Badoo is an online dating-focused[3] and social networking application. Founded by Andrey Andreev in 2006,[4] Badoo originally launched as a web product.[5] It has headquarters in London.[6][7] In 2012, the app was launched in the United States and later became a brand of Bumble Inc.[7]

As of 2025, Badoo operates in 190 countries[8] and is available in 47 languages, making it the world's most widely used dating network.[9][10] The app is available on iOS, Android, Google Play, and the web. Badoo operates on a freemium model, whereby the core services can be used without payment.

History

First logo, used from November 2006–April 2017
Second logo, used from April 2017–June 2019
Third logo, used from June 2019–February 2022
Fourth logo, used from February 2022–November 2023

Badoo was founded by Andrey Andreev and launched in London in November 2006.[11] It has since ranked among the most popular dating websites.[12] In 2016, it was the most downloaded dating app in 21 countries.[9] In 2011, Wired described Badoo as a "mass phenomenon" in Brazil, Mexico, France, Spain, and Italy.[13]

In 2007, Badoo raised $30 million in funding.[14] In January 2008, Finam Capital paid $30 million for a 10% stake in Badoo for expansion in Russia.[15]

Badoo was asked to adjust its approach after going viral on Facebook through popular social games and quizzes.[16] The official launch of Badoo in the U.S. was on March 23, 2012, with Nick Cannon introducing the service in the United States.[7]

In April 2017, Badoo launched a newly redesigned app and brand, adopting the colour purple and an orange heart symbol as its logo and the tagline "Bigger than Dating". Andreev discussed this redesign in an interview with Business Insider's James Cook in the same month.[4]

In 2018, Badoo was the subject of a Forbes investigative report outlining workplace misogyny, illegal drug use, as well as sexual and racial discrimination. Thirteen Badoo employees reported a culture of workplace afterparties involving use of recreational drugs and prostitutes, along with several instances of sexual assault and harassment. An internal email list would circulate photos of parties and pornography of an employee. Technical updates were named after pornography performers.[17][18]

Andreev created Magic Lab in 2019 as the parent company of both Bumble and Badoo.[5]

Features

Badoo has several features that enable users to meet people. When first signing up, individuals select whether they want to “match” with new people in order to date, chat or make new friends. Users can chat via in-app messaging,[19] upload photos and videos, as well as share their interests to find any friends in common.[20][21][22]

The main features include:

  • Discover: Users can see and contact people who live in their area, as well as their location[19]
  • Encounters: Another free feature, where users swipe right (yes) or left (no) on other users' profiles based on search criteria (i.e. distance, age, interests). Users are able add their personal interests on their own profile and can search for compatible matches using advanced search filters, such as dating intentions. Users can add a “mood” to their profile and also see other users’ moods[23][24]
  • In-App Video Chat and Calls: In August 2017, Badoo launched its video chat function that allows users to connect real-time, once they've exchanged messages[25]

Safety features include:

  • Photo Verification: The company has also developed a photo verification process, where users upload a photo of themselves mimicking a specific pose.[26]
  • Selfie Request: A feature used to ensure users are real and verified. Such features include the 'selfie request' button,[27] through which women can request a man they're speaking to send a 'selfie' to prove they are the same person as in the pictures. This 'selfie request' feature is only available to female account holders; it is unavailable to male Badoo users[28]
  • Private Detector: Launched in 2020, this features uses AI to identify potentially offending photos, automatically blurring them and providing a user warning for “inappropriate content”[29]
  • Message Detector: ‘Rude Message Detector’ automatically flags any discriminatory or overtly sexual messages. This features uses machine learning AI to distinguish between “banter” and verbal abuse[30]
  • Screenshot Block: In 2021, Badoo released its Screenshot Block feature, intended to discourage sharing private information and photos without permission. Android users could no longer take screenshots of the app, whereas iOS users got a warning message[31]
  • Deception Detector: In 2024, Deception Detector was added to identify spam and fake profiles using AI. The machine learning model is capable of blocking 95% scam accounts automatically[32]

Badoo is a freemium service, where the basic service is free for everyone but users have an option to pay for premium features. Such features include, ‘Rise Up’, which allows users to place their profile at the top of search results for matches in their respective area.[13] Users can also pay to have their profile photo more widely visible across the site.[13]

Criticisms

In a peer-reviewed study by Cambridge University in 2009,[33] it was given the lowest score for privacy among the 45 social networking sites examined.[34]

Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that numerous Badoo profiles were created without people's consent, and that people have reported Badoo's actions to the police.[35]

According to Google's transparency report on the requests for search removals stemming from the "right to be forgotten" ruling, Badoo had the eighth-highest number of URLs removed from Google Search, with Facebook, YouTube, Google Groups and Twitter receiving a higher number of these requests.[36]

A CNET review by Rafe Needleman described Badoo's first impression as "creepy". He said that though the site was advertised as a way to meet local friends with shared interests, it was more like a photo-based dating site. He also said the way it matches users was "obscure".[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ LaPorte, Nicole (July 15, 2020). "Bumble hits 100 million users—and has new plans to take over the dating world". Fast Company.
  2. ^ "Badoo FAQ". Badoo. Archived from the original on 2015-01-07. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
  3. ^ "Badabing Badaboom – Badoo Hits 150 Million Users, Boosted By Mobile". TechCrunch. AOL. 4 May 2012.
  4. ^ a b "The reclusive CEO of dating app Badoo on his app's redesign, Bumble, and why he won't IPO any time soon". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
  5. ^ a b Parmy Olson (July 11, 2019). "Bumble Owner, Facing Off With Tinder, Boosts Spending". WSJ. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  6. ^ Badoo – Terms of Use Accessed August 2009.
  7. ^ a b c "Social Network Badoo Officially Launches in U.S. With Nick Cannon [PICS]". Mashable. 23 March 2012.
  8. ^ Toglia, Michelle (2016-03-25). "Here's How Dating App Badoo's Photo Verification Will Wipe Out Catfishing". Bustle.
  9. ^ a b "The Dating Game". BBC News. 12 February 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  10. ^ Craig Smith (December 17, 2024). "Badoo Statistics and User Count for 2024". Expanded Rambling. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  11. ^ "Project Portfolio – Badoo". Finam Capital. 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2011-02-10.
  12. ^ "Top 15 Most Popular Dating Websites". eBizMBA. September 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  13. ^ a b c Rowan, David. "How Badoo built a billion-pound social network... on sex". Wired UK. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  14. ^ a b Needleman, Rafe (February 23, 2012). "Badoo: Social experiment or hookup site?". CNET. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  15. ^ Butcher, Mike (21 January 2008). "UK's Badoo pulls $30m for Russian launch, ahead of a home push". Techcrunch. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  16. ^ "Huge Facebook App Loses 75% Uniques After Facebook Threatens It". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  17. ^
  18. ^ Albert-Deitch, Cameron (9 July 2019). "Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Bumble's Majority Investor Threaten to Throttle the Company's Pro-Woman Cred". Inc. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  19. ^ a b "New look". team.badoo.com. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
  20. ^ "A nightclub on your smartphone". The Economist. 19 September 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011.
  21. ^ Chloe Gay (April 6, 2018). "Badoo Launches New 'Friends of Friends' Tool". GDI. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  22. ^ Lulu Chang (April 21, 2022). "Photos in dating apps not doing it for you? Badoo is adding video, too". Digital Trends. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  23. ^ Frommer, Dan. "The Biggest Startup You've Never Heard Of Is About To Hit 108 Million Members". Business Insider.
  24. ^ "Badoo 'Moods' Launch". Justin Bailey. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  25. ^ "Video dating app Badoo could help you to filter out misleading singles". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
  26. ^ Taub, Alexander. "Badoo's Selfie Verification Is A Unique Way Of Solving The Catfishing Problem". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  27. ^ "This dating app has a genius way of preventing catfishing". Cosmopolitan. 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
  28. ^ "How to Request a Selfie in Badoo". TechJunkie. BOX 20. 3 November 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  29. ^ Taylor Telford. "Bumble's new 'Private Detector' protects users from rude, lewd and nude photos". Washington Post. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  30. ^ Dominic Whitlock (October 13, 2021). "Badoo Censors Harmful Content With New 'Rude Message Detector'". GDI. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  31. ^ Andrea Michelson (June 30, 2021). "A dating app has banned users from taking screenshots to keep messages private". Business Insider. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  32. ^ Pihu Yadav (February 6, 2024). "Bumble Inc launches Deception Detector for scam-free online dating". CNBC. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  33. ^ Bonneau, Joseph; Preibusch, Sören (2009), "The Privacy Jungle: On the Market for Privacy in Social Networks" (PDF), WEIS '09: Proceedings of the Eighth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security.
  34. ^ Social networks ‘failing users’ The Daily Telegraph 21 Jul 2009.
  35. ^ "Treffipalvelu varastaa profiilitiedot: Varo tätä sovellusta Facebookissa". Iltalehti (in Finnish). 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
  36. ^ "European privacy requests for search removals". Transparency Report. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badoo
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