OKCupid’s users are annoyed – very, really upset. Simply in front of the brand new 12 months, the organization made a radical modification to its policies, and today calls for visitors to use genuine names in place of an OKCupid username, as before. The alteration eliminates one of the biggest differentiators between your dating application and competitors like Tinder and Bumble, that have users sign in via Twitter in an effort to utilize their genuine title on the dating profile.

Considering that the up-date, announced week that is last OKCupid’s software was slammed with bad reviews in the App Store. Over half the reviews (56.3%) for the of December have only one star – up from around a third in November month. That could give the software a dismal 2.2 celebrity score if perhaps user reviews when it comes to previous thirty days had been on display within the App shop. (Apple, however, now lets designers decide to not need their reviews reset when they launch a version that is new OKC has chosen this program to keep up its 4.2 celebrity rating alternatively.)

The organization explained the thinking behind the change in a cheeky post which made enjoyable of this ridiculous usernames people have actually used on its web web site over time, like DoritoprincessXO, DaddyzPrincess29, StayingPawwsitive, Dootdootledootd0, Britney__Tears, laidback___stu, BigDaddyFlash916, and unicorn__jizz, as an example. (OKC stated these were, in reality, genuine usernames individuals had utilized on its solution, but had been modified somewhat to guard people’s privacy.)

It tied the change to the final end of a period for usernames – noting that AIM recently turn off once and for all. The suggestion, fundamentally, ended up being that possibly enough time for goofy handles that are online ended too. These aren’t sufficient explanations for most of OKCupid’s users, and frankly, they’re a little dismissive as to the reasons people selected OKC into the place that is first. As some reviewers have actually described, the blend for the genuine title policy and OKC’s push into development via features that is designed to find nearby matches by shared passions – could mean less privacy because of its users.

All things considered, armed with a true title, age, picture, and town, it is fairly trivial today to find the individual at issue via Bing or Twitter and discover who they really are, where it works, and their current address. That’s not information all app that is dating would you like to straight away give fully out to those who are otherwise strangers.

“Some of us choose the privacy of specific individual names,” writes one user that is angry ‘UniqueTwain,’ in a App shop review. “ in regards to to my title I would personally choose somebody reach understand me personally and just ask. It is perhaps perhaps maybe not like We head to celebration with my nickname or a title badge or monogrammed clothing on. No, we need to speak with people and progress to understand them and allow them to let me know their title. Why should it is any various on line?”

A few other people pointed call at their App shop reviews and article feedback that OKCupid’s statement had run into as “condescending,” “rude,” and “patronizing.”

The business could have cherry-picked a number of the more cringeworthy usernames to poke enjoyable at, but numerous felt that usernames had been generally speaking a straightforward and way that is quick get a feel for just what somebody had been like, while nevertheless protecting their privacy. There’s also a basic sense that OKCupid is wanting to be way too much like Tinder in place of maintaining the features that caused it to be unique. For instance, the software has discontinued things individuals liked, for instance the power to see site site visitors, since it increased its give attention to Tinder-esque features just like the prominence fond of individual photos.

“Match should simply shutter OKCupid at this time — they already very own Tinder, you should not build an extra Tinder,” scoffed tby77 in another App Store review. (Match could be the moms and dad business to a wide range of dating apps, including OKCupid, Tinder, PlentyofFish, yet others.)

To create matters worse, OKCupid locked many people out from the application until they complied using the policy that is new in the place of supplying an elegance duration.

Other people had been annoyed since they had recently compensated almost $50 to OKC to really have the capacity to alter their username by means a premium update. (the way that is only have this method during the time.) They aren’t getting a reimbursement, although the true title modification function happens to be being passed out easily. Although the reviews are brutal, OKC’s App shop position hasn’t really been affected yet by this change (it’s #53 in Social Networking on iOS). Which may be because Apple’s ratings only take into consideration application installs and velocity of these installs – it does not discover how lots of people are deleting the software. There clearly was one or more caveat to OKC’s new policy – you don’t need to use your name that is legal company notes at the end of their statement. It claims, you need to use the name you’d like your date “to call you” rather.

It later tried to help explain this in a tweet, explaining that nicknames if not initials are allowed, and that complete first names aren’t necessary.

We love our users. There is no need to make use of your federal government title and on occasion even your complete name that is first. Make use of the name, nickname, or initials you’d like your date to phone you on OkCupid. But wait…Nicknames? Initials? If OKCupid is not actually requiring genuine names, why destroy the username policy after all? OKCupid supplied the following statement in reaction to our questions regarding the insurance policy modification. And also by declaration, we suggest another blog was written by them post:

To offer more history as to the reasons we determined to remove usernames — this can be component of y our objective to add more substance and level to dating. OkCupid desires to result in the experience more individual. Having a title adds a lot more of a individual element versus a ‘username’. In reaction to your ‘workaroundsit just has to be two letters minimum, no numbers or symbols’ we have stated that in order to qualify as a name. We likewise have a listing of banned words that could perhaps perhaps maybe not qualify. It’s important to make clear that this doesn’t have to be your real/legal title, it could be any title you want anyone to phone you.

We don’t have actually any intends to bring usernames right back. We understand some people don’t that way usernames ‘re going away but we have numerous (thousands!) of messages from people who state they truly are offended by a number of the usernames individuals make…or they just have actually a truly time that is really hard up with one and that can we assist them to produce something that includes dinosaurs, tacos or pizza and preferably all three. Or they created a seriously awesome individual name, and today they forgot it and that can we please assist them to recover it. And we have a large number of demands to alter their username given that it does not feel just like the thing that is right.

We’re about security and safety of our users a lot more than anything. That’s why we had been the dating that is first to introduce the Dating Pledge early in millionaire dates price the day in 2010. That’s why we now have an amazing moderation group that individually product reviews any dilemmas and gets reduce folks that violate our guidelines. Since we’ve made the alteration, we’ve heard from many individuals so it makes OkCupid much more peoples. And it isn’t that the best move for the dating application?