Jamie F
AI selfie-generator promises dating app “leg-up”
Photo AI, an image generator that produces attractive, professional-looking selfies when you train it on ‘real’ photos of yourself, is marketing itself as a Tinder profile photo generator.
The site’s subscription fees start at $29 per month, making it far more expensive than most selfie-generating apps, with its makers claiming this is justified because it saves money on professional photo shoots… which is what you normally do for your dating selfies, right?
“I understand the challenges individuals face when selecting the ideal profile picture that truly represents them. You’re going up against thousands of other people who are also trying to show their best side, so why not give yourself a little leg up?” Pieter Levels, Photo AI’s founder, said.
The selfies Photo AI generates are pretty impressive, but you can still tell they’re not quite real – which could be a problem on dating apps, as it could potentially raise suspicions about bots and fake profiles. However, as the images are based on a real person, they could be verified on apps in the normal way.
And hey, who comes to dating apps for an authentic experience, anyway? Oh.
Swiping far right in France
A dating app for right wing people has launched in France, featuring the motto “Patriotism has never been so romantic”.
Droite au Coeur, which translates to “straight to the heart” was co-founded by far-right influencer Yuhan Pawer. The new app was reportedly grounded in the principles of defending France and its “Christian roots” and, unsurprisingly, has been called out for allegedly promoting questionable ideals.
To use the app you have to specify your ethnicity and religion, and whether you have or want children.
Cécile Simmons, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, told Euronews: “For me, it’s motivated by the desire to exclude. On the app, there’s a mention of having children. There’s the idea, implicitly, that people will meet and have white children… it’s motivated by anxieties about racial replacement.”
Pronouns option added to Tinder
In a move unlikely to be emulated by Droite au Coeur, Tinder has started to roll out the option to add your pronouns to your profile on the app. The feature is optional, and is being tested in various Tinder markets before possibly becoming global.
Tinder said you can list up to four pronouns on your profile. He/she/they/them said: “Pronouns allow our members to add depth and breadth to their profile. Like names, pronouns are an important part of who someone is and how to properly refer to them. We want our members to feel supported in communicating and expressing all aspects of themselves, including pronouns.”
You can add your pronouns by clicking ‘Edit Profile’ on Tinder.
Match starts the 72–hour dating clock
The dating app Match has launched a new ‘72 Hours’ function to encourage you to stop faffing around with text messaging and speed up your dating life. It’s a ‘live’ function that begins on Thursdays, showing you potential matches in the area you can send messages to, with messages disappearing 72 hours later, on the Sunday.
The idea is that you have to get on with organizing an ‘IRL’ date within those three days, or forget it and move on. It was launched in New York this June and will be rolled out wider in the coming months.
‘Bumble for friends’ offshoot app to launch
Bumble BFF, the ‘friend-finding only’ option within the Bumble dating app, is reportedly set to launch as a standalone app.
A source told Mashable that the offshoot app could launch in the US this summer, and has been tested in the UK and Asia. Bumble BFF already reportedly accounts for 15 percent of the main app’s active monthly users, so it could well be a growth area for Bumble.
