{{Short description|Social networking and online dating app}} {{Infobox website | name = DOWN | logo = File:DOWN logo.png | location = | founder = {{Unbulleted list|Colin Hodge|Omri Mor}} | CEO = Colin Hodge | industry = Software | owner = | url = {{URL|https://www.downapp.com/}} | foundation = {{Start date and age|2013}} | area_served = Global | num_employees = }}
{{Infobox software | title = DOWN | name = DOWN | logo = | logo_size = | screenshot = DOWN app Android screenshot.png | screenshot size = 180 px | caption = Screenshot of user tutorial showing swiping within DOWN | developer = | released = {{Start date and age|2013|01|23}} | ver layout = stacked | latest release version = {{unbulleted list|'''iOS''' 6.17 – {{Start date and age|2021|10|18|df=no}}|'''Android''' 4.22.0 – {{Start date and age|2021|10|12|df=no}}}}<ref name=Apple>{{Cite web|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/down-official/id601174087|title=DOWN Hookup: A Wild Dating App – Apple App Store| date=8 June 2023 }}</ref><ref name=Google>{{cite web|url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=down.date.hookup.app&hl=en|title=DOWN Dating App: Date Near Me – Google Play Store}}</ref> | latest release date = | operating system = Android, iOS | website = {{URL|https://www.downapp.com/}} | language = English, French, German, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese<ref name=Apple /> }}
'''DOWN''' is a location-based social networking and online dating application for users looking for casual relationships and hookups. Users can swipe up for more serious dating, swipe down for casual hookups, or left to pass, and continue to the next profile.<ref name=Leapdroid>{{cite web|url=https://leapdroid.com/best-privacy-dating-apps-of-2021-android/|work=LeapDroid |first=Ken|last=Pillar|title=Best Privacy Dating Apps of 2021 (Android)|date=2 May 2021 }}</ref> DOWN bills itself as an open-minded, sex-positive alternative to other dating apps.
Founded in 2013 as '''Bang with Friends''', the app began as a Facebook web app for curious singles to find which of their Facebook friends were interested in "banging," or casual sex. After lawsuits from Zynga, the developer of popular games like Words with Friends, Bang with Friends changed its name to DOWN in late 2013.<ref name=TechCrunch1>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/09/30/bang-with-friends-to-change-names-after-trademark-settlement-with-zynga/|title=Bang With Friends To Change Names After Trademark Settlement With Zynga|first=Kim-Mai|last=Cutler|work=TechCrunch|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=BusinessInsider1>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/zynga-sues-bang-with-friends-for-trademark-infringement-2013-7/|title=Zynga Says You're Not Allowed To Bang 'With Friends,' Sues Sex App But Neglects To Tell The Founders|first=Alyson|last=Shontell|work=Business Insider|date=July 31, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
==History== ===Bang With Friends=== Bang with Friends was launched by Colin Hodge and Omri Mor after meeting at Boost VC, a venture capital tech incubator in San Mateo, California. After working on HeardAboutYou, an app billed as Linkedin for lovers, Hodge looked for a way to simplify the online dating process for users who were looking for something casual.<ref name=Gawker>{{cite web|url=http://valleywag.gawker.com/meet-the-28-year-old-ceo-of-bang-with-friends-509602077|title=Meet the 28-Year-Old CEO of Bang With Friends|first=Nitasha|last=Tiku|work=Gawker|date=May 23, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021|archive-date=May 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508223812/https://valleywag.gawker.com/meet-the-28-year-old-ceo-of-bang-with-friends-509602077|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=BuzzFeed>{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katieheaney/an-interview-with-the-creators-of-bang-with-frien|title=Say They Just Want To Spread The Love|first=Katie|last=Heaney|work=Buzzfeed News|date=January 28, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=BusinessInsider2>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bang-with-friends-co-founder-interview-2013-4/|title=The Anonymous Co-Founder Of 'Bang With Friends' Explains How He's Helped 200,000 Couples Connect|first=Kevin|last=Smith|website=Business Insider |date=April 2, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
In just the first few weeks after launch in January 2013, Bang with Friends picked up coverage first from the niche entertainment site, BroBible, and then went viral with stories in BuzzFeed, the ''Daily Mail'', ''The Daily Beast'', and even the Colbert Report.<ref name=BroBile>{{cite web|url=https://brobible.com/life/article/bangwithfriendscom-sleep-with-facebook-friends-anonymously/|title=BangWithFriends.Com Allows You to Anonymously See Which Facebook Friends Want to Bang You|first=J.|last=Camm|work=BroBible|date=January 23, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=Buzzfeed2>{{cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katieheaney/the-app-that-shows-which-of-your-facebook-friends|title=The App That Shows Which Of Your Facebook Friends Are "Down To Bang"|first=Katie|last=Heaney|work=Buzzfeed News|date=January 24, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=DailyBeast>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/bang-with-friends-facebook-sex-app-creators-talk-controversial-product|title=Bang With Friends: Facebook Sex App Creators Talk Controversial Product|first=Anna|last=Klassen|newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=January 29, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=Colbert>{{cite web|url=https://www.cc.com/video/044mxj/the-colbert-report-bang-with-friends-app|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019202320/https://www.cc.com/video/044mxj/the-colbert-report-bang-with-friends-app|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 19, 2021|title="Bang With Friends" App|first=Stephen|last=Colbert|work=The Colbert Report|date=February 7, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref> News coverage and online discussion often highlighted the provocative and humorous marketing from the viral app company.<ref name=DailyBeast /><ref name=Colbert />
For the first few months, the startup continued to spark discussion and attention from the press, keeping their identities anonymous.<ref name=BuzzFeed/><ref name=DailyBeast /> While there was speculation about the identity of the founders, they granted interviews anonymously, identifying only as "C" or other letters.<ref name=BusinessInsider2 /> After founder Colin Hodge's identity was revealed in promotional material for New York's 2013 Internet Week, Gawker landed Hodge's first public interview.<ref name=Gawker />
In the first year, Bang With Friends raised $1 million from investors, including Boost VC, Tim Draper, and Great Oaks Venture Capital.<ref name=SFWeekly>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfweekly.com/news/down-is-up-bang-with-friends-rebanged/|title=Down Is Up: Bang with Friends, Rebanged|first=Rachel|last=Swan|date=November 27, 2013|work=SF Weekly|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=TechCrunch6>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/29/bang-with-friends-is-reportedly-raising-1m-to-help-you-bang-with-friends/|title=Bang With Friends Is Reportedly Raising $1M To Help You Bang With Friends|first=Greg|last=Kumparak|date=April 29, 2013|work=TechCrunch|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
Bang With Friends reached 1 million users within three months of launch.<ref name=TechCrunch2>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/10/25/bang-with-friends-down/|title=Bang With Friends Rebrands As 'Down' To Match You With Friends Of Friends By Hotness|first=Josh|last=Constine|work=TechCrunch|date=October 25, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=TechCrunch3>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/20/casual-dating-app-down-acquired-by-paktor/|title=Casual dating app Down acquired by Paktor|first=Katie|last=Roof|work=TechCrunch|date=January 20, 2017|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref> With the surge of registrations and press attention, the Bang With Friends app gained even more headlines with a guerilla marketing campaign at the March, 2013 South by Southwest Festival. The company launched a SXSW-specific hookup website, "Bang with SXSW", and plastered the festival's walls with raunchy advertisements. SXSW organizers tore the posters down, drawing more press coverage and fueling the controversy.<ref name=ABC>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/03/at-sxsw-new-sex-apps-focus-on-that-other-type-of-festival-networking|title=At SXSW, New Sex Apps Focus on that Other Type of Festival Networking|first=Joanna|last=Stern|work=ABC News|date=March 10, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=FastCompany>{{cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3006918/bang-friends-bang-sxsw-gets-banned-austin-still-hooks|title=Bang With Friends' "Bang With SXSW" Gets Banned In Austin But Still Hooks Up|first=Christina|last=Chaey|work=FastCompany|date=March 13, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=DigitalTrends>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/bang-with-sxsw-gets-naughty-with-festival-goers-and-sxsw-organizers-alike/|title=Notorious Facebook hook up app invades SXSW to the chagrin of … SXSW|first=Natt|last=Garun|date=March 13, 2013|work=digitaltrends|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
Starting as a simple Facebook web app in January 2013, the mobile app version of DOWN launched on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in May 2013.<ref name=FastCompany2>{{cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/1672540/bang-with-friends-facebooks-klout-for-banging-goes-mobile|title=Bang With Friends, Facebook's "Klout For Banging," Goes Mobile|first=Kyle|last=Vanhemert|date=May 8, 2013|work=Fast Company|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=TechCrunch4>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/08/bang-with-friends-goes-mobile-launches-on-iphone-and-android/|title=Bang With Friends Goes Mobile, Launches On iPhone And Android|first=Greg|last=Kumparak|work=TechCrunch|date=May 8, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref> Within weeks, the app was suddenly removed by Apple from the App Store.<ref name=HuffPost>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bang-with-friends-app-store-apple_n_3306576|title='Bang With Friends' Booted From Apple App Store|first=Hunter|last=Stuart|work=HuffPost|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref> By August 2013, the app was back up under its new rebranded name, "DOWN".<ref name=NYDN>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/bang-friends-returns-app-store-article-1.1442064|title= Bang With Friends returns to App Store as 'Down'|first=Victoria|last=Taylor|date=August 30, 2013|work=New York Daily News|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
===Lawsuits and rebrand=== Midway through 2013, Bang With Friends was sued by Zynga, the social network game maker who owned Words With Friends. Zynga claimed the trademark rights to the phrase "With Friends," threatening a lawsuit against Bang With Friends.<ref name=TechCrunch1 /><ref name=BusinessInsider1 /> The companies decided to settle out of court under undisclosed terms and Bang with Friends rebranded to DOWN in late 2013.<ref name=NYDN /><ref name=GeekWire>{{cite web|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2013/bang-friends-sex-app-reaches-settlement-zynga-friends-trademark/|title=Bang with Friends sex app reaches settlement with Zynga over 'With Friends' trademark|first=Taylor|last=Soper|work=GeekWire|date=September 30, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref> The new name of the company is a reference to the casual American slang definition of "down," as used in the phrases "down to fuck" or to "get down," and was Hodge's way of moving the company away from "alienating people who may not want an app that says "bang" but are totally down otherwise."<ref name=TechCrunch2 />
Along with the rebrand, they updated the dating app to remove the limit on connecting with Facebook friends and expanded users' reach to friends-of-friends.<ref name=TechCrunch2 /> DOWN then further expanded to location-based dating. This allowed users to connect with strangers nearby for a date or "get down" for something casual.<ref name=Hookupscout>{{cite web|url=https://www.hookupscout.com/downapp-review|title= DownApp Review|work=Hookupscout.com|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
At SXSW in 2014, DOWN co-founder & CEO Colin Hodge returned, this time invited, and headlined a discussion with Grindr founder and CEO Joel Simkhai titled "SXSW: From Stranger to Lover in One Swipe." The pair discussed the impact of social technology, the evolution of mobile dating, and how creating apps like Grindr and DOWN changed their own dating lives.<ref name=Chronicle>{{cite web|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2014-03-07/gay-place/|title=Gay Place Column|first=Kate X.|last=Messer|work=The Austin Chronicle|date=March 7, 2014|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=BusinessInsider3>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/downs-beer-pong-party-at-sxsw-2014-2014-3|work=Business Insider|title=Casual Sex App DOWN Threw A Brilliantly Cheap Party At South By Southwest|first=Alyson|last=Shontell|date=March 12, 2014|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
===Sales and growth as DOWN=== In 2016, after organically growing to 5 million users, DOWN was acquired by a Singaporean tech company named Paktor.<ref name=TechCrunch3 /><ref name=Vulcan>{{cite web|url=https://vulcanpost.com/602421/paktor-labs-acquisition-accelerator/|title=Paktor Acquires 3 Other Dating App Startups, Sets Up What Might Be The World's First Dating Lab|first=M.|last=Shazni|date=February 8, 2017|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref> During 2017, DOWN disclosed it made $1 million in annual revenue from in-app purchases.<ref name=TechCrunch3 /> As part of Paktor, DOWN eventually was rolled into M17 Entertainment in the merger between Paktor and 17LIVE, one of the world's top livestreaming companies.<ref name=Vulcan />
In 2018, the company was sold by M17 Entertainment, reverting ownership of the company to Hodge and an original team member.<ref name=TechCrunch5>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/22/m17-sells-its-online-dating-assets-to-focus-on-live-streaming/|title=M17 sells its online dating assets to focus on live streaming|first=Catherine|last=Shu|work=TechCrunch|date=May 22, 2020|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=DatingNews>{{cite news|url=https://www.datingnews.com/apps-and-sites/the-down-dating-app-grows-organic-traffic/|title=The DOWN Dating App Gets Down to Business & Grows Organic Traffic by Facilitating Discreet Hookups|first=Amber|last=Brooks|work=DatingNews.com|date=February 5, 2019|access-date=October 19, 2019}}</ref>
In 2021, both revenue and the number of users rose over 100% for DOWN, a top 20 dating app the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in the United States as of October 2021. The app claims over 15 million users worldwide.<ref name=LTR>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX8i2jvro5M|title=Fireside chat with Colin Hodge (President of DOWN)|first=Mark|last=Brooks|date=September 7, 2024|work=LTR Youtube Channel|access-date=September 11, 2024}}</ref><ref name=GDI>{{cite web|url=https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/featured/down-dating-app-reaches-15-million-users-reports-400-revenue-growth-in-2024/|title=DOWN Dating App Reaches 15 Million Users, Reports 400% Revenue Growth in 2024|date=October 24, 2024|work=Global Dating Insights|access-date=October 28, 2024}}</ref>
==Operation==
===Features=== The app's premium subscription allows users access to features like the ability to view which users viewed your profile, the ability to change your location to anywhere in the world, unlimited profile views, a "flirt" feature where users can directly message prospective partners before a match, and the ability to see when your match has read your message.<ref name=Hookupscout />
In April 2021, DOWN launched Snap Match, a quick matching feature, that allows users to find virtual connections almost instantly, around the world.<ref name=datingXP>{{cite web|url=https://datingxp.co/down-apps-snap-match-feature/|title=Down Hookup App's New "Snap Match" Feature Gets You Virtual Connections Almost Instantly!|first=Mary J.|last=Gibson|work=datingXP|date=April 17, 2021|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name=Global>{{cite web|url=https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/news/down-introduces-random-international-connections-feature-snap-match/|title=DOWN Introduces Random International Connections Feature 'Snap Match'|first=Dominic|last=Whitlock|date=May 19, 2021|work=Global Dating Insights|access-date=October 19, 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.downapp.com Official website] * [https://www.downapp.com/dating/ DOWN dating blog]
Category:Internet properties established in 2013 Category:Geosocial networking Category:Mobile social software Category:Online dating services of the United States Category:Online dating applications Category:Android (operating system) software Category:iOS software Category:Software companies established in 2013 Category:2018 mergers and acquisitions