New TON-based app pays users for dating on Telegram

Telegram launched a dating app on the TON blockchain that pays users for liking other people’s posts, finding a match or inviting their friends, the company announced on Friday. The most active users will be paid in Toncoin (TON), the native token of The Open Network, it said.

Also read: Telegram launches in-app digital payments system ‘Stars’

Telegram said the mini-app, dubbed ‘TON Dating,’ is the first such dating application on the messaging platform. It claimed that the app offers “a safe and exclusive environment for real people to connect on Telegram.”

TON Dating: ‘Real girls meet interesting boys’

Telegram uses web apps that run inside the platform, which are known as “mini-apps.” Businesses have utilized these mini-apps to sell physical products on Telegram for many years, according to company CEO Pavel Durov. More than 400 million people interact with the apps every month.

Telegram says TON Dating is a membership-based dating community. To become a member, you will need to create a profile on the website or join using an existing cryptocurrency wallet that supports The Open Network, or TON. You can do all this inside your Telegram account.

Cryptopolitan attempted to create a profile on Telegram’s new dating app. This writer joined using MyTonWallet and was asked to provide a brief biography and personal details, including date of birth, location, and link to my Instagram profile. I found the requirements too intrusive and didn’t go through with it.

Telegram, a privacy-focused social media network, wrote on its platform that “all profiles are carefully reviewed and verified, ensuring you meet only real people and make meaningful connections.”

“Multi-step identity verification ensures no anonymous users or bots, only real people,” the company said.

As bots run riot on rival sites like X, formerly Twitter, Telegram says its dating app comes with “high-quality connections where real girls meet interesting boys.” It added that the most active members will get rewards in Ton cryptocurrency, “especially girls.”

Also read: Tapswap and Yescoin to launch tokens on TON as Telegram games boom

The price of Toncoin fell 3.5% to $7.49 as of writing, according to CoinGecko . Year-to-date, the token has soared more than 220%.

Cryptopolitan Reporting by Jeffrey Gogo