Badoo has announced it will be removing swipe-based matching from its app.
The move comes after the platform introduced Badoo Live video streaming last month.
“Badoo is all about real dates, not just matches or swiping; we want to get our users offline and face-to-face,” Badoo’s CEO and founder Andrey Andreev told TechCrunch in a statement.
“We are testing the removal of our ‘encounters’ feature, as our research shows that people now value real life interactions and want to see more of the person behind the profile picture,” he adds.
“Badoo Live, launching soon, will give our users the chance to let their true personalities shine through; interact in real time and ultimately, form more genuine connections.”
Badoo’s own survey of 5,000 users found that 68% dislike swiping and 74% were looking for more real life dating experiences.
Users of the streaming feature will be able to comment on live streams as they happen or afterwards using a playback feature.
If they match, users will be able to video chat 1-to-1.
Badoo-owned Bumble is currently fighting an intellectual property lawsuit levelled by Match Group, which asserts Bumble tried to co-opt Tinder’s ‘swipe’ branding.
Badoo denies the move into video is associated with the case.
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