LOVE IN THE ‘AIR’: HOW DATING APPS ARE COPING WITH COVID-19
A recent survey from the dating website OKCupid reveals that people are still looking for love, and they are using coronavirus as a conversation starter. Between January and March, COVID-19 has seen a boost in mentions on dating profiles by 262%.
An article about how dating apps are responding to the coronavirus pop up on my feed and caught my attention. For the lovesick singles looking to meet someone in the time of coronavirus, dating apps are taking some actions.
Social Media Interaction
Hinge, Tinder and Bumble — arguably three of the biggest social and online dating apps all put out announcements on their social media. Hinge wrote that users’ safety was most important. “At Hinge, our users’ safety is a top priority, and we want them to feel prepared during this pandemic,” On its website, Hinge also provided important tips from WHO. Bumble and Tinder shared similar messages.
Looking at their social media, I found they also increase the interactions with the users about coronavirus and give right guidance of using dating apps during the pandemic. Some of the dating apps get tagged for premium free for months and generously offered the deal.
In-app Features
Dating apps are all mobile-based platforms. Besides social media, Tinder and Bumble share safety messages with a new card that appears for swipers, saying that people should maintain distance during social events and etc.
With the quarantine time going on, we can assume Coronavirus speeds up to the future of dating apps.
FaceTime dates could become the new normal
Singles with once-vibrant dating lives have been forced to reckon with the changing landscape as health experts recommend even young and healthy people distance themselves from others during the coronavirus outbreak.
Some dating apps developed features like voice calls and video chat that allow for an even deeper connection without having to meet in public, or share your phone number or email.
Advanced technologies are brought to the table
Badoo already added live function to the app which allows the users to broadcast themselves in real-time. Coffee Meets Bagel has already initiated a video chat option for virtual dating.
Another relatively new dating option is augmented and virtual reality dates. This feature has great potential as it’s time-efficient and secure. For instance, the FlirtAR dating app uses AR technology to facilitate the process of making connections by swiping left and right.
Conclusions
On dating apps where conversations were often artificial and awkward, Coronavirus gives a chance for real conversations to happen and makes the flow of chats much smooth.
The dating app is one way to stay connected to real people without having to meet in the physical world. The virus actually gives dating apps an opportunity to increase online interactions and avoid loneliness.
Everyone is long distance now. It’s time for online dating to shine!
