We are excited to present the latest release of our Skadate engine. In this update, we have implemented a number of significant improvements and new features that will make your site more convenient for users and more profitable for you.
This update is available to all Skadate users with an active Managed Support subscription. If you don’t have a subscription yet and want to receive these updates, you can purchase a Managed Support subscription by contacting your manager through the Customer Area.
Saying Goodbye to Unique Usernames
We have removed the Username field and replaced it with a Name field that does not require uniqueness. Now users can use their real names without adding numbers or extra symbols. For example, instead of James111 or Olivia333, simply James and Olivia. This makes communication more personalized and natural.
Benefit: Simplifies the registration process and enhances user experience, which can increase user engagement and trust.
Support for Web Push Notifications on iOS
Our PWA version now supports Web Push Notifications on iOS devices. Apple introduced this feature in 2023, and we have incorporated it. Users can receive notifications by installing the app on their device’s Home Screen.
Read our article about how Web Push Notifications can improve retention rate.
Benefit: Increases user engagement through timely notifications, helping to retain your audience and boost platform activity.
Likes and Matches on Desktop
We have added the ability to like profiles on the desktop version of the site. When there is a mutual match, the system will display a dialog box with a notification and a button to proceed to chat.
Benefit: Enhances interactivity and user engagement, which can lead to more frequent communication and increased user satisfaction with the service.
Bulk Photo Upload
Users can now upload multiple photos at once instead of one at a time. This significantly speeds up the profile completion process and increases the number of photos.
Benefit: Simplifies profile completion, which can improve content quality.
Improved Search Section
In the Search section, profiles are now displayed by default instead of a search form. This allows users to immediately see potential matches without extra steps.
Benefit: Speeds up the search process and enhances usability, which can increase interactions between users.
Accelerated Content Moderation
We have significantly accelerated the moderation process for avatars, photos, and comments. Moderators can now select good photos with checkmarks and click the “Approve Selected and Remove the Rest” button. Upon clicking, we will approve the selected photos and delete the others that were not selected.
Additionally, the clickable area for selection has been enlarged, and we have increased the preview size of the photos.
Benefit: Reduces time spent on content moderation and increases moderator efficiency, improving the quality of content on the platform.
Ability to Rotate Photos in Admin Panel
Administrators can now rotate photos directly in the moderation panel. This allows for quick correction of image orientation without the need to re-upload them.
Benefit: Improves the visual presentation of profiles and saves time for both users and administrators.
Pre-Moderation of Photo Comments
We have added the ability to enable pre-moderation for comments on photos. This helps prevent the appearance of unwanted or fraudulent content.
Benefit: Enhances safety and quality of interactions on the platform, increasing user trust.
Removal of Albums
We have decided to remove the albums feature, as it is excessive for a dating platform. Albums are more relevant for social networks and are available in our Oxwall engine, but they are not necessary for Skadate.
Benefit: Simplifies the interface and reduces navigation complexity for users.
IPv6 Support
We now record the IP addresses of all users in the database, including IPv6. Previously, we only worked with IPv4.
Benefit: Improves security and tracking capabilities.
Optimized Registration Process
During registration, when making multiple selections, the dialog window now closes immediately after selecting an item. Previously, it was necessary to additionally click OK for each field.
Benefit: Speeds up the registration process and reduces the number of required clicks, enhancing user experience.
Enhanced Photo Viewing in PWA
We have improved photo viewing in the popup in PWA. Now, the popup can be closed by clicking on the dark area, and photo viewing has become cyclical—after the last photo, the first one is displayed.
Benefit: Improves navigation convenience and enhances user experience when viewing photos.
Updates in Tinder Mode for PWA
We have improved the Tinder Mode in PWA. When opening a profile from Tinder Mode and liking or disliking it, the profile view closes, and the user sees the next profile in the deck.
Benefit: Speeds up the process of viewing and evaluating profiles, making interaction smoother and more intuitive.
Quick Location Input During Registration
In the registration process, we have added the ability to automatically determine the user’s address via GPS and insert it into the field by simply clicking on the corresponding icon.
Benefit: Simplifies profile completion and increases the accuracy of geolocation, improving match algorithms.
Instant Email Notifications
We have configured the system to send email notifications to users immediately. Previously, the system waited for 2 days, and if the recipient of the notifications logged into the site, the notifications were not sent.
Benefit: Quickly informing users about new events increases their activity and return rate to the site.
New Buttons for Uploading Photos on Desktop
On the desktop version, we have added “Upload Photos” buttons in your profile and in the profile editor. This makes the process of adding photos more obvious and accessible.
Benefit: Encourages users to add photos, which enhances profile quality and platform appeal.
Update for Google Play Store
We have updated our Billing Library to version 6 or higher, as required by Google Play Store by August 31, 2024.
Benefit: Complying with platform requirements allows you to continue distributing the app and receiving updates, which is important for stable operation and revenue.
Updating targetSdkVersion to 34 (Android 14)
We received a notification from Google Play about the need to update targetSdkVersion to 34 (Android 14) and have updated the Play In-App Updates Maven dependency to a compatible version.
Benefit: Ensuring compatibility with the latest versions of Android guarantees app stability and a better experience for users.
Currency Conversion in the App
We have resolved the issue related to displaying prices in USD for users from other countries. Now the app automatically converts the currency to the regional one using a special tool called live_currency_rate.
Benefit: Transparent pricing and improved user experience during in-app purchases, which can increase conversion and revenue.
Fixed Bugs
We have fixed numerous bugs to improve the stability and performance of the Skadate platform.
Desktop:
- Fixed Captcha display.
- Fixed Birthdate field.
- Corrected display of time in the Joined field.
- Fixed the “How it works” section in the Miniature theme.
PWA and Native Apps:
- Fixed Facebook Connect.
- Fixed the appearance of a robot when sending a message.
- Hidden video chat icon when the VideoIM plugin is deactivated.
- Fixed password reset issue.
- Updated “Contact Us” so that the sender’s email is displayed in the message text.
- Fixed opening of payments in PWA after software update.
Benefit: Improves platform stability and security, increasing user trust and satisfaction with the service.
Coming Soon: New Premium Plugins to Increase Profitability
In the near future, we plan to release new Premium Plugins that will increase your business’s profitability.
Please note that Premium Plugins are available only to clients with a Managed Support subscription.
Who Liked Me?
The plugin displays a list of people who liked the user but with blurred photos. Users need to purchase a subscription to unblur the photos and see who liked them.
Super Likes
Ability to send Super Likes. Users must purchase a subscription to send Super Likes.
Incognito Mode
Adding an Incognito Mode option in Settings. If a user activates this feature, only those whom they have liked or Super Liked can view their profile. Only users with a subscription can activate this mode.
Daily Like Limit
The plugin limits the number of daily likes for standard users, encouraging them to upgrade to a subscription model for unlimited liking capabilities and driving revenue through premium memberships.
Rewind
Ability to go back to the previous profile in Tinder Mode.
View Guests
The plugin displays a list of people who viewed the user’s profile but with blurred photos. Users need to purchase a subscription to unblur the photos and see who viewed their profile.
We continue to work on improving Skadate to provide you and your users with the best experience in online dating. Thank you for being with us!
