If you don’t follow the online dating industry closely, it might seem to you that there have not been so many changes in recent years. However, active users of dating sites and applications will confirm the opposite; there have been a lot of changes! Some of these changes are very important!
Today we want to review the most popular dating services of our time and their key innovations that you might have missed. We have a lot to disclose about them. In recent times, developers have not been sitting idle. They have been actively engaged in improving their services. Some of them managed to surprise the audience and users. Let’s look at what they came up with!
Five popular dating services that could offer something new
Let’s take a look at some online dating sites that have been household names lately and are developing more actively than others. They include “oldies” from the world of web dating, as well as new players. They all deserve attention!
Tinder
When the Tinder app was launched in 2012, it was something new for internet users at that time. The qualities that appealed to millions are the original matching algorithm, the selection of potential partners by geolocation, and the unusual swipe format that turned the search for love into an exciting mini-game.
Subsequently, Tinder continued to develop actively, introducing additional functionalities as seen in the years below:
- 2014: Tinder Plus; this is an updated monetization format. In some situations, it is very aggressive, which was perceived loyally by far from all users.
- 2015: Integration with Instagram and Facebook is a useful innovation that added a social component to dating and greatly simplified the search.
- 2017: Tinder Gold; this provides you with the opportunity to see who likes you on Tinder.
- 2019: Traveler Alert; this is a special alert that goes off in potentially dangerous places for members of the LGBT community.
- 2020: Panic Button / “Are You Sure?” These are a few more safety features that allow you to send a signal that you are in danger directly from the Tinder app.
- 2021: Plus One; this is an unusual feature for finding a wedding companion. It is useful for those who do not want to be alone at such an event.
In 2023, the developers plan to put a special emphasis on Swipe Party virtual dates. There have been talks for some time about creating their own Tinder metaverse. However, the question remains, “when and in what form will it be launched?”
Bumble
In Bumble we know that it is the girls who make the first step toward dating. The development of the platform can hardly be called fast-moving, nonetheless, some interesting recent innovations are still worth noting:
- 2019: It launched its own lifestyle magazine, Bumble Mag.
- 2021: Bumble was listed on the Nasdaq and its shares rose from $43 to $76. In the same year, the functionality of the application was expanded. Additionally, the functions of video chat and voice messages were improved.
- 2022: The company acquired Fruitz, a French free dating app popularly known as Generation Z.
An interesting fact to note: In April 2022, it became possible for Bumble users who report abuse to take courses from Bloom for free and get expert support.
Hinge
The Hinge service began active development in 2019 when US presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg announced that he met his future wife on the app. In the same year, the Hinge Labs platform was launched to study successful matches and fine-tune the compatibility algorithm. In October 2021, the voice message function appeared for quick and comfortable voice communication.
Dating.com
Dating.com was one of the first to launch a dating metaverse called Decentraland built on blockchain technology. The company’s goal is to remove any geographical barriers and form intercontinental pairs in a way that no one has done before.
In the metaverse, it will be possible to issue a “blockchain marriage,” and the marriage certificate will be provided in the form of an NFT. Nonetheless, for a modern user, this may seem too complicated and strange, but the precedent is definitely interesting.
Gleam
This is a rather non-standard dating app that offers video chat as a first date. When you have a match, Gleam gives you 10 minutes to video chat. After that, the connection is terminated. If both participants were satisfied with the communication and are ready to continue their acquaintance, Gleam will provide them with more opportunities. On the other hand, if one person was not enthusiastic, the app will not return to the dialogue.
Catch the Hype Train: why is everyone actively implementing the video chat function?
In fact, everything is logical. It is high time people left the format of texting to the past; when the Internet was slow and expensive in the early 2000s. Today, there is absolutely no need to communicate by text. You can easily exchange voice and video messages. Most importantly, you can communicate via video from almost anywhere in the world. Network such as 3G is enough for video chats in most cases. Currently, the 4G and 5G are in excess!
Among other things, video communication is much closer to a live conversation when compared to texting. You can see the interlocutor in front of you, hear their intonations, understand their emotions, watch the gestures, read their lips, and so on. This helps one to get to know a person much better and faster. As a result, your first real meeting will be predictable, comfortable, and productive making it easy to avoid unpleasant “surprises.”
Therefore, it is not surprising that any self-respecting online dating service is currently/actively promoting video chats as the main communication format. Wasting your time on texting simply does not make sense!
Three reasons why classic video chat is better than built-in web chat in a dating app
Millennials who have been actively using the Internet for more than a decade will confirm that video chat is far from a new phenomenon in the online dating industry. Additionally, attentive users will tell you that in 2009, the first random Omegle web chat appeared making it possible for individuals to communicate with random people only via text. After six months, a built-in video chat appeared. Thanks to the video chat option, Omegle at one time nearly became the main online dating service.
Over time, many alternatives to Omegle have emerged and attracted the audience with new and additional features. During the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, interest in this dating format soared to the limit — Omegle’s active audience tripled in a few months.
Why do contemporaries like video chats so much? Below are three main reasons!
- Dating in video chats saves a lot of time
Classic dating sites and apps have one goal. The goal is to keep you as long as possible and encourage you to pay for premium access. They don’t want you to quickly meet your love and leave the site. Therefore, the search for a soul mate might eventually turn into an endless routine that will not yield any positive results.
According to statistics, the average user of the dating application spends 1-1.5 hours per day. That is a lot. The problem is also that acquaintances on the dating site do not always end up offline while they endlessly text one another, which never leads to anything. Online video chat is much more effective in this regard. In essence, this is an online date, which becomes a key step towards meeting offline in the future.
- Not all contemporaries are ready to trust the search for love due to dubious algorithms
No matter how much dating service developers advertise their “unique” and “exclusive” algorithms, they are still very imperfect. Moreover, in some cases, they only complicate the search for a soul mate. For example, you took a personality test and accidentally chose the wrong answer several times. As a result, the algorithm starts looking for partners that are not quite suitable for you. It can be very difficult to “retrain” it.
Omegle and its analogues work more on the principle of chance and do not drive you into any framework. You are in control of all the search settings. For example, Omegle has a language filter and interest search. However, there is no gender filter. An alternative to Omegle called OmeTV offers gender and geographic filters, as well as a built-in message translator. Nonetheless, videochatomegle.com is a real find for men who want to meet and communicate exclusively with girls. It uses a unique gender filter that is never wrong. During registration, each lady must confirm their personal data. Also, there is a built-in message translator; you can choose the language of communication. Hence, the Omegle alternative features top-notch moderation and support. It does not have any controversial algorithms!
- Video chats are much cheaper than dating sites and apps. Some are completely free
Nearly every modern dating service is a real money-pumping machine. Moreover, you have to pay for everything, ranging from registration to the ability to respond to an incoming message. Therefore, if you want to use the full functionality of Tinder or Bumble, be prepared to invest in it.
In this regard, video chats are much more economical. Omegle, for example, is completely free. However, it doesn’t have so many functionalities in it, and moderation leaves much to be desired. The Omegle alternative, videochatomegle.com is paid, but the functionality is an order of magnitude wider, moderation is better, and the gender filter works as it should. In this alternative to Omegle only girls can be connected with men. In addition, VideochatOmegle.com offers a free trial period to all new users. This is enough to form your own opinion about this site and decide whether you are ready to pay for its functionality.
Well, now let’s sum up
Online dating does not stand still, and right now, it is becoming increasingly obvious. It is likely that in a few years, it will change beyond recognition. Currently, it’s hard to say how popular metaverses will become and whether they are the future of all online dating. They look interesting and original at the moment, but only in theory. In practice, we see extremely “raw” products that have a long way to go in their development.
The types of dating formats to choose for individuals who don’t consider using new dating apps/site
For such people, we recommend classic dating sites and apps, as well as Omegle alternatives — video chats for quick dating with random people. Nonetheless, this is the most effective and efficient way to make new acquaintances, find friends and look for a soul mate. However, it’s up to you to decide. Good luck!