Match Group Subsidiary Ship Gets Android Release

Match Group’s social dating app Ship is now available on Android devices after being launched solely on iOS at the start of the year.

The app is run in collaboration with Betches Media, a lifestyle blog for millennial women. It gives users a chance to browse potential matches with the help of their close friendship circle.

Group chats, known as ‘Crews’, are set up in the app with the sole purpose of finding one of the members a date. This allows people who are already in a relationship to create an account and help their single friend, sharing profiles that they think would be a good fit.

Ship has resonated with women; Match Group revealed at the end of Q1 that 70% of signups had been female.

The Head of Marketing for Ship, Stephanie Danzi, said in a statement: “When we designed Ship, we wanted to take the way people interact with their friends around dating in real life and bring that into an app.

“Since its launch, we’ve heard amazing feedback about how much fun users are having, and even in its short time in market, we’ve already heard multiple stories of friends successfully partnering each other up. 

“The app has grown very quickly, and the number one request we get is to bring it to Android, so we’re excited to roll Ship out to Android users so they can join in on the fun.”

Company estimates show that just under 20% of people on the app are already in a serious relationship, and these users are responsible for more than half of the matches their single friends make.

At the start of August, Match Group announced the acquisition of Harmonica, marking its first foray into the Muslim matchmaking market.

Visit the Ship website here.