Feeld (previously called 3nder) is a location-based
online dating application
An online dating application is an online dating service presented through a mobile phone application (app), often taking advantage of a smartphone's GPS location capabilities, always on-hand presence, easy access to digital photo galleries and m ...
for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
and
Android that facilitates communication between people interested in
ethical non-monogamy
Consensual non-monogamy (CNM), and its subset ethical non-monogamy (ENM), are the practice of non-monogamous intimate or sexual relations that are distinguished from infidelity by the knowledge and consent of those involved, and from polygamy by t ...
,
polyamory
Polyamory () is the practice of, or desire for, romantic relationships with more than one partner at the same time, with the informed consent of all partners involved. People who identify as polyamorous may believe in open relationships wi ...
,
casual sex
Casual sex is sexual activity that takes place outside a romantic relationship and implies an absence of commitment, emotional attachment, or familiarity between sexual partners. Examples are sexual activity while casually dating, one-night ...
,
kink
Kink or KINK may refer to:
Common uses
* Kink (sexuality), a colloquial term for non-normative sexual behavior
* Kink, a curvature, bend, or twist
Geography
* Kink, Iran, a village in Iran
* The Kink, a man-made geographic feature in remote ea ...
,
swinging, and other alternative relationship models and sexual preferences.
According to a review from
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
, over a third of users are on the app with a partner, and 45 percent identify as something other than heterosexual.
3nder was launched in the UK in July 2014
and in the US in 2015.
As of August 1, 2016, it had had over 1.6M downloads on iOS and its users make 10 million connections a month. Major updates to the interface were released December 2017 then in August 2022.
Feeld is developed by Feeld Ltd., an independent
remote startup company
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend ...
founded in 2014 by
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
n-born designer Dimo Trifonov.
History
Trifonov conceived the app after his girlfriend Ana Kirova told him that she had feelings for other people.
Once the concept was developed, Trifonov bought a $15 online template to create a holding page and saw immediate demand.
Feeld (initially known as 3nder) received its first seed round from UK-based group, Haatch. The app was launched as 3nder in the
UK in July 2014
and in the
US in 2015.
In October 2015, 3nder Ltd. was awarded $500,000 in seed funding from a pair of unnamed
angel investors.
In May 2016,
Tinder
Tinder is easily combustible material used to start a fire. Tinder is a finely divided, open material which will begin to glow under a shower of sparks. Air is gently wafted over the glowing tinder until it bursts into flame. The flaming tinder i ...
's parent company
Match Group
Match Group, Inc. is an American internet and technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It owns and operates the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, PlentyO ...
(a part of
IAC) sued 3nder Ltd., alleging
trademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attached to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees (provided that such authorization was within the scope of the licence). Infringement may ...
over its name. Match Group "wants its smaller competitor to shut down and erase its presence from the web entirely to avoid ‘confusion’ between the two apps, claiming the alleged similarity gives 3nder an ‘unfair advantage’",
based on the "supposed pronunciation of 3nder".
In August 2016, the app was renamed Feeld.
Dimo Trifonov was CEO until March 2021, when Ana Kirova took over.
Operation
The basic app is free to use to match with and message with other members, with optional
in-app purchases
Microtransactions, often abbreviated as mtx, are a business model where users can purchase virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransact ...
available to obtain additional features.
Members discreetly sign into the app using their email address,
Sign in with Apple
Sign in with Apple is a single sign-on provider operated by Apple Inc., introduced on June 3, 2019 at Apple's 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in iOS 13.
It is designed to allow users to create accounts for third-party services with ...
, or
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
.
They build their profile, choosing between 20
sexuality and 19
gender
Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...
options, and can pair their account with their partner, if they have one. Users can then choose who they'd like to see (singles, couples, genders) and refine their search based on geographical search area, age, relationship type and sexual preferences.
The app then presents other users' profiles to look at.
Liking or Disliking indicate interest or disinterest in another's profile, and uniquely for dating apps, users can decide to “skip” a profile to make a choice later.
When two users like each other, they become "Connections" and can start to message each other.
As well as
showing other members around them, the app also offers the ability to visit and meet members in other cities through "Cores". It also offers Virtual Cores as a way to connect over like-minded interests, regardless of geographical location.
In-app purchases
A paid subscription called Majestic offers additional features called Who Likes You, Filter by Desires, Incognito and Private Photos; it also gives members one complimentary Ping per day. Incognito allows members to hide from others members they haven't yet Liked, providing additional privacy; members who have logged in with Facebook can also opt to hide their profile from their Facebook friends.
Members may also send "Pings", to immediately notify another member of their interest without having to wait for the other person to see them and like them back. Pings can be acquired as in-app purchases.
There is also a paid feature called "Uplift",
which allows members to be shown ahead of other profiles in their area for some time, thus decreasing the time it will take to connect with other members.
See also
*
Timeline of online dating services
*
Comparison of online dating services
This is a partial, non-exhaustive list of notable online dating websites and mobile apps.
All services in the list that have an entry, whether they support heterosexual connections, currently support homosexual connections.
__TOC__
Online datin ...
References
External links
*{{official website, www.feeld.co
Online dating for specific interests
Geosocial networking
Mobile social software
Proprietary software
2014 software
Online dating services of the United Kingdom