Apps

Twitter is working on a feature to divide long text into a thread automatically • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 17, 2022Posted in Apps, elon buys twitter, tweets, TwitterNo Comments

Composing a thread on Twitter can be challenging as you need to separate the whole text into 280-character chunks. However, the company now seems to be working on a solution to turn long-form text into a thread automatically. According to a tweet posted by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, twitter’s composer will automatically break the text into a thread when it crosses the 280-character limit. Twitter is working on making Tweet composer automatically expand into a thread when the characters count is approaching the 280 characters limit — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) November 17, 2022 As she explained in a reply to a user (aka me), Twitter wants to reduce the friction of creating threads. Currently, users need to hit the + button to add a tweet to a thread and post the next set of 280 characters — which can be very annoying when you are trying out a thought or pasting info from another document. I guess the point is to reduce the friction so the user no longer need to tap that (+) button at every 280 characters — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) November 17, 2022 In the last few hours, a few folks pointed out difficulties in posting and reading threads that have more than a few tweets — the one in focus was an 82-tweet-long thread on the fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX. Musk replied to these tweets saying that the team is working on making thread writing easier. While the final details of the implementation are not apparent, as Financial Times product manager Matt Taylor pointed out, it will be good to have markers to indicate the start and end of a tweet in the thread — that makes it easier for users to edit the text in a way that it doesn’t break the reading flow. I’m sure that people who use this feature appreciate the ability to select what each tweet starts and ends with. This sounds like it does away with that in the name of simplicity. This is another engineering solution to what is not an engineering problem, it’s an editorial one. — Matt ‘TK’ Taylor (@MattieTK) November 17, 2022 This is not the first time Musk has addressed the issue of posting long-form tweets. Earlier this month, he said the social network is working on the ability to attach long-form text to tweets. It’s not clear if that will be a separate feature from the new thread composer. Some users currently rely on third-party solutions like Typefully, ThreadStart, and Chirr App, which provide tools to automatically split your post into threads without breaking sentence flow along with scheduling features. The company currently offers Twitter Blue subscribers an easy way to read threads — powered by its acquisition of Threader last year. But Musk hasn’t really mentioned if he is making changes to the reading experience for an average user. Twitter already has a program for long-form writing called Notes, but only a select set of writers have access to that, and with Musk’s management, there is no clarity about its future. It’s not clear when the new composer feature for threads will roll out even if Twitter engineers are working on it at this moment. After taking over the company, Musk has fired half the staff — and more. Plenty of executives have resigned and the new boss even put an ultimatum yesterday that the remaining employees have to be “hardcore” or leave. In this environment, there is no guarantee that products will be shipped on time. The company rushed the rollout of the new Twitter Blue plan with a verification mark, only to discontinue the program days later. Earlier this week, Musk said that it will now roll out later this month. Wong also recently discovered code hinting that Twitter is working on making direct messages end-to-end encrypted.

Apple’s iCloud website gets a widget-styled redesign • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 17, 2022Posted in Apple, Apps, design, iCloud, web designNo Comments

Apple has finally launched a redesigned iCloud website with apps appearing as widget-styled tiles instead of icons. People might be used to accessing iCloud through native apps on their iPhones, iPads or Mac, but this is a welcome change for folks who use the website to quickly access some photos, documents, notes and reminders or delete some of the unused files to free up space. The iCloud website is also particularly useful for people who use a different computer at work, or for people who have an iPhone and a Windows laptop. You don’t have to install any app to access and edit your notes from a computer for instance. As MacRumors noted, the company has been testing the new design with app tiles for a few weeks, and now it is rolling it out for all users. iCloud site’s legacy design just showed app icons when you logged in, now it shows details under app tiles such as recent reminders, notes, documents, pages, and photos. There is even a launcher tile with app icons to quickly access some of the apps. iCloud website’s legacy design Image Credits: Apple With the new design, you can create a new page document, a reminder, a note, a keynote presentation, or a numbers spreadsheet by clicking on the + sign on the top menu bar. The grid icon on the menu bar lets you access apps. It also hosts options for checking your storage and change your plan. The websity layout is now customizable. When you click on the ‘Customize’ button, you’ll see the widgets shaking — just like on iPhone or iPad — so that you can move them around or remove them.

Google Play streamlines policies around kids’ apps as regulations tighten • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Android, Apps, families, Google, kids, PrivacyNo Comments

Google Play today announced a series of changes to its programs and policies around apps designed for children. The company is describing the update as an expansion of its previously launched “Teacher Approved” program, which includes a review process where teachers and experts vetted apps not just for safety and security elements, but for educational quality and other factors. The newly revamped policies will now impact how apps qualify for this program, which allows apps to gain entry to the Play Store’s “Kids” tab. These changes should help to streamline some of the policies around apps made for children which, in turn, will increase the number of apps that become eligible to be reviewed for the Teacher Approved program. In addition, these policy updates and other changes will push Android app makers to come into compliance with stricter regulations and laws around software targeting children. Before, Google Play ran two (sometimes overlapping) programs around apps aimed at kids. App developers were required to participate in Google’s “Designed for Families” program if their app was aimed at children, and could optionally choose to participate in the program if their app targeted both kids and older users. The Designed for Families program included a number of requirements around the app’s content, its functionality, use of ads, data practices, use of warning labels, feature set, underlying technology components, and more. Any apps in this program were also eligible to be rated for the Teacher Approved program, which had stricter guidelines, but entry was not guaranteed. Now, the additional policy requirements for the Designed for Families program are being rolled into the Play Store’s broader Families Policy. This latter set of guidelines requires apps to comply with applicable laws and regulations relating to children, like the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for example. The Families Policy also prohibits access to precise location data, prevents developers from transmitting device identifiers from children, and includes additional privacy and content restrictions, among other things. For developers, the merging of the Designed for Families requirements into the Google Play Families Policy simplifies and strengthens the rules for developers around apps that target kids. And, with this change, all the apps that meet the now more robust Families Policy will become eligible to apply for the Teacher Approved program. The Teacher Approved program’s requirements are not changing, however, and only a subset of apps meeting the overarching Families Policy will qualify. The Teacher Approved program itself first arrived in April 2020 — at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. At this time, many schools had shifted to virtual learning, and children were spending more time on their devices to both learn and be entertained. Beyond meeting safety requirements and government regulations, the apps chosen for “Teacher Approved” were vetted by a panel of academic experts including more than 200 U.S. teachers. The panel rated the apps on various aspects like age-appropriateness, quality of experience, enrichment, and whether kids enjoy using the app, among other things. This information would then be displayed on the app’s Play Store listing if the app was approved so parents could determine if the app was right for their child. Consumers can find these Teacher Approved apps on the “Kids” tab of the Play Store or they can look for the Teacher Approved badge on an individual app’s listing. With the update, all apps that are compliant with the Families Policy will also soon receive an additional badge that’s displayed in the Data safety section of their app’s listing. This badge will indicate the app has committed to the Play Store’s Families Policy. Image Credits: Google In addition to the merging of its two families policies, Google also noted it recently updated its Families Self-Certified Ads SDK Program. Makers of SDKs (software development kits, or software used by developers to expand the functionality of their apps), must now identify which versions of their SDKs are appropriate for use in Families apps. In 2023, Android app developers in the Families program will be required to use only the SDKs that are identified as appropriate — though Google suggests developers start to make the shift to these safer SDKs now. These changes aren’t just about serving developers or consumers — they also help Google to meet stricter regulations being considered, drafted, and enacted worldwide around how software is permitted to handle kids’ data — such as the EU’s GDPR and the U.K.’s Age Appropriate Design Code. Failure to meet these requirements can result in significant penalties, as Meta recently learned when it was fined roughly $400 million for how it treated children’s data on Instagram.

Bending Spoons acquires Evernote, marking the end of an era • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in acquisition, App, Apps, Enterprise, Evernote, note taking, StartupsNo Comments

Evernote, the note-taking and task management app founded over 20 years ago, has been acquired by Milan-based app developer Bending Spoons. In a post on Evernote’s newsroom, Evernote CEO Ian Small said that Bending Spoons will take ownership of Evernote in a transaction expected to close in early 2023. “For Evernote, this decision is the next strategic step forward on our journey to be an extension of your brain,” Small wrote. “Teaming up with Bending Spoons will [accelerate] the delivery of improvements across our teams, professional, personal and free offerings.” For Evernote, the acquisition — the terms of which weren’t made public — marks the end of a roller coaster of a journey. Founded in 2000 by Russian-American entrepreneur Stepan Pachikov, Redwood City-based Evernote made handwriting recognition software for Windows and the eponymous note-taking, web-clipping app Evernote, which stored notes on an “infinite roll of paper.” Under CEO Phil Libin, who joined the company in 2007, Evernote shifted its focus to the web, smartphones and Mac, starting with Evernote 3.0 in 2008. This proved to be a winning strategy — at least at first. Between 2010 and 2015, Evernote raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital from investors including Sequoia, Meritech Capital and Japanese media company Nikkei. Its web service reached 11 million users within the first three years and Evernote launched a business in China, Yinxiang Biji, as the startup sought to rapidly expand. In 2013, Evernote was reportedly valued at nearly a billion dollars. But then trouble set in. Evernote’s chief operating officer, appointed in June 2015, left after just a few months. Meanwhile, Libin pursued partnerships with physical goods brands like Moleskine and Pfeiffer, launching Evernote-branded desk accessory lines that failed to catch on in a major way. Former Google Glass executive Chris O’Neill replaced Libin in July 2015. And in October of that year, Evernote laid off 18% of its staff and closed three of its ten global offices. August 2018 saw an exodus of top execs, including Evernote’s chief technical officer, chief financial officer, chief product officer and head of HR. Fifteen percent of the company’s workforce was laid off in September 2018, a step O’Neill justified as necessary to correct for the company’s recent overexpansion and “inefficiency.” Small, the former CEO of platform-as-a-service company TokBox, came on in 2018. Under his leadership, Evernote hit $100 million in recurring revenue, millions of paying customers and over 250 million users. But it largely failed to keep pace with competitors like Notion, opting to rely heavily on a consumer-focused freemium model while eschewing the kinds of collaboration features embraced by its rivals. So what does Bending Spoons gain with the purchase? Another feather in its software cap, it’d seem. The European tech company makes apps like video editor Splice, 30 Day Fitness, Live Quiz and photo editor Remini, which combined have about 100 million users. Bending Spoons CEO Luca Ferrari says that Bending Spoons — fresh off of a $340 million venture round — will apply its “proprietary technologies” to Evernote to “augment its usefulness” and “strengthen its reach.” “Our mission at Bending Spoons is to make an enduring positive impact on our customers, on our teammates, and on society at large. Every day, millions of people across the globe rely on Evernote to organize their lives,” Ferrari said in a statement. “As such, Evernote is a perfect fit for the Bending Spoons portfolio, and we’re delighted to be able to serve its large and loyal customer base.”

Snapchat gears up for the FIFA World Cup with new AR experiences, filters and more • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Apps, Snap, Snapchat, Social, world cupNo Comments

Snapchat is introducing a slew of new features and experiences ahead of the FIFA World Cup to let users show support for their teams and keep up with the tournament. The new features let you virtually try on jerseys, dress up your Bitmoji, watch match highlights and more. The app has partnered with Adidas to let users virtually dress their Bitmoji in the official home football kits of their team. Users will also get access to official team stickers and filters to decorate their snaps and support their team. The app is launching official team kit try-on experiences that allow users to express their fandom by wearing official team jerseys. The try-on Lenses leverage AR technology that originated as a Snap Research project and was in development for years, and is now available for developers to begin testing in Lens Studio. Image Credits: Snap Snapchat Discover, the app’s curated content platform, will publish highlights, goals, player interviews, match analysis and behind the scenes content during the tournament in over 30 countries. On Spotlight, Snapchat’s in-app entertainment platform for user generated content, users in the U.S. will have the chance to submit Snaps to for a chance to win cash prizes for creating top-performing snaps using specific Lenses, Sounds or Topics. In addition, Snap Map will feature curated stories of fans watching and celebrating their team during the games. Users will be able to tap specific places to see Snaps shared publicly. The stories will include Snaps from watch parties, fan experiences, reactions in the stands, game highlights and more.

New code suggests Twitter is reviving its work on encrypted DMs • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Apps, dms, Elon Musk, encryption, Security, Social, TwitterNo Comments

Under Elon Musk, Twitter may be reviving a project that would bring end-to-end encryption to its Direct Messaging system. Work appears to have resumed on the feature in the latest version of the Android app, according to independent researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who spotted the changes to Twitter’s code While Musk himself recently expressed interest in making Twitter DMs more secure, Twitter itself had abandoned its earlier efforts in this space after prototyping an encrypted “secret conversations” feature back in 2018. Had the encrypted DM’s feature launched, it would have allowed Twitter to better challenge other secure messaging platforms like Signal or WhatsApp. But work on the project stopped and Twitter never publicly explained why — nor had it commented on the prototype Wong had also found being developed in the app years ago. Now, Wong says she’s seen work on encrypted DM’s resume, tweeting out a screenshot of Twitter’s code which references encryption keys and their use in end-to-end encrypted conversations. Another screenshot shows a “Conversation key,” which the app explains is a number generated by the user’s encryption keys from the conversation. “If it matches the number in the recipient’s phone, end-to-end encryption is guaranteed,” the message reads. In response to Wong’s tweets, Musk replied with a winking face emoji — an apparent confirmation, or at least what stands in for one these days, given that Twitter laid off its communications staff and no longer responds to reporters’ requests for comment. Unlike the other projects Musk’s Twitter has in the works, like a relaunch of the Twitter Blue subscription now due out later this month, end-to-end encryption is something that cannot– and should not — be rushed out the gate. Meta, for example, took years to fully roll out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in Messenger, after having first tested the features in 2016. It wasn’t until this summer that Meta announced it would finally expand its E2EE test to individual Messenger chats. The company explained the delay to launch was, in part, due to the need to address concerns from child safety advocates who had warned the changes could shield abusers from detection. Meta also intended to use A.I. and machine learning to scan non-encrypted parts of its platform, like user profiles and photos, for other signals that could indicate malicious activity. Plus, it needed to ensure that its abuse reporting features would continue to work in an E2EE environment. In short, beyond the technical work required to introduce E2EE itself, there are complicating factors that should be taken into consideration. If Musk announces encrypted DMs in a compressed timeframe, it would raise concerns about how secure and well-built the feature may be. Plus, with Twitter’s 50% workforce reduction and the departure of key staff — including chief information security officer Lea Kissner, who would understand the cryptological challenges of such a project — it’s unclear if the remaining team has the expertise to tackle such a complex feature in the first place. Musk, however, seems to believe encryption is the right direction for Twitter’s DM product, having recently tweeted “the goal of Twitter DMs is to superset Signal.” And, in response to a user’s question about whether Twitter would merge with telecommunication or become a WhatsApp replacement, Musk responded simply that “X will be the everything app.” “X” here refers to Musk’s plan to transform Twitter into a “super app” that would combine payments, social networking, entertainment, and more into one singular experience. Last week, he spoke in more detail about his plans for the payments portion, suggesting Twitter could one day allow users to hold cash balances, send money to one another, and even offer high-yield money market accounts.

Microsoft Teams now lets you challenge colleagues to a game of Minesweeper or Solitaire • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Apps, Enterprise, Gaming, Microsoft, Microsoft TeamsNo Comments

With remote or hybrid work going nowhere any time soon, Microsoft today announced new social gaming functionality inside its Teams productivity and collaboration platform. Available to Teams Enterprise and Education subscribers only, the new “Games for Work” app allows colleagues to challenge each other to a game of Minesweeper, Wordament, Icebreaker, and even Solitaire, a classic card game familiar to anyone who has used Windows from 1990 onwards. Microsoft said that each game — including Solitaire — has a multiplayer option for up to 250 players, with support for those only wishing to spectate. And given that the games are only available for paying Teams subscribers, no ads are included. The new app was developed by an Xbox Games Studio called Microsoft Casual Games. Microsoft Solitaire While baking games into what is ostensibly a business product for most people might seem counterintuitive, the logic is sound enough: workmates have long engaged in games socially at work, whether it’s table tennis or a game of cards during lunch. For remote workers, that desire to connect and interact competitively is surely still there. “Games promote creativity, collaboration and communication in powerful and unique ways, and we can’t wait to see the how the Games for Work app on Microsoft Teams inspires productivity and helps foster connections in the workplace,” noted Jill Braff, general manager of integrations and casual games at Microsoft, in a blog post. The Games for Work app integrates with Teams on desktop and mobile, with Microsoft adding that it plans to add new games in the future.

Yubo expands its real-time audio moderation technology to the U.K., Australia and Canada • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Apps, Social, YuboNo Comments

Yubo, a social livestreaming app popular with a Gen Z audience, announced today it’s expanding its audio moderation technology to the U.K., Australia and Canada. The Paris-based company first launched the technology in the U.S. earlier this year in partnership with Hive. Yubo says although the technology is still in its infancy, its has proven to be effective at detecting potential real-world risk, such as violence to others or self-harm. The audio moderation technology works by recording and automatically transcribing 10-second snippets of audio in livestreams of 10 or more people. The text is then automatically scanned using AI to detect problematic content, such as nudity or drug use. Yubo sends alert pop-ups to tell users that they’re doing something inappropriate while it’s happening. Yubo says only text that contains words or phrases that violate the app’s policies are flagged for review by Yubo’s. The incidents are then investigated in real time to determine what actions should be taken. Transcripts with no suspected violations are not reviewed and are automatically deleted after 24 hours. Transcripts that are flagged and require investigation internally or by law enforcement are stored for up to a year. “Our expansion of audio moderation technology is not only a key element of Yubo’s ever-evolving safety product roadmap, but a critical development in expanding the parameters of online safety industry-wide,” said Yubo COO Marc-Antoine Durand in a statement. “There is still a lot of progress to be made in the area of voice detection, but we are proud to be forging a path for our peers by being the first to launch audio moderation with Hive and helping make this tool more reliable and effective through this trial.” Founded in 2015, Yubo users hang out in livestreaming rooms where they can socialize, play games and make new friends. Unlike other social media platforms, there aren’t creators on the platform broadcasting to fans. Instead, Yubo’s main focus is on helping users socialize naturally. The company has managed to attract 60 million young users, which means that the stakes are high when it comes to safety in all aspects. In September, Yubo said it was nearly done verifying the age of 100% of it user base using age estimating technology. The startup originally started verifying the age of its users back in May. By building a safe community on its platform, Yubo will be able to foster engagement, which could in turn lead to increased revenue.

SigmaOS raises $4 million to build a browser for productivity nerds • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Apps, Browser, Chrome, SigmaOSNo Comments

There is no doubt that Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox attract the majority of browser users. But despite this dominance, smaller browser companies are trying to carve a niche, and even get users to pay for features. London-based SigmaOS is one such startup, which is building a Mac browser for productivity nerds. The company has raised $4 million in seed funding led by LocalGlobe and participation from Y Combinator, 7percent Ventures, Moonfire Ventures, Shine VC, TrueSight Ventures, Pioneer Fund, and Venture Together. Angel investors like Cocoa Ventures partner Carmen Alfonso Rico and EightSleep founder Matteo Franceschetti joined the round as well. Along with this, the startup is also releasing SigmaOS 1.0 after being in beta for more than a year with features like collaboration and focus mode. History The company was started by Mahyad Ghassemibouyaghchi, Ali Attar, and Saurav Mitra in 2021. Mahyad, who is diagnosed with ADHD, said that switching between different tabs and windows in legacy browsers was mentally heavy. So he wanted to build a browser that lets you do things from one place. Image Credits: SigmaOS “Context-switching is very mentally heavy, and having the segmentation that our browser provides, and being able to do everything from one place, really helps. Our idea is that you focus on doing your best work, while we take care of organizing and making you focused.” He said in a written statement. Shortly after building their first prototype, the team joined the Summer 2021 cohort of Y Combinator. Functionality At first glance, the browser looks different from Chrome and Safari as it stores tabs in a vertical format. When you are setting up SigmaOS, it will ask you to create a new workspace or choose a template workspace like writing, analytics, work chat, dev tools, and reading. Workspaces — which are like tab groups or tab folders — are at the core of SigmaOS’s experience. The app thinks of these workspaces as toolboxes where you will have some tabs related to the theme open all the time. And you can open some of them on the fly. Image Credits: SigmaOS The browser treats tabs like an email: most of the tabs are persistent, you can jump between them without closing any, and you can snooze them and mark them as done (to close them). To navigate around this interface, you can always hit the lazy search bar, which lets you search for tabs that are currently open within the browser or perform a search. You can also quickly shift a tab to a split screen view if you want to look at some information while doing another task like writing. Image Credits: SigmaOS With the new release, the company is also introducing a focus mode, which removes all toolbars and expands the view of the current tab to a full-screen mode. There is also a new collaboration mode available with the SigmaOS 1.0, which lets you share a workspace with friends or coworkers where all of you can see shared tabs. This is useful when working on new ideas with your team or planning a trip with friends. The workspace also has a private tab space for you. Notably, Apple introduced a shared tabs feature for Safari this year. Image Credits: SigmaOS All of these features and more are easily accessible through numerous shortcuts. However, if your workflow involves just a few tabs, or you are not a heavy productivity geek, the number of features and navigation around the interface can overwhelm you. Even for experienced macOS users, it takes time getting used to the quirks and flows of SigmaOS. In certain ways, you might need to tweak how you work in a browser to have information accessible to you quickly. To make the transition smoother from Safari and Chrome, the browser easily lets you import all data including passwords. The company is also testing support for Chrome extensions as a beta feature. It currently has a built-in extension store with limited apps, and it allows you to import extensions from Chrome. If they don’t work with SigmaOS, you can quickly flag it to the team to enable support for that. SigmaOS is built on WebKit and uses SwiftUI for its interface. This allows the browser to let people keep multiple tabs “open” without overloading the system resources. Mahyad told ZebethMedia that many of its users keep hundreds of tabs open in the background. The road ahead The browser’s free version gives you three workspaces, split-screen functionality, and a built-in ad blocker. Users can pay $10 a month (or $96 a year) to get unlimited workspaces and cross-device syncing. Teams can pay $15 a month (or $144 a year) for unlimited annual workspaces. Mahyad told ZebethMedia that the company is focused on bringing more features to the browser and growing in numbers. He didn’t specify the user numbers but said the app has many thousands of users and more than 30% of them are paying customers. SigmaOS’s closest competitor is probably the Amsterdam-based Stack browser, which raised $2.5 million from Lunar Ventures, Wayra X, Zemu Venture Capital, Peak Capital and Charles Songhurst in July. There is also the Browser Company, which is building the Arc browser. But while Stack is focused on being a mindful browser, SigmaOS is concentrating on catering to startup founders, students, and productivity nerds.

Hinge’s new feature makes it easier for those seeking non-monogamous relationships • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on November 16, 2022Posted in Apps, dating app, Hinge, SocialNo Comments

Today, Hinge rolled out a feature that allows users to add their “Relationship Type” to their profile, whether that be “monogamous,” “non-monogamous,” or “figuring out my relationship type.” The update lets users express precisely what they’re looking for to more efficiently minimize unsuited matches. “Relationship Type” is available globally for all Hinge users starting today. Note that adding the feature to Hinge profiles is optional. If a user chooses to add their type, it will be in the “virtues” section of a profile. Like Hinge’s “Dating Intentions” profile feature, there’s a “Backstory” open-text option, so users can add more context about their relationship type. “Dating Intentions” launched over the summer and encourages users to select a dating goal like “long-term,” “short-term,” “life partner,” or “figuring out my dating goals.” Image Credits: Hinge “Hinge is the place for all daters to find intentional and meaningful romantic connections, and I want it to enter a new era of dating where the word ‘relationship’ defies traditional and heteronormative meaning,” said Michelle Parsons, Chief Product Officer at Hinge, in the announcement. “With the launch of Relationship Types, we are empowering users to openly share what kind of relationship they are looking for, and as a result, have a new way to know if someone’s dating goals match theirs from the moment they look at their profile.” Some non-monogamous users have found it difficult to use Hinge and other traditional dating apps because it’s more difficult to narrow down these like-minded daters. While there are dating apps dedicated to non-monogamy, like Feeld, #Open, MoreThanOne, and PolyFinda, Hinge is more well-known. Cosmopolitan contributor and non-monogamy educator Gabrielle Smith noted just how hard it is for a non-monogamous person to find partners on dating apps. “Dating apps aren’t the most conducive to finding partners as a non-monogamous person. It can be hard to sift through the noise and find partners who are on the same page. Plus, the dating pool can often feel tiny,” Smith wrote. Recently, there’s been a rise in non-monogamous relationships. According to 2022 data from Hinge, one in five Hinge users “would consider” an open relationship, BBC reported. One in 10 users said they had already tried open relationships. The “Relationship Type” feature will likely attract more non-monogamous users to the app.