Badoo

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Dating-focused social networking service

title: "Badoo" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["internet-properties-established-in-2006", "online-dating-services-of-cyprus", "companies-based-in-limassol", "mobile-social-software", "geosocial-networking"] description: "Dating-focused social networking service" topic_path: "general/internet-properties-established-in-2006" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badoo" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Dating-focused social networking service ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox website"]

Field	Value
logo	Badoo 2025 logo.svg
url
commercial	Freemium
type	Dating
parent	Badoo Trading Limited
registration	Required
language	47 languages
owner	Bumble Inc.
(formerly MagicLab)
country_of_origin	United Kingdom
location_city	London
location_country	United Kingdom
launch_date
current_status	Active
creator	Andrey Andreev
::

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

As of 2025, Badoo operates in 190 countries and is available in 47 languages, making it the world's most widely used dating network. 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

| align = right | direction = vertical | width = 185 | image1 = Logobadoo.svg | caption1 = First logo, used from November 2006–April 2017 | image2 = Badoo - 2017 Logo 2.svg | caption2 = Second logo, used from April 2017–June 2019 | image3 = Badoo logo (new).png | caption3 = Third logo, used from June 2019–February 2022 | image4 = Badoo logo.svg | caption4 = Fourth logo, used from February 2022–November 2023 | height4 = 40px | image5 = Badoo.svg | caption5 = Fifth logo, used from November 2023–2025 Badoo was founded by Andrey Andreev and launched in London in April 2006. It has since ranked among the most popular dating websites.

In 2007, Badoo raised $30 million in funding. In January 2008, Finam Capital paid $30 million for a 10% stake in Badoo for expansion in Russia. Badoo also reached 13 million users in 2008.

The official launch of Badoo in the U.S. was on March 23, 2012, with Nick Cannon introducing the service in the United States.

In 2014, Badoo’s CEO Andrey Andreev contacted Bumble’s Whitney Wolfe Herd to form a partnership: Andreev received 79% ownership in the company for an initial investment of $10 million, along with additional investments; Wolfe Herd served as founder, CEO, and 20% owner. As part of the agreement, the new company would also utilize Badoo's infrastructure and Andreev's consulting. Wolfe Herd said the partnership was key due to Andreev's "knowledge and infrastructure".

In 2016, Badoo was the most downloaded dating app in 21 countries.

In April 2017, Badoo launched a newly redesigned app and brand, as well as the tagline "Bigger than Dating". Andreev discussed this redesign in an interview with Business Insider James Cook in the same month.

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

In 2020, Bumble Inc. replaced MagicLab as Badoo’s parent company, with Badoo becoming a subsidiary product.

Badoo launched its “Let’s Fix Dating” global marketing campaign in 2022.

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, upload photos and videos, as well as share their interests to find any friends in common.

The main features include:

Discover: Users can see and contact people who live in their area, as well as their location
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
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

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.
Selfie Request: A feature used to ensure users are real and verified. Such features include the 'selfie request' button, 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
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”
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
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
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

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. Users can also pay to have their profile photo more widely visible across the site.

Reception

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

In 2011, The Economist dubbed Badoo “a nightclub on your smartphone” and Wired described Badoo as a "mass phenomenon" in Brazil, Mexico, France, Spain, and Italy. That same year, Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that numerous Badoo profiles were created without people's consent, and Badoo was asked to adjust its approach after going viral on Facebook through popular social games and quizzes.

A 2012 CNET review by Rafe Needleman noted that, while 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".

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 in 2014, with Facebook, YouTube, Google Groups and Twitter receiving a higher number of these requests.

In 2018, Badoo was the subject of a Forbes investigative report, finding that 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. Consequently, MagicLab hired Doyle Clayton, an employment law firm, to internally investigate these allegations. Following a six-month investigation, MagicLab announced that it would reform its workplace policies to “enforce appropriate employee conduct”, “make it easier for whistleblowers to report misconduct”, and improve diversity and inclusion training.

References

LaPorte, Nicole. (July 15, 2020). "Bumble hits 100 million users—and has new plans to take over the dating world".
"Badoo FAQ".
(4 May 2012). "Badabing Badaboom – Badoo Hits 150 Million Users, Boosted By Mobile". AOL.
"The reclusive CEO of dating app Badoo on his app's redesign, Bumble, and why he won't IPO any time soon". Business Insider.
Parmy Olson. (July 11, 2019). "Bumble Owner, Facing Off With Tinder, Boosts Spending".
[http://badoo.com/terms Badoo – Terms of Use] Accessed August 2009.
(23 March 2012). "Social Network Badoo Officially Launches in U.S. With Nick Cannon [PICS]". Mashable.
Toglia, Michelle. (2016-03-25). "Here's How Dating App Badoo's Photo Verification Will Wipe Out Catfishing". Bustle.
(12 February 2016). "The Dating Game".
Craig Smith. (December 17, 2024). "Badoo Statistics and User Count for 2024".
(2009). "Project Portfolio – Badoo". Finam Capital.
(September 2015). "Top 15 Most Popular Dating Websites". eBizMBA.
Needleman, Rafe. (February 23, 2012). "Badoo: Social experiment or hookup site?". CNET.
Butcher, Mike. (21 January 2008). "UK's Badoo pulls $30m for Russian launch, ahead of a home push". Techcrunch.
"Elevator Pitch: Why Badoo wants to be the next word in social networking". The Guardian.
"Report: Ousted Tinder Cofounder Settled Her Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against The Company For 'Just Over $1 Million'". Business Insider.
"What It's Like To Found A $750 Million Startup, Go Through A Sexual-Harassment Lawsuit, And Start All Over By Age 25". Business Insider.
Adrien Henni. (November 11, 2019). "Russian Billionaire Sells Dating App Empire in $3Bln Deal".
(September 6, 2023). "What is Badoo?".
"Badoo launches comical “Let’s Fix Dating” campaign by Untold Fable".
"New look".
(19 September 2011). "A nightclub on your smartphone". The Economist.
Chloe Gay. (April 6, 2018). "Badoo Launches New ‘Friends of Friends’ Tool".
Lulu Chang. (April 21, 2022). "Photos in dating apps not doing it for you? Badoo is adding video, too".
Frommer, Dan. "The Biggest Startup You've Never Heard Of Is About To Hit 108 Million Members".
"Badoo 'Moods' Launch".
"Video dating app Badoo could help you to filter out misleading singles". Evening Standard.
Taub, Alexander. "Badoo's Selfie Verification Is A Unique Way Of Solving The Catfishing Problem". Forbes.
(2016-07-11). "This dating app has a genius way of preventing catfishing". Cosmopolitan.
(3 November 2019). "How to Request a Selfie in Badoo". BOX 20.
Taylor Telford. "Bumble’s new ‘Private Detector’ protects users from rude, lewd and nude photos".
Dominic Whitlock. (October 13, 2021). "Badoo Censors Harmful Content With New ‘Rude Message Detector’".
Andrea Michelson. (June 30, 2021). "A dating app has banned users from taking screenshots to keep messages private".
Pihu Yadav. (February 6, 2024). "Bumble Inc launches Deception Detector for scam-free online dating".
Rowan, David. "How Badoo built a billion-pound social network... on sex".
(2009). "The Privacy Jungle: On the Market for Privacy in Social Networks". WEIS '09: Proceedings of the Eighth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security..
[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/5878857/Social-networks-failing-users-says-study.html Social networks ‘failing users’] The Daily Telegraph 21 Jul 2009.
(21 January 2011). "Treffipalvelu varastaa profiilitiedot: Varo tätä sovellusta Facebookissa". [[Iltalehti]].
"Huge Facebook App Loses 75% Uniques After Facebook Threatens It". Business Insider.
(17 October 2014). "European privacy requests for search removals".
Au-Yeung, Angel. "The Russian Billionaire Cupid Behind The Biggest Dating App in the World". Forbes.
Au-Yeung, Angel. (July 8, 2019). "Exclusive Investigation: Sex, Drugs, Misogyny And Sleaze At The HQ Of Bumble's Owner". [[Forbes]].
Albert-Deitch, Cameron. (9 July 2019). "Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Bumble's Majority Investor Threaten to Throttle the Company's Pro-Woman Cred". [[Inc. (magazine).
Jeremy Kahn. (January 30, 2020). "Bumble parent told to implement workplace reforms after sexism allegations".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::