Tinder, the outrageously popular free dating app, is going through a huge change. It's in the middle of launching a paid subscription product called Tinder Plus, currently being tested in some European countries. 

Many Tinder users feel that the update ruins everything that made the original version great, namely because it will limit the number of swipes users have. 

Tinder is popular, in large part, because it's so easy to use: you swipe right if you like someone and left if you don't. Users have an unlimited number of swipes, so it feels like a mobile game as much as a dating app (important for those who are still hesitant about online dating). In fact, lots of users keep the app in the "Games" folder of their phones. 

And Tinder doesn't require the lengthy, time-intensive profiles of OkCupid or Match.com. All you can see about other users is a maximum of five photographs and a short bio.

Here's what you see on Tinder: a photo, name, age, shared friends, and interests. 

Other apps — some of which aren't free — make dating seem like a chore. But Tinder is effortless. It's easy to pick up, swipe, and ignore. 

You can see in the chart below that Tinder currently dominates the US dating app market.

Tinder hasn't seen any serious dips in popularity since emerged on the scene in January 2013. It only dropped out of the top 250 US App Store ranking once.

Here's a chart from App Annie that shows Tinder's iOS App Store ranking. The blue line is the app's overall ranking in the US App Store. 

The app has continued to grow, even after 2013's sudden rise. Monthly active users have tripled in the last year.

But early signs indicate that Tinder Plus, which right now is being deployed to 40% of users in countries like the UK, Brazil, and Germany according to TechCrunch, won't be received in the same way as its predecessor.

Tinder Plus is an in-app subscription (not a separate app) that adds some interesting features to Tinder. Right now, users only encounter people who are nearby.  With Tinder Plus, the dating radius will expand. You can connect to people in other cities using a feature called "Passport." You can also undo any accidental swipes, eliminating the possibility of more serendipitous meetings. These are actually cool features, and nobody is freaking out about them (yet).

This is what it looks like when you encounter someone using Passport to swipe people in other places:

The biggest complaint is over what's going to happen to the free version of the app. Once the paid subscription service officially rolls out, Tinder users will have limited swipes. It's not clear yet how many right swipes people will have each day, as the amount is still being tested.

Fans of Tinder are already complaining about the update. Take a look at the long list of disappointed customer reviews on Tinder's UK App Store page, days after the company began testing Tinder Plus on European users:

App Store reviews aren't always an accurate indicator of an app's popularity, as an angry user is far more likely to leave a rating than a satisfied one. But the App Store does show a dip in Tinder's customer rating, now averaging at 1.5 stars compared to the 3.5 stars overall rating that includes previous versions of the app without Tinder Plus.

Most of the angry App Store reviews talk about what Tinder has taken away, instead of what it has added. It seems that the swipe limit has really upset some hardcore Tinder fans.

Here, via TechCrunch, is what Tinder users are so angry about:

So why is Tinder deciding to transform the casual dating app into something resembling a premium dating app? What you might not know about Tinder is that it isn't a small startup. In fact, it never has been.

Tinder originated as an experimental project from inside IAC, the giant company that owns some of the internet's most popular websites. As well as Tinder, IAC owns popular dating sites Match.com and OkCupid. IAC's Tinder experiment has been a success — now it's time to make some money.

The Tinder Plus model works for sites like OkCupid: Pay extra for cool new features. But Tinder isn't like IAC's other dating sites. In fact, you could argue that it's not a dating site at all. Tinder's casual, game-like nature has been a major part of its appeal. A subscription model makes Tinder more serious, more like online dating. And if early App Store reviews are anything to go by, Tinder users aren't taking kindly to Tinder Plus.

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NOW WATCH: A 13-Year-Old Made A Revolutionary Invention Out Of Legos And Now Intel Is Investing In His Company

Weed smokers finally have their own version of Tinder thanks to a new dating app called High There.

The idea behind the app is simple: Marijuana users aren't always comfortable bringing up on dates that they enjoy smoking weed, so High There removes that worry by creating a place for like-minded smokers to meet up with each other.

The Colorado-based startup is currently only available in the 23 states where marijuana is already legal in some form, so users shouldn't have to worry about the app disappearing anytime soon.

From a design standpoint, High There is looks a lot like Tinder. You swipe through profiles to find someone to connect with, and once you find a match you can message them with the app's built-in chat.

But before users start swiping they'll need to fill out some basic profile information about how they like to consume weed. Taking the stance that, like alcohol, people have their own particular tastes and preferences, users can specify whether they smoke, eat, or vaporize their weed.

You can also select how you usually react under the influence, with the ability to specify your "energy level when using cannabis." This is logically followed by what kind of activity you're in the mood for, enabling users to signal if they're looking to go out or stay inside.

High There joins a growing number of marijuana-oriented apps now available, many of which mirror the use of an already established app like Tinder or Uber, simply infused with a weed-smoking spin. There's even a Product Hunt collection called "CannabisHunt" that tallies all the apps now available for pot smokers.

High There is currently only available on Android (an iOS version is on its way), and if you're located in one of the 23 states where marijuana is legal, you can download it over at the Google Play store.

SEE ALSO: The 13 best new apps you might have missed recently

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Happn is the latest addition to the app-based dating scene. After securing $8 million (£5.2 million) of funding, it now boasts close to 2 million downloads and 700,000 active monthly users, founder Didier Rappaport told Business Insider UK. Around a third of those are in London.

Some have vilified the French app for being a stalker's dream. After all, Happn helps you track down strangers whom you've walked past, or queued for a coffee behind at Pret. "This happn app is taking stalking to the next level,"wrote Danny Skinner on Twitter. 

Rather than liking random people to match with in your general location (like Tinder), Happn uses GPS to connect users who cross paths within a 250 metre radius. So, whoever you encounter (knowingly or not) and like the look of, you can see if they're on Happn and tap the app's "heart" symbol to show your interest. If they heart you back then the dating begins. 

Happn works in a timeline system, so whoever you encounter most recently appears highest on your feed. There's no swiping, and if you want to push things forward and grab someone's attention — rather than wait for them to "heart" you — you can send them a "charm." There's a small fee involved for users who want to send out charms.

When compared with other dating apps like Tinder, Rappaport says "there's a huge difference."

"Happn uses hyper-location and works in real time," he says. "It's not like Tinder — sure, the swipe is clever, good marketing, but Happn has more to it. It's instant and simple, but allows people to express themselves and build a more substantial profile."

I signed up to the app this morning and immediately saw my Happn feed fill up with the women around me. I didn't recognise any women on the streets around me at lunchtime,  but back in the office, I discovered women who work in the same building as me. 

There's a lot of information about people available on Happn. You can see who you just walked past and where, how old they are, what they do for a living, how far away they are now, and even exactly when your paths crossed.

It does seem like an invite to stalkers, but then again, any dating app is likely to attract oddballs. Just look at Tinder. And, as Rappaport explains, the service allows you to block people, report foul play, and file official complaints. He said it was developed with only dating in mind.

"Happn puts the romanticism and spontaneity back into dating," he says. "You can use it when you meet someone and want to see them again. Or maybe you see them all the time but have never been able to say hello. Perhaps she/he works in the same area, or you met her at a party. You can discover the people around you. You might meet someone on the train and want to talk to them, but can't. Happn isn't a game. It's enriching. There's room for experimentation." 

So in 2015, instead of letting that would-be date get away because you lost his/her number, or fluffed your lines at the bar, you can find them on Happn and get a second chance. 

Rappaport says that he thought up the idea when perusing dating sites online. There, connecting with others takes time, and entering reams of information is tiresome. Instead, he says, Happn takes the best part of that and makes it instantaneous. 

"We are putting the reality into the online world," Rappaport explains. "It's an experience. If you are visiting an exhibition or a museum you can check Happn and see who else is there with you. You'd find who else is there. It stores them in the app."

Rappaport says Happn is doing well. Its user base is increasing every month, and in addition to the $8 million raised from DC Capital in London, there are plans to gain further investment this year. Happn is already in Paris, London, New York, Sydney, and parts of South America, and the team wants to see it expand internationally in the next year or so.

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Lots of people find it tricky to land a date on OkCupid. Others struggle to get matches on Tinder. So they're turning to Reddit to get hook-up and relationship advice from other online daters, Tech2 reports.

There's a new study carried out by Georgia Tech's (GT) College of Computing on the digital age of dating. It found that after people sign up to dating sites, they often register on Reddit to get tips on improving their chances.

The study shows that today, with so many people taking to dating apps and websites these days to hook-up and find a better half, online dating has become so important that it's become an area of interest for academic study.

The GT document focuses particularly on websites such as OkCupid and Tinder. While services such as these are ubiquitous in 2015, they're still quite new. Lots of people started dating long before the internet was invented. The point is, not everyone really knows the best way to navigate the world of right swipes and profile pictures. They need help.

If you search "dating" on Reddit you unearth dozens of subreddits (custom communities) where people discuss their attempts at finding love on the web. They also post tales of their failed attempts at romance; their success stories; their worries for the future.

According to the GT study, these public forums have more than 95,000 members and see 1,400 posts a day about online love. Sections include "dating advice,""dating," and "relationships" as well as specific feeds focusing on actual websites and apps.

One humorous anecdote comes from someone called Oedipus, who writes that he accidentally found his mother on OkCupid. "Better than finding her on fetlife (a bondage dating site)," is one of the responses. It emerges later that actually, lots of people find their family on dating sites because it's so likely that relatives share interests and locations.

Another tale, from Flaming Eagle, documents the users' Tinder move in which he opens the conversation with a game of Connect4. 447 people commented on the post, offering their own insight on the technique, or suggesting some other way of opening a conversation with a complete stranger.

A lot of the topics covered are a lot more serious.

One woman talked about how she wants to better communicate "clear intentions to my Tinder hook-up". She describes wild nights of passion that we can't really detail here, and even posts messages she sent to her match hoping that others will tell her whether what she sends is too "generic" or whether she's "said too much."

Another user mentions an upcoming date with an older woman and wants to seem more mature. "I matched with this older woman on Tinder and we're going to get coffee tomorrow morning," he writes. "How can I seem more mature?"

Professor Keith Edwards, who led the GT study, told Tech2: “We found that participants used these Reddit forums to share experience and to offer advice, and the forums played a major role in shaping how participants used the dating sites. There are two thriving subreddit groups for OkCupid and Tinder that are vital to helping users understand dating techniques, both on the sites and in general.”

Researchers interviewed some of the online daters. Their biggest concerns include privacy, profile images, and what to write in the "interests" section on websites.

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NOW WATCH: Why You Should Have Only 3 Things In Mind When Looking For Love

Happn is the latest addition to the app-based dating scene. After securing $8 million (£5.2 million) of funding, it now boasts close to 2 million downloads and 700,000 active monthly users, founder Didier Rappaport told Business Insider UK. Around a third of those are in London.

Some have vilified the French app for being a stalker's dream. After all, Happn helps you track down strangers whom you've walked past, or queued for a coffee behind at Pret. "This happn app is taking stalking to the next level,"wrote Danny Skinner on Twitter. 

Rather than liking random people to match with in your general location (like Tinder), Happn uses GPS to connect users who cross paths within a 250 metre radius. So, whoever you encounter (knowingly or not) and like the look of, you can see if they're on Happn and tap the app's "heart" symbol to show your interest. If they heart you back then the dating begins. 

Happn works in a timeline system, so whoever you encounter most recently appears highest on your feed. There's no swiping, and if you want to push things forward and grab someone's attention — rather than wait for them to "heart" you — you can send them a "charm." There's a small fee involved for users who want to send out charms.

When compared with other dating apps like Tinder, Rappaport says "there's a huge difference."

"Happn uses hyper-location and works in real time," he says. "It's not like Tinder — sure, the swipe is clever, good marketing, but Happn has more to it. It's instant and simple, but allows people to express themselves and build a more substantial profile."

I signed up to the app this morning and immediately saw my Happn feed fill up with the women around me. I didn't recognise any women on the streets around me at lunchtime,  but back in the office, I discovered women who work in the same building as me. 

There's a lot of information about people available on Happn. You can see who you just walked past and where, how old they are, what they do for a living, how far away they are now, and even exactly when your paths crossed.

It does seem like an invite to stalkers, but then again, any dating app is likely to attract oddballs. Just look at Tinder. And, as Rappaport explains, the service allows you to block people, report foul play, and file official complaints. He said it was developed with only dating in mind.

"Happn puts the romanticism and spontaneity back into dating," he says. "You can use it when you meet someone and want to see them again. Or maybe you see them all the time but have never been able to say hello. Perhaps she/he works in the same area, or you met her at a party. You can discover the people around you. You might meet someone on the train and want to talk to them, but can't. Happn isn't a game. It's enriching. There's room for experimentation." 

So in 2015, instead of letting that would-be date get away because you lost his/her number, or fluffed your lines at the bar, you can find them on Happn and get a second chance. 

Rappaport says that he thought up the idea when perusing dating sites online. There, connecting with others takes time, and entering reams of information is tiresome. Instead, he says, Happn takes the best part of that and makes it instantaneous. 

"We are putting the reality into the online world," Rappaport explains. "It's an experience. If you are visiting an exhibition or a museum you can check Happn and see who else is there with you. You'd find who else is there. It stores them in the app."

Rappaport says Happn is doing well. Its user base is increasing every month, and in addition to the $8 million raised from DN Capital in London, there are plans to gain further investment this year. Happn is already in Paris, London, New York, Sydney, and parts of South America, and the team wants to see it expand internationally in the next year or so.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A 13-Year-Old Made A Revolutionary Invention Out Of Legos And Now Intel Is Investing In His Company

I have come to think of Tinder as a sort algorithm for the mind.

It surfaces individual data entries — which happen to be humans — and asks the user to make a single decision about them: Would you make out with this person? 

Or, more tamely, would you be friends with this person?

If both minds sort each other’s data entries into the same category, a chat window opens.

The process is efficient, and the computer does everything except make that one, crucial choice. But perhaps that is too much work. Perhaps that single choice can be automated.

The Vancouver-based programmer Justin Long has done just that. In a post on his personal website, he describes how he automated Tinder using facial-recognition algorithms and a chat bot.

The bot, he writes, is “amazingly effective”—so effective he eventually turned it off.

Long’s bot, which he calls Tinderbox, has two steps: a sort phase and a chat phase. First, Tinderbox asks users to sort 60 faces from Tinder into the “yes” or “no” piles.

Using the facial-recognition scheme Eigenface, it notes what kind of features users seem to like — attempting, in other words, to distinguish a user’s “type.” Then it goes to work, automatically sorting images from other Tinder users along the parameters it judges important.  

Once it has made a match, Tinderbox’s work enters the second stage. Long doesn’t interact with his matches until they’ve replied to the bot three times in a row.

Long explains: “The advantage of this? It removes the time involved in filtering new Tinder matches since a lot of people tend to drop off and ‘go dark’ early in the process.”

Tinderbox’s pre-programmed chats include the opening:

“{name} are you a fan of avocados?"

And, following a positive reply:

“So if I asked you to have a guacamole party with me you’d do it?”

Only after all this does Tinderbox notify its human taskmaster that there’s a match ready to chat.

Long says the bot has sent him on 10 dates. It was so successful he says that he eventually had to turn it off, as it “started to conflict with work.” In his blog post, he also anticipated claims of creepiness:

I’ve shown my partners the bot in its entirety. One date literally didn’t believe me and thought I was pulling her leg. Another person thought it was really cool and wanted the full tour. All were in agreement that it is not creepy, though some felt it was borderline.

There is always some commodification in online dating. You go to Etsy.com because it’s a craft market and OKCupid.com because it’s a date market. But if Tinderbox is unsettling, it’s because it takes that commodification to the next level — treating people not just as data entries within Tinder but as piles of data themselves.

And it’s always a little disquieting, too, to learn that you thought you were talking to a human (about avocados!) when you were in fact talking to … a bot.

Or maybe not. Because, to be honest, how many IRL wingmen could pass the Turing test in the first place?

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After the last date I went on ended up being a total let down, I got in a cab and immediately deleted all my dating apps: Tinder, Hinge, Glimpse, JSwipe, Happn and Loveflutter.

Let me explain: It was a Friday night, and I was minutes away from a drink with a woman who I had only seen in Instagram photos through the Glimpse app.

Over the course of the previous five days, I orchestrated this evening with nothing more than a few swipes on my phone and some text messaging.

Welcome to dating in 2015, where dating apps are the new digital matchmakers.

Dating apps, at their best, can connect you with people you'd never meet otherwise. And at their worst, they're completely superficial.

Those of you who've tried your hand with online dating know this to be true: every date has the potential to be absolutely terrible, regardless of how well you think it'll go based on the photos you've seen and the texts you've received.

This particular date was full of awkward silences, even though our text banter was fantastic. She was attractive, but it was obvious she was using photos taken of her years earlier. And who knows? Maybe I wasn't who she was expecting to meet either.

The date lasted one drink, and we went our separate ways. 

My experience finally proved to me everything that’s wrong with dating apps. And that's why I quit cold turkey.

People use their best photos...from 10 years ago 

I remember one woman I had a drink with that clearly curated photos from years prior and possibly used filters and angles to present herself in a better, more attractive light. She was by no means unattractive in person, but she didn't look like the woman she clearly wanted potential dates to think she looked like. 

This is the biggest risk of dating apps. We are presenting ourselves to a stranger based on the five best pictures ever taken of us.

It’s those pictures where the light catches you just right, your good side is in full focus, everything comes together in that magical moment that makes you think, “Wow! I’d date me.”

And this is fine! Of course we’re going to choose the best photos of ourselves. I’m guilty of it too. Why would we choose the worst? But if you’re featuring a photo of you from 2007, chances are you’ve changed in the last eight years. It doesn’t matter if the changes are good or bad; that’s all subjective. If you’re presenting yourself in one light and appear in the flesh in another, you’ve started off on the wrong foot.

“This is not the person I saw in the pictures” is not a good first impression.

Some people are just better at texting

It's always a let down to have incredible texting banter with someone and then go on a date filled with awkward silences and pauses. Maybe we over-texted and used up all of the back-and-forth we would have experienced on the date.

Maybe we should have texted while sitting next to each other.

With texting, we can create the perfect message. We can obsess over every word. We can carefully plan out the time we choose to send a text and the time we wait to respond to a text.

Throw in a few emojis and give yourself a few extra minutes to come up with a real zinger of a comeback and everyone seems to have an amazing digital personality.

Texting also gives us the freedom to interpret language as we so desire, which often leads to serious miscommunication.

There’s no tone, no visible emotion and no telling what a wink face truly means. Throw in the fact that you're texting with someone you've never met, and you have a recipe for creating, very easily, the "idea" of the person you think you're meeting for dinner in a few days.

And usually, in our minds, these people don’t have flaws.

Our anticipation and expectations build, and we put ourselves in this serendipitous, rom-com spirit that often leaves us disappointed.

I was totally addicted

I’m someone who loves meeting women in real life, and I have no problem or fears doing so.

As many people around my age agree, dating apps provide a twenty-four seven outlet to meet people you would otherwise likely never meet, and they provide a streamlined route to a first date. Make the connection, chat in the app, move over to texting and set the first date.

I figured, if technology could increase the range of my dating pool, then God bless technology.

The options for new dating apps seem to grow each week. There’s the original juggernaut, Tinder. There’s JSwipe aka Tinder for Jews, Hinge aka not as creepy as Tinder, Glimpse aka Tinder for Instagram, Happn aka Tinder for people within 5 feet of you and Loveflutter aka the sophisticated Tinder. There are plenty more too. When you search “dating apps” in the Apple Apps Store you yield 3,077 results. I’m not the only one obsessed. 

Opening one of these apps, it quickly becomes clear Las Vegas inspired the designers.

The sounds, the celebration when swiping “yes,” the pop up icons and fanfare after connecting with someone each create the emotional attachment of trying to get that next match.

Swiping “no” comes with the opposite attention: you failed, you're not worthy, this person doesn't like you. The only way one can get out of that shame spiral is to keep swiping “yes” until successfully matching with someone else.

I would wake up and look at Tinder. I would go to bed and look at Tinder.

I became addicted to the game.

I woke up and looked at the apps. Before I went to sleep, I swiped. Walking on the street I browsed.

A free moment at work and I grabbed my phone (sorry, boss.)

It became so bad I actually developed a pain in my right thumb; what I call “carpal-tinder syndrome.”

I found myself relying solely on dating apps to connect with someone. I started thinking, “With enough apps and a little bit of time, I could potentially have a date every night of the week if I wanted!” That seems way more enticing than going out with friends and hoping to connect with at least one stranger. The odds were in my favor when I used my arsenal of dating apps.

Cold turkey and not looking back

I quickly lost sight of the purpose of dating apps which was to increase the possibilities of finding someone who I could forge a serious connection with and give me a reason to never look at Tinder again. 

There's the catch: You'll never find anything meaningful from a dating app if you aren't looking for anything more meaningful than a date. 

It’s been a month since I went cold turkey, and not once have I had the urge to swipe right.

Just because we have technology to find connections for us doesn't mean there aren't any in the real world waiting for us. My parents met on a plane. My mother missed her original flight, gets on the next flight, sits next to my father and 29 years later, here I am today. 

Since going cold turkey, I’ve been on a few dates with women I’ve met in the real world. Coincidence or not, these dates have been more fun and exciting than meeting up with someone I was paired with digitally.

We forget, and I know I forgot, that meeting someone in person and mutually deciding to see each other again already means a connection worth exploring has been established. We find a spark that interests us, and the spark is real.

Not one that is manufactured by swiping right.

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Morgan Stanley isn't crazy about Tinder, the dating app that allows users to approve potential mates by swiping right or reject them by swiping left.

And a big reason why is that the app's user base is young people, and young people don't like paying for dating apps.

"First, given the young age of the target demo and frequent unwillingness to pay monthly recurring fees for social services, we believe Tinder will not have much success monetizing with a high-cost recurring monthly subscription offering," Morgan Stanley wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday.

The firm added:

The challenge with freemium (charging for re-swipes, undos, read-receipts) is that a very small percentage of single people have shown an interest in paying for online dating. We think Tinder's 'casual dating' offering will see a similarly low take-up rate of willing payers ... In our models, we assume that 5-6% of Tinder users become paying members.

Tinder is set to launch a paid version of its app in March.

In a note to clients on Wednesday, Morgan Stanley initiated research coverage on IAC/InterActive, Barry Diller's internet and media company that owns more than half of Tinder, and said the stock's upside was not what some bullish analysts think it could be.

The firm wrote that the market saw Tinder as under-monetized — meaning there was a huge opportunity to sell more ads or get people using the app to pay, either through a subscription or in-app purchases — and that the growth of Tinder would power IAC shares higher.

In Morgan Stanley's view, IAC's Tinder stake provides the stock with no upside. The firm has an "Underweight" rating on shares and thinks they can fall 29% from current levels.

The firm acknowledges, however, that Tinder's user growth has been explosive, rising at a compounded annual growth rate of 125% over the past two years to reach 55 million.

But there might not be as much of an untapped market as other analysts expect.

Morgan Stanley writes that Tinder has already reached 40% of its core addressable market in the US, and while it sees the app having 111 million users by 2018, its growth rate will fall to 8%.

The firm also thinks Tinder could have a repeat user problem:

We view Tinder's unique 'casual dating' use case being primarily aimed at single people from 18-34. While there could be some growth in older demos, we think it will be limited ... We also believe there are limits to the percentage of single people who will become active Tinder users and repeating 'casual daters.' And in our view, Tinder is reaching those limits in the US and Europe (30%-40%).

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The League is a new dating app that uses its own algorithm to judge whether you're cool and ambitious enough to join. Right now it's in beta stage, so not everyone can get into it.

Users who are allowed on often have advanced degrees, tend to be in their late 20s, and have all been carefully selected by creator Amanda Bradford's team using the code. It's predominantly populated by doctors, lawyers, and tech execs.

So yes, it's elitist and exclusive — which is also what makes it so compelling.

What sets The League apart from its counterparts is its reliance on LinkedIn to determine user credentials. Dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, and Happn primarily use Facebook as a background check and profile-builder.

As BI's Alyson Shontell explains, the acceptance algorithm was built by the app's own tech team and scans social networks to ensure applicants are career-orientated. You don't have to be Ivy League, but you do have to be driven and to have accomplished something in your 20s. The League says its screening process keeps its online community "well-balanced and high-quality."

Right now there are more than 75,000 people waiting to get into The League. There is literally a virtual line of people waiting to be tested and accepted. Those already on it can give one "ticket" to a single friend as a pass — and around 50% of members got on this way. Everyone wants to try out "Tinder for the elite." And whether you agree with its ethos or not, The League just raised $2.1 million in funding. It's soon to expand to New York and there are plans to move to London too.

Like Business Insider's Sam Rega, I'm a bit addicted to dating apps. So I had to give The League a go...

First of all, anyone can download the app from the App Store. But that doesn't mean you'll be able to actually start search for would-be romance. Once in the mix, though, you can get going and set your preferences.

After that, the exclusivity starts emerging: Although you sign in with your Facebook login, the privacy settings are stringent.

It's full of Ivy League types, like this one (not the cat):

As the app is only live in San Francisco at the moment, I had to pretend to live there by using a local zip code to get on. I have no idea where or what "Marina" is, but apparently I live there. My only knowledge of Twin Peaks is that 1990s TV series my girlfriend's (yes) parents made me watch.

But despite my questionable locality, before long I was scoping out some would-be matches. The high-fliers continued. I have no idea what this university is or whether it's any good, but she's 26 and the "chief of staff" somewhere, which sounds impressive for someone just a year older than me.

The League only lets you view and match with a handful of people each day. Options are limited. Once you've browsed all of the lovely people within a 24-hour designated period, the app says "that's game for today" and you have to switch back to Hinge, Tinder, and so on.

Note here how the app incentives and punishes users. If you indiscriminately swipe right to indicate interest in every profile, or you ignore your messages too much, you get labelled as "flaky." Don't be flaky.

I totally wasn't flaky!

You can also chat to some of your matches. I said hello to my first match and responded to the other when she say "hey" (in what I imagine to be an American accent not dissimilar to those on the TV show 90210). The first woman ignored me (upsetting), but I had an interesting chat with the second.

In our blinding originality, we both asked what one another does at exactly the same time. Hence the "#twinsies."

We talked about nougat for a while...

We then discussed the current yoga boom, a popular pastime for the West's elite.

The League is, while exclusive and high-end, still fun.

Soon (because of my spelling of "flavour") the lady in question worked out the fact I'm in London — and probably worked out what I was actually doing. But by then I'd got enough of a glimpse into The League to see it has the potential to become hugely popular outside of the Bay Area.

When it arrives in New York in the next few months (and hopefully London soon after), no doubt far more will get a chance to match on online dating's top table. It makes a nice change to Tinder, that's for sure.

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Tinder's paid subscription service just launched in the UK, marking a blow for online daters across the country — particularly for people over 28. The dating app's new (apparently ageist) model came into effect Monday, the Evening Standard reports. It is called Tinder Plus, and it has several new features for paying users. But they come at a price.

People over 28 who enjoy swiping to the right to find love and who want Tinder's additional functions will have to pay a premium rate of £14.99 ($23) a month. Those under 28, meanwhile, will have to fork out £3.99 ($6) per month. 

Business Insider first drew online daters' attention to the news last month. Soon after, as Tinder began testing the changes in Europe, it was evident that some viewed the update negatively. Many users said the changes ruined everything that made the original version great.

Tinder is ridiculously popular. Among its Plus extras is an "Undo" button, which lets people who have second thoughts over a swipe change their mind. There is also a "Passport" feature, which allows users to widen their search criteria overseas. Tinder's plans were first discovered by TechCrunch, which noticed a few hints in an app update.

Tinder's new model is not just about adding, however, but also taking away from those who decide not to pay for subscription privileges. The key tweak is that those who opt out from Plus now have a limited number of swipes. As you flick through would-be matches, the big love heart on the app's home page drains slowly — and once empty you have to wait until it tops up again before you can search for dates/hookups once more. 

Analyst Morgan Stanley says the move will prove unpopular with users — largely made up of young people. The group reports that it does not believe Tinder will have much success monetising its app.

Still, it almost certainly will not mark the end of matches and cheesy flirting. Company CEO Sean Rad told the Standard that the UK was the most active large country (those with a population of more than 25 million) in terms of Tinder users per capita and that daily active users grew 29.8% over the past quarter. Rad added that "London was on a level I've never seen."

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NOW WATCH: People were asked to read aloud the terms and conditions for popular apps and were shocked by what they actually agreed to

The dating app Tinder has released a new premium service called Tinder Plus. The app has added features like "Rewind" which allows users to undo an accidental swipe left (skipping a potential match) and a new "Passport" feature allows users to widen their search criteria beyond their city. The app currently costs $9.99 for those under 30, and $19.99 for those 30 and above. Watch the ad for their new service above.

Video courtesy of Tinder

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The dating app Tinder is going through a huge transformation, having recently rolled out a paid subscription service called Tinder Plus.

It has already reached Europe, and it is due to launch in the US later this month. In the UK, Tinder Plus costs £14.99 ($23) a month for those over 28 years old, while those under 28 have to fork out only £3.99 ($6) per month.

To promote the benefits of signing up for the paid service, Tinder appointed the production agency MagnaCarta.tv to create a 90-second spot, Adweek reports.

The ad sees a woman gallivanting through London, Paris, and Istanbul with two of her Tinder matches. She visits iconic landmarks in London and attends a football game with one of her right-swipes, but it seems he's not quite her type. Then she sees "Sam," whom she jets off to visit in Paris. Things get steamy, and he decides to join her on vacation in Istanbul.

The whole adventure is soundtracked by "Class Historian" by Broncho.

The spot demonstrates two of Tinder Plus' key new features: "Passport," which lets you swipe left and right through potential matches in a city without actually being there, and the "Undo" button, which lets people go back and reverse their error if they accidentally swiped left (which indicates you're not interested) without meaning to.

Here's the ad in full:

SEE ALSO: Tinder's new paid subscription costs 4 times as much if you're over 28

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NOW WATCH: Liam Neeson transformed what could have been an ordinary mobile game ad into a Super Bowl great

This winter has been notoriously bad for Boston— more than 104 inches have fallen in the city and the surrounding area. 

So when Susan Zalkind got a stomach bug after one of Boston's particularly bad snowfalls, she decided to try a rather unusual method to dig her Honda Fit out of the snow.

She turned to Tinder.

"The mushy sludge along the side of the car turned into a wall of ice,"she said in Boston magazine. "With Boston being in the quasi-apocalyptic state that it’s in, more snow was on the way, and my car was at risk of becoming one of those ambiguous-looking mounds. I had to do something. And fast."

Zalkind, who says she's used Tinder in the usual way before, changed the bio section of her profile to be clear about what she was looking for in a man: a snow shoveler, and nothing more.

"Looking for someone to shovel out my car. Nothing complicated, no strings attached, just please shovel out my car. Thanks so much," it read.

In less than 15 minutes. Zalkind had three offers from dudes who wanted to help. A 38-year-old guy was the first to show up, and he "wasn’t creepy at all. I think he just got a kick out of being chivalrous and having a little company on Valentine’s Day," she said.

Later on, another winter storm pummeled Boston, so Zalkind turned to Tinder again. After some searching, she found another nice guy who shoveled out her car for her. In total, Zalkind got 74 right swipes, 35 matches, and 11 offers from willing shovelers. 

It's a far cry from people using Craigslist to find "blizzard boyfriends," but it's a clever Tinder use-case nonetheless.

SEE ALSO: New Yorkers Flocked To Craigslist To Find 'Blizzard Boyfriends' And Girlfriends

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NOW WATCH: If you're over 30, you're going to have to pay more for Tinder's new sub service

Imagine a world in which Uber, the popular car-booking service, and Tinder, everyone's favourite dating app, combined to give users a bit more of a comprehensive experience.

That is the idea behind "UberSex." The joke is that passengers would be able to request a driver of their choice to pick them up — then take them to a place perhaps best left to the imagination. 

"UberSex matches you with drivers that sync their Tinder accounts," the app says.

It's not clear who made the mock-up but the person behind it uses this man's LinkedIn profile. His CV says he works for Lyft, a rival car-booking app..

The whole thing is almost certainly a joke. Although it's got its own Twitter feed and YouTube promotion, it's unlikely to be arriving any time soon.

When we asked Uber about the idea, a spokesperson said the company "would not comment."

Still, it's sparked some interest on Reddit over the last few hours. On the Uber subreddit, one user posted: "Uber went down for me earlier today. When it came back online I had a notification that "uberSex" was being rolled out here in Los Angeles," which was met by suggestions that it's probably a prank.

And on Tinder's Reddit discussion board, there's also been a discussion going on about UberSex, along with an image of what the app extension looks like. One user claims that Uber has launched the drive and sex service in beta. Again, however, people believe the move to be a joke.

Whoever came up with the idea has gone to considerable lengths here. Mocking up an app image would've taken a bit of time to design, and producing the YouTube video is also a fair bit of effort:

The story seems to unravel, though, when you click on the dedicated website, ubersexapp.com,which is displayed below the YouTube post. It goes to a LinkedIn profile:

If you scroll down Jantzn May's page, you'll find that he/she is a driver for Lyft — a rival app known for its pink moustaches.

We reached out to Lyft to see if it knew anything about UberSex, but have not heard anything back yet. May did not respond to a request for comment at press time.

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Take a look at the photo on the right. Cute, right?

That’s the profile photo for an ostensibly 25-year-old female named Ava on Tinder, a popular dating app.

The profile has been popping up for Tinder users at SXSW this week. But after swiping right and making a connection with Ava, the conversation takes a strange turn, according to a post in AdWeek.

That’s right — Ava appears to be an A.I., or if not an actual artificial intelligence, at least a decent chat bot. The conversation concludes by directing people to Ava’s Instagram profile, @MeetAva, which is a promotional for an upcoming movie called Ex Machina, whose site it links to — and whose starring actress is actually the face of “Ava.” The movie comes out April 10, and there was a screening of it last night at SXSW.

It’s a pretty clever way to market a movie about A.I., but it’s not reaching a ton of people. @MeetAva only has 98 followers. On the other hand, the campaign scored a writeup in AdWeek, VentureBeat — and now Business Insider.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk says he's going to 'end' one of Tesla owners' biggest problems this week

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Many digital media companies have embraced monthly and annual subscriptions. The business model allows digital media companies to provide a premium experience that offers more than the basic, often ad-supported service level.

Subscriptions are enjoying a new prominence as a revenue model for digital content and apps. Internet companies are exploiting the opportunity to boost ARPU (average revenue per user), thanks to recurring payments from a subscriber base.

In this new and exclusive report from BI Intelligence we look at how prominent players in five separate categories have tried to build a subscription-based revenue stream alongside ad-based businesses: the categories are video, music, news publishing, social networks/messaging, and dating apps.

Purchase the full report »

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Most companies operate on a "freemium model." Subscriptions typically operate alongside an advertising business.
• Success in freemium boils down to offering a core audience exclusive value that can only be accessed beyond a paywall. The key is to target the most loyal audiences, and sell them on an expanded offering — bundles of features or content — that they find irresistible.
• Some publishers and apps have had mixed results with subscriptions, and vary in terms of how hard they have pushed them. Part of the problem is that ad-dependent companies are worried about limiting audience if they pack away too much value into a subscription tier. 
• The proportion of paying subscribers within the total user base varies considerably across digital media industries. Each category is obviously different, and won't face the same challenges and opportunities in dialing up the percentage of subscribers and subscription revenue. Here are some of the proportions of subscribers in apps' user bases: Spotify (25%), WhatsApp (21%), Pandora (5%), Match Group (5%), The New York Times (3%), and LinkedIn (2%). 

The report is full of charts, data, and case studies that can easily be downloaded and put to use. 

In full, the report: 

• Analyzes the most common subscription-based digital media revenue models
• Explores the drivers that allows some subscription or freemium business models succeed  
• Explains the revenue mix and business opportunity in several key digital media industries
• Outlines companies that have succeeded with  subscription-based business models

Purchase the full report »

THE SUBSCRIPTION REVENUE REPORT$395.00

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Tinder has replaced CEO Sean Rad with Chris Payne, who most recently had been overseeing eBay's North America business, Re/code's Kurt Wagner and Kara Swisher report.

Rad, one of Tinder's cofounders, stepped down from the CEO role in November, but Re/code reported at the time that he would "stay on Tinder's board and continue to help with the product once a new CEO is hired."

On Friday, Tinder confirmed that Rad would stay on as Tinder's President.

Forbes reported in November that Rad would be moving away from his CEO role and that IAC, Tinder's largest stakeholder, was looking for a more experienced, "Eric Schmidt-like person" as the company's next CEO.

Insiders told Forbes that Tinder's recent sexual-harassment lawsuit was also to blame for Rad's leaving the company. Tinder's ousted cofounder Whitney Wolfe accused Rad, as well as cofounder Justin Mateen, of sexually harassing her. The suit was settled in September, with Forbes reporting that Wolfe gained over $1 million in the settlement.

Payne left eBay in December, and the company said he had "decided to leave eBay to pursue a new business venture."

Prior to arriving at eBay in 2009, Payne also worked for Amazon, Microsoft, and founded software startup Positronic.

Tinder recently rolled out Tinder Plus, a paid version of its dating app. Tinder Plus features add-ons including an "Undo" button — which lets you change your mind if you accidentally swipe the wrong way to indicate a profile match — and a "passport" feature to let you see overseas matches. Users over the age of 28 will have to pay an additional premium to use the service.

SEE ALSO: Tinder's CEO is stepping down

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Tinder is on a tear. Founded less than three years ago, the dating app has facilitated more than 6 billion matches between users — many of whom end up getting married.

Those are a few of the insights from Sean Rad’s Reddit AMA on Thursday, during which the Tinder founder explained how his startup has become so successful.

The AMA took place just one day before Rad officially stepped down from the CEO role at Tinder. Recode reported today that former eBay exec Chris Payne will take over as CEO, five months after Tinder began looking for a new leader. Rad will stay with the company as president.

Rad answered several questions on Thursday from Reddit users. Here’s what the founder had to say when asked about Tinder’s origination, and its progress:

We started Tinder years ago because we had this obsession with breaking down the barriers in meeting people around you. We noticed that people grew closer to their small groups of friends but grew farther apart from the rest of the world in the process. We knew that if we could simply take the fear out of meeting someone, that we could bring the people closer together. And we’ve done just that (although internally we feel like we’ve only accomplished 1% of what we set out to do)… Tinder is a dominant platform in over 140 countries where we have created over 6 billion matches (26 million new ones every day). That’s 6 billion potential connections that would likely never have existed before Tinder; each one having the potential to change someone’s life forever.

Rad also addressed Tinder Plus, the new $9.99 version of Tinder released earlier this month that lets users “rewind” and give someone another look, as well as a feature called “Passport” that unlocks your location and lets you look for potential mates in locales you might be visiting soon.

Months of testing and thought went into the feature and price mix for Tinder Plus. We tested a broad range of prices and found that users that saw value in Tinder Plus were more than willing to pay at the existing price points. Rewind and Passport were the two most requested features, but of course we’re going to introduce more features to Tinder Plus, we’re just getting started.

Here are a few more answers from Rad:

Reddit: The bio portion of Tinder profiles is restricted to 500 characters. What is the reasoning behind setting such tight restrictions? What is the value that you see in profile brevity?

Rad: “After you match, Tinder requires you to be social and get to know your matches through conversation. It’s like real life… You don’t walk into a bar with a resume. EDIT: I mean, unless you’re applying to be a bartender ;)”

Reddit: What was the design impetus behind Tinder’s Swipe? Did you consider/test any other command gestures?

Rad: “I’m going to pass it over to Johnny Badeen to answer this one. I often tell him that creating the swipe could be the peak of his achievements and it all goes downhill from here haha:

The first version of Tinder didn’t actually have the swipe in the app. I snuck it in a few weeks later and told everybody after it was released that they could swipe. The swipe was born out a desire to mimic real life interactions with a card stack. When organizing cards you put them into piles. Swiping right fittingly throws the card in the direction of the matches. We’ve strived for simplicity by keeping buttons but we’re always looking for fun shortcuts in terms of interaction. The swipe just made sense in this case and seems stupid simple in retrospect.”

Reddit: What were some names you had in mind before deciding on Tinder?

Rad: “The original name was going to be Matchbox. So happy we decided on Tinder.”

Reddit: What other ways do you see people using Tinder, aside from romantic relations?

Rad: “Many users already specify their different intentions for using Tinder on their profile – eg. I’m visiting Paris and want recommendations on places to visit. Internally, we call this “hacking Tinder.” At the core we’re making it really easy to connect with new people by breaking down the hesitation in walking up to someone and saying ‘hi’. Tinder’s solution can be applied in so many ways.”

Reddit: Since Tinder is based on mutual physical attraction do you ever worry people’s feelings will get hurt?

Rad: “When you like someone on Tinder, they won’t know that you liked them until they like you back, which removes potential feelings of rejection. We call this the “double opt-in”. Even if you don’t match with another user, there’s no certainty that they saw your profile.”

Reddit: How do you motivate yourself?

Rad: “Knowing that we are transforming millions of lives is all the motivation I need. I’ve been invited to more Tinder weddings than I could attend in a lifetime :)”

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One programmer was looking to have a little fun on Tinder, so instead of using the swipe-right-and-connect dating app to meet a potential significant other, he decided to alter Tinder's API to "create a catfish machine" that got a bunch of dudes to flirt with each other when they thought they were hitting on women.

The Verge reports:

Over the last few weeks, a California-based computer engineer — we’ll call him Patrick — has pitted heterosexual male against heterosexual male. Patrick’s program identifies two men who "like" one of his bait profiles (the first used prominent vlogger Boxxy's image; the second used an acquaintance who had given Patrick consent) and matched them to each other. The suitors’ messages — some aggressive, others mundane, but all of them unabashedly flirtatious — are then relayed, back and forth, to one another through the dummy profile.

Patrick wanted to make a statement — he says that a lot of his female friends complain about the aggressive messages they get from guys on Tinder. Though the app isn't anonymous (you need Facebook to authorize your existence as a human before you're allowed to swipe), it doesn't use last names.

Some may feel there's a low risk associated with being crass to women online. Lots of tumblrs have been created calling Tinder guys out for their gross behavior.

On the program Patrick created, The Verge says,

The program made matches within minutes of activation; Patrick estimates he was overseeing 40 conversations within the first 12 hours. He developed code to scramble phone numbers and stepped in when a real-world meeting was imminent, but he also feels ambiguous about the ethics of the prank: "They ignore all the signs, they ignore all the weird things," he says of the users. "When someone is so quick to meet up without any detail or know anything about the person at all — maybe it’s deserved."

The conversations were long and chock-full of headache-inducing material, but hilarious to those in the know. Both of these guys think they're talking to a woman:

The guys in this conversation started to catch on — "I think the app is messed up."

You can see all of the screenshots of conversations here (there are a lot.)

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Dating app Tinder has grown into a monster business, and an analyst note from JMP Securities shows just how big it could get.

JMP Securities published an analyst note on March 31 for InterActiveCorp, the large internet company that owns Tinder, as well as sites like ask.com, ask.fm and match.com.

The most interesting section of the note focuses on JMP's predictions for Tinder in the future. It says that Tinder would be worth around $1.6 billion as a standalone business, a giant 20% of IAC's market cap.

JMP also looks at the future of Tinder's move towards adding revenues. Tinder introduced a "Tinder Plus" subscription service in February, which lets dedicated users pay a monthly charge for bonus features. Tinder Plus increases in price for users over the age of 30, rising to $19.99 a month in the US.

But despite the high price, JMP is optimistic about the number of users who will start paying for Tinder. It says that monetisation from Tinder could become 5% of IAC's revenue in 2016, bringing in $121 million from subscriptions. JMP also predicts that 2.2% of Tinder users will pay for Tinder Plus by 2016, with its estimate ranging from 1.4% to 3%. That's a prediction of 1.5 million paid users by 2016 — a huge base of subscribers.

Tinder isn't just introducing subscription services, though. It has also started running advertising on the app, featuring its first official ad from musician Jason Derulo. Users who swiped right on Derulo's profile (meaning that they liked him) were treated to a message from the star with links to his new music video and his new song on iTunes.

This is what the ad looked like:

JMP Securities says that Tinder could bring in $70 million in ad revenue by 2016 through the use of ads like the Jason Derulo campaign. Ads are only seen by normal Tinder members, not subscribers to Tinder Plus. The key is to get users used to swiping through multiple profiles, as then they will stumble upon ads. JMP says that Tinder was seeing 1.7 billion swipes a day as of February 2015. (It is likely that number has since dropped now that Tinder has limited the number of right-swipes users have every day unless they pay for Tinder Plus.)

Tinder also appears to have a growing and active userbase. JMP says it could reach 46 million monthly active users by the end of 2015, potentially reaching 58 million by 2016.

This chart from 7Park Data shows the rise in Tinder's monthly active users as a percentage of US mobile phone users:

And this chart shows that Tinder dwarfs rival dating apps:

The analyst note paints Tinder in a very positive light, and suggests it could be spun off from IAC in 2016:

Given the user growth and potential monetisation of Tinder, we believe IAC’s Match Group could unlock its value as a stand-alone public company, and we currently value it at $3.5 billion (excluding a $1.6 billion valuation of Tinder). As to timing, we believe it depends on the success of Tinder’s recent monetisation plans, suggesting the earliest could be in 2H15, but 2016 is more likely, in our view.

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NOW WATCH: If you're over 30, you're going to have to pay more for Tinder's new sub service