Russian social media giant VK is developing a dating app after Tinder announced its withdrawal from Russia, Vedomosti reported citing two sources close to the company.
The sources said it will be a standalone app that will not require logging in through a VK account, unlike the current service, VK Dating, which can only be accessed through VK itself.
While VK Dating’s audience has grown 81% to 22.1 mln users in the past year, one of Vedomosti’s sources pointed out that its connection to the VK database also serves as a deterrent — some users are afraid of stumbling upon people that are already on their friend list. Since VK Dating is only popular as an in-app service, it makes sense to develop a separate dating app, says Denis Kuskov, head of the Telecom Daily news and analysis firm.