Tinder users jump 400 percent in India over a year
The popular dating app has enjoyed incredible growth in India, where smartphone and Internet connectivity are hitting new highs.
India's explosive smartphone and Internet growth has provided great opportunities for businesses around the world. It looks like it's also providing great opportunities for love.
Popular dating app Tinder has seen a 400 percent increase in downloads over the last year in the country, according to the Times of India. The smartphone app offers you up profiles of other users who are nearby. If you swipe right or "like" someone who has done the same to you, you'll be able to start chatting to them in the app.
In September, the "Super Like" was introduced -- if you Super Like someone, there'll be a star icon on your profile indicating to them your interest -- which Tinder India head Taru Kapoor says has been a hit amongst women in India.
"Women in particular seem to love Tinder, sending more Super Likes than men each week, which is incredibly empowering," she said in a statement.
The app isn't the only one to benefit from India's increased Internet connectivity. Last week it was reported that Instagram had doubled its userbase in the country between this and last September, just as IMRB International and the Internet and Mobile Association of India published a report that said the country would house 402 million Internet users by December. On a related note, the smartphone sector is also exploding in India, experiencing 44 percent year-on-year growth in quarter two of this year, according to IDC.
Tinder doesn't release hard numbers on its userbase, but the publication reported that Kapoor said that 90 percent of its users were in the 18-34 demographic, and that conversations in the app lasted longer in the country than in any other.
Tinder launched in 2012 and quickly became one of the most popular online dating apps, competing with the likes of OKCupid, Match.com and Grindr. The app claims its users have made over 9 billion matches since 2012 and currently make 26 million per day.
The previously free service made its first move toward generating subscription revenue in March with the launch of Tinder Plus, a paid upgrade that offers users the ability to undo errant swipes and set their location to anywhere around the world. Last year, IAC's Match Group, the unit that includes Tinder, estimated the app's revenue could hit $75 million in 2015.