Feeld

Last updated
Feeld
Other names3nder
Developer(s) Feeld Ltd.
Initial releaseJuly 2014
Operating system iOS, Android
Available inEnglish, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish [1]
Type Social discovery
License Proprietary software with Terms of Use
Website www.feeld.co

Feeld (previously called 3nder) is a location-based online dating application for iOS and Android aimed at people interested in ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, casual sex, kink, swinging, and other alternative relationship models and sexual preferences. [2] [3] [4] According to a review from The New York Times, over a third of users are on the app with a partner, and 45 percent identify as something other than heterosexual. [5]

Contents

3nder was launched worldwide in July 2014 [6] [7] As of August 1, 2016, it had had over 1.6M downloads on iOS [8] and its users make 10 million connections a month. [9] Major updates to the interface were released December 2017 [10] , in August 2022 [11] and December 2023 [12] .

Feeld is developed by Feeld Ltd., an independent remote startup company founded in 2014 by Bulgarian-born designer Dimo Trifonov. [6] [7] [13]

History

Trifonov conceived the app after his girlfriend Ana Kirova told him that she had feelings for other people. [14] [5] Once the concept was developed, Trifonov bought a $15 online template to create a holding page and saw immediate demand. [14]

Feeld (initially known as 3nder) received its first seed round from UK-based group, Haatch. [15] The app was launched as 3nder in July 2014 [6] [7] In October 2015, 3nder Ltd. was awarded $500,000 in seed funding from a pair of unnamed angel investors. [16] [17]

In May 2016, Tinder's parent company Match Group (a part of IAC) sued 3nder Ltd., alleging trademark infringement 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’", [18] [19] [20] based on the "supposed pronunciation of 3nder". [18] In August 2016, the app was renamed Feeld. [21] [22] [23]

Dimo Trifonov was CEO until March 2021, when Ana Kirova took over. [24]

Availability and Security Issues

In late 2023 the app experienced a major outage of several days connected to an app update. Following the update many users experienced severe difficulties to use the app. Feeld also started to show the real-time location name of its users publicly, a move criticized for its privacy and safety implications. [12] Feeld acknowledged that, following the update, users experienced "several issues that we know are affecting your experience", including problems logging in, accessing connections and chats and profiles appearing to have been deleted. [25]

Regarding the safety concerns connected to real life location sharing, CEO Ana Kirova initially suggested in a blog post that concerned users can hide their profile from other users completely through the app's privacy settings. After a backlash, the location sharing was turned off completely. [26]

In March 2024, the British cybersecurity company Fortbridge identified several critical security vulnerabilities in the app. These flaws allowed unauthorized third parties to access private messages and photos, and to edit user profiles, search preferences, and messages. The duration of the vulnerabilities' presence remains unclear. Feeld claimed that the issues were resolved within three months of being notified. Notably, Feeld did not directly inform regulators or notify users of the potential breach of their private data, citing the absence of evidence that any data had been accessed. [27] In their report on the investigation, Fortbridge stated that six months had passed between their initial disclosure of the vulnerabilities and Feeld's confirmation that the issues had been patched. [28]

Operation

The basic app is free to use to match with and message with other members, with optional in-app purchases available to obtain additional features.

Members discreetly sign into the app using their email address, Sign in with Apple, or Facebook. [3] They build their profile, choosing between 20 sexuality and 19 gender options, [29] 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. [30] The app then presents other users' profiles to look at. [30]

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. [3] 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 "Locations". It also offers Virtual Locations as a way to connect over like-minded interests, regardless of geographical location. [31]

In-app purchases

A subscription-based paid tier called Majestic offers additional features called Who Likes You, Filter by Desires, Incognito, Go Back, and Private Photos; it also gives members one complimentary Ping per day. [32] 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. [33]

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. [34]

There is also a paid feature called "Uplift", [35] 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

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References

  1. ↑ "How do I use Feeld in my language?".
  2. ↑ Price, Rob (1 April 2016). "The CEO of a polyamorous dating app is accusing TransferWise of 'double standards' for refusing him service". Business Insider . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Hooton, Christopher (24 February 2014). "3nder: Tinder and Grindr offshoot app promises 'threesomes made easy'". The Independent . London. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  4. ↑ Haje Jan Kamps (23 May 2016). "3nder adds a +1 for your Tinder adventures". TechCrunch . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 Mlotek, Haley (2019-03-20). "A Dating App for Three, Plus (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  6. 1 2 3 Luckhurst, Phoebe (20 November 2015). "'Tinder for threesomes': does new hook-up app 3nder spell the end for monogamy?". London: London Evening Standard . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Covert, James (23 October 2015). "'Tinder for threesomes' gets $500K investment". New York: New York Post . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Feeld Proprietary Data http://www.pressat.co.uk/releases/3nder-the-dating-app-known-for-threesomes-rebrands-to-feeld-lands-on-android-tinder-lawsuit-ongoing-a9d3a34d6c86be0570d5c6416264b3e5/
  9. ↑ "About". Feeld. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  10. ↑ "Feeld Dating on the App Store". App Store. 18 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Introducing Feeld 6.0". Feeld. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  12. 1 2 Docter-Loeb, Hannah (2016-08-02). "From Left Feeld". New York Post. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  13. ↑ "Behance". www.behance.net. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  14. 1 2 "After Being Sued By Tinder, Can This Threesomes App Survive A Rebrand?". 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  15. ↑ "Haatch - Active Portfolio" . Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  16. ↑ Hanna, Laurie (24 October 2015). "Looking for an extra lover? There's an app for that: Threesome app 3nder raises $500,000 investment". New York Daily News . New York. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  17. ↑ Ridley, Jane (17 December 2015). "Confessions of an orgy addict". New York: New York Post . Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  18. 1 2 Davies, Rob (23 May 2015). "Tinder sues threesome app rival 3nder". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  19. ↑ Donahue, Helen (23 May 2015). "Tinder Wants You to Stop Planning Your Threesomes on 3nder". Vice . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  20. ↑ Bolton, Doug (24 May 2015). "Tinder sues threesome-finding app 3nder over name similarities". The Independent . London. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Kamps, Haje Jan (2 August 2016). "Threesome app 3nder renames to Feeld after Tinder lawsuit" . Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  22. ↑ "The world's most famous threesome app just made a huge change". Independent.co.uk. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  23. ↑ Covert, James (2016-08-02). "Threesome app changing its name thanks to Tinder". New York Post. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  24. ↑ "Ana Kirova announced as Feeld's new CEO". Feeld. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  25. ↑ "Note from Ana: Your questions about the new Feeld app". Feeld. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  26. ↑ "Protecting our Members and their Privacy". Feeld. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  27. ↑ Davies, Rob (17 September 2024). "Users of 'throuples' dating app Feeld may have had intimate photos accessed". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  28. ↑ Tiron, Bogdan (10 September 2024). "Feeld dating app – Your nudes and data were publicly available" . Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  29. ↑ "Glossary". Feeld. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  30. 1 2 Hill, Andy (22 July 2014). "The magic number: organise a threesome with 3nder". London: Time Out . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  31. ↑ Witt, Emily (11 July 2022). "A Hookup App for the Emotionally Mature". The New Yorker . Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  32. ↑ "Feeld: for couples and singles. on the App Store". App Store. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  33. ↑ "What is Incognito and how it works?". Feeld Help Centre. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  34. ↑ "What are Pings?". support.feeld.co. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  35. ↑ "Find out more about using Pings and our new feature, Uplift". Feeld. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
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