating apps have been losing their appeal amongst singles in recent years, especially Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012. Only 26% of online dating services users in the US are 18 to 29 years old, while 30 to 49-year-olds comprise 61% of that same user base. Gen Z increasingly prefers meeting potential partners through mutual friends and real-world gatherings. Los Angeles has become a testing ground for dating alternatives that skip swiping entirely. Start-ups like El Segundo-based First Round's on Me encourage immediate in-person meetups, while Venice's Lox Club hosts weekly community events for singles to mingle. Whether Double Date can reverse Tinder's fortunes remains to be seen, but Rascoff is betting that the future of dating lies not in perfecting the swipe, but in reimagining how people connect. Gen Z is 'not a hookup generation', he said. 'They don't drink as much alcohol, they don't have as much sex. We need to adapt our products to accept that reality.' – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Tinder bets on group dating feature to win back Gen Z
Tired of navigating the online dating landscape alone? Now you can swipe right along with friends. Tinder launched a double-dating feature Tuesday, allowing users to create joint profiles with friends to match with other pairs. Double Date, as the feature is called, is the refined version of the failed 2016 product Tinder Social, which was discontinued in 2017 over privacy concerns and user confusion about its purpose. To activate Double Date, users select up to three friends to create a pair with. Then they can browse and like other paired users. When both pairs like each other, a group chat opens between all four people to coordinate plans. The feature also allows users to message individuals within a matched pair privately if they want to transition to a one-on-one conversation. Users can maintain multiple pairings with different friends while keeping their individual dating profile separate. The feature was popular with young users when it was tested in Europe and Latin America. Cleo Long, Tinder's head of product marketing, said the feature is meant to help relieve dating stress for younger users. 'This is a social-first experience that's really meant to help relieve some of the pressure that we know a lot of Gen Z experiences with dating by making it more social, more fun, and bringing your friends in to help reinforce that comfort piece,' Long said. Tinder said nearly 90% of people who tried Double Date were under 29, aligning with the company's push to retain Gen Z. The group dynamic appears to resonate with women, who were three times more likely to show interest in paired profiles compared to individual ones during testing. Users in group chats also sent significantly more messages – about 35% more than typical one-on-one conversations. The company said the feature helped bring users to the platform. About 15% of people who accepted Double Date invitations were either completely new to Tinder or returning after a period of inactivity. The positive testing results prompted Tinder to accelerate its U.S. launch ahead of schedule. Tinder is owned by Match Group Inc., the company behind Hinge and OkCupid. It is facing mounting pressure on its business. In the first quarter of 2025, Match Group reported a 5% decline in paying subscribers across all its apps, while Tinder saw a 7% decrease in subscriptions. In response to these shifts, Match made the decision to lay off approximately 325 employees or 13% of its workforce. These recent losses are part of a broader pattern. Tinder's paying user base has slipped from more than 11 million subscribers in late 2022 to roughly 9.1 million today. The consistent decline has caught the attention of activist investors, including Elliott Investment Management. The mounting pressure led to significant leadership changes within the company. In May, Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno announced she would step down in July after less than two years in the role. Spencer Rascoff, who was appointed Match CEO in February to tackle the slowdown in user engagement, stepped in to lead Tinder directly. Rascoff has outlined an ambitious technology-focused turnaround plan. In an internal memo viewed by the Wall Street Journal, he called on staff to speed up product changes and use artificial intelligence, emphasizing that employees should prioritize user-experience over short-term revenue. The company has rolled out AI features that help users create better profiles and prompt them to reconsider potentially inappropriate messages before sending them. Tinder has also launched 'The Game Game,' which uses OpenAIs speech-to-speech technology to let users practice flirting with AI-generated personas in over-the-top scenarios designed to reduce dating anxiety through humor. During the company's first quarter earnings call, Rascoff noted that Match's apps have fallen out of favor with younger daters because many saw using them as a 'numbers game.' He believes Double Date can help shift perceptions, calling it less 'hook-uppy' and more about having 'a good time as friends.' Tinder's struggles reflect broader trends in the dating app industry. Dating apps have been losing their appeal amongst singles in recent years, especially Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012. Only 26% of online dating services users in the U.S. are 18 to 29 years old, while 30 to 49-year-olds comprise 61% of that same user base. Gen Z increasingly prefers meeting potential partners through mutual friends and real-world gatherings. Los Angeles has become a testing ground for dating alternatives that skip swiping entirely. Startups like El Segundo-based First Round's on Me encourage immediate in-person meetups, while Venice's Lox Club hosts weekly community events for singles to mingle. Whether Double Date can reverse Tinder's fortunes remains to be seen, but Rascoff is betting that the future of dating lies not in perfecting the swipe, but in reimagining how people connect. 'At the end of the day, dating should feel less like work and more like play,' he said.
