Tinder announced a handful of new app updates, including several AI-powered features, marking its latest attempt to revitalize the brand for the crucial Gen Z audience.
The changes, revealed during an event in Los Angeles on Thursday, They include a combination of new features, improvements to existing ones, and some additional security measures.
“With more than half of our users under the age of 30, “We are building alongside a generation that wants dating to feel more authentic, less pressured, and worth it,” Spencer Rascoff, CEO of Tinder and its parent company, Match Group Inc., said in a statement.
Many dating companies, such as Match, Bumble Inc. and Grindr Inc., are facing a generational shift in the way young people prefer to meet other singles. Many users of different ages have reported feeling exhausted after using the apps continuously and not finding quality matches. A common theme in major companies’ strategies is to offer new features, many of which are powered by artificial intelligence. Bumble announced earlier this week an AI-based assistant that acts as a personal matchmaker.
The new features of Tinder include:
- A real-time video speed dating experience within the app, available later this spring. Users who have their photo verified will be able to join virtual events scheduled for 3-minute video chats.
- A new function of “Events” allows users to discover local activities and see who else is interested in attending. Meetings run the gamut, including group classes and trivia nights. The feature will premiere first in Los Angeles as part of a pilot program.
- He The app’s “Music Mode” has been redesigned to connect users with common music tastes. This feature prioritizes profiles with similar interests and gives them more prominent placement.
- a new “Astrology Mode” allows users to add their birth details to their profile and see more detailed information about how they might align with a potential partner.
- The function Chemistry from Tinder, which uses AI to analyze profile information, user responses to questions, and photo information to facilitate more meaningful connections, will be released in the US and Canada. It is now available in Australia and New Zealand.
The brand is also introducing a real-time recommendation system called Learning Mode, which is designed to better understand what people are searching for and make better recommendations.
Regarding security, Tinder announced improvements to its “Are You Sure?” feature, which alerts users to potentially offensive language before sending. It also plans to add an auto-blur feature to its “Is this bothering you?” tool, which detects potentially inappropriate messages.
Another improvement is the new initiative “Tinder Connect,” which seeks to incorporate more of the user’s real life into their profile, based on the apps they already use. The tool collaborates with partners like Duolingo and Beli to better highlight user interests, from language to food tastes. The company claimed to have been successful with the integration of Spotify into the platform.
While Match and other dating companies are investing heavily in AI to redesign their most popular apps, It is not clear that this is what most users want. Generation Z, who generally date less than older generations, reported greater discomfort than millennials with using AI to compose profile messages and respond to messages, or to modify profile photos, according to a survey published last year by Bloomberg Intelligence.
