Technology

Google Is Trying To Left Swipe Tinder From The App Store

Please don't make me have to switch to Hinge.

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I’m not sure who is Tinder or Google in this image, but trust that it is heating up for one of them.

What do you know, Tinder is finally in the news for something other than failing to properly respond to sexual assault reports! The dating conglomerate is in hot water with Google — the world’s most famous search engine wants to cut ties with the app in a big way.

Google has counter-sued Match seeking monetary damages and a judgement that would let it kick Tinder and the group’s other dating apps out of the Play Store, Bloomberg has reported. Earlier this year, Match sued Google alleging antitrust violations over a decision requiring all Android developers to process “digital goods and services” payments through the Play Store billing system.

If you’re thinking, “So what, Tinder is for those weird 20-somethings trying to bump uglies with no commitment. I use a classier dating app,” two things. First, believe it or not, Tinder is one of the ways people meet like-minded souls for friendship, especially in the age of COVID. Second, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, Pairs, PlentyOfFish, and OurTime are also implicated in this lawsuit. For Lex and Grindr‘ers, you appear to be safe for now. The Leaguers… you aren’t nearly as cool as you think you are.

Match group said that Google’s Play Store policies violate federal and state laws. “Google doesn’t want anyone else to sue them so their counterclaims are designed as a warning shot,” Match told Bloomberg in a statement. “We are confident that our suit, alongside other developers, the US Department of Justice and 37 state attorneys general making similar claims, will be resolved in our favor early next year.”

While I don’t know the exact value a suit like this would involve, I do know that price tags associated with Match and Tinder carry hundreds of millions of dollars. Antitrust appears to be back in season. You should expect to see more news of big names suing big names. And when that happens, we’ll be here to fill you in on the details.

Unsolicited Law School Student Advice™: Try to avoid tangoing horizontally with your cohort members. Cold calls will be heated enough next semester in Con Law as is.

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Google Files A Lawsuit That Could Kick Tinder Out Of The Play Store [Engadget]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

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