Chinese Dating Apps Grew During Initial Coronavirus Outbreak

Dating apps in China have also experienced significant increases in activity as singles were looking for ways to pass the time while in COVID-19 lockdown.

After originally being the source of the outbreak, the country is reporting a significant decrease in cases and isolation measures are beginning to be lifted. Daters are now being allowed to interact in public again, so commentators believe dating companies need to look for ways to retain users.

Tantan recorded that session lengths increased by more than 30% in February. Further, the number of matches and messages sent by Generation Z also grew by 20% as they became the most active age demographic.

Elsewhere, Zhenai.com reached 10 million active users at the beginning of February, almost 40% higher than 12 months ago.

Yang Xin, an analyst with Beijing-based Internet consultancy Analysys, told The Star: “The epidemic has given a big boost to the online dating apps, which are usually in the off season in the first quarter and gradually gain popularity after the Spring Festival.”

However, one platform that hasn’t been as successful in China during this time is Seeking Arrangement. The sugar dating platform was removed from the country’s iOS App Store due to it’s “sexually suggestive content”.

In an attempt to comply with local censorship laws, Seeking Arrangement has rebranded its Chinese app and now refers to sugar daddies as “successful people”, and calling sugar babies “charming sweethearts”.

A spokesperson also revealed that the company is looking to create a high-end marriage and love social platform for its Chinese audience, which will be different from the sugar-dating market in other countries.

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