Michael Kaye wants Archer to be the next great gay dating app

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Gay dating apps needed an asteroid to strike the stagnancy—here comes ARCHER

It’s impossible to navigate the landscape of dating apps without hardcore cynicism, but Michael Kaye knows all too well that patience and a little luck can lead from swiping to happily-ever-after. A decade ago, Kaye met a guy on Tinder, and recently proposed to him. Now, off the apps personally, Michael has turned his professional sights to Archer, the growing dating app for gay and queer men.

As a communications director for Match Group, both Archer and Tinder’s parent company, it’s refreshing to see that the proof is in the pudding: the dating app company’s employees actually benefit from the product they’re selling.

The battlegrounds of modern love feel like they were made for dinosaurs. Most gay apps have been around longer than many of us have been dating. Trust me, I’ve tried and deleted them all with a bored heart and bloody thumbs. 

Kaye tells So.Gay that he first heard the rumors of an asteroid set to rock the stagnation of the apps available to gay men in 2022.

Indeed, rumblings of a codename GDA (dare we say, Gay Dating App) swirled through the halls of the Match Group building on Washington Street in NYC’s Meatpacking District, where their slew of other apps (Tinder, OKCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, etc.) regularly host parties and sexpert panels.

Kaye didn’t initially realize that the operation to make dating gay again would fall into his lap—the responsibility of helming the launch of a new app first in New York and then nationwide.

“We wanted to take a chance on creating an app that we thought would be better, safer, and more welcoming for gay and queer men today,” says Kaye. “It’s a very different culture and world than 10 or 15 years ago.”

On June 1, 2023, Archer became available to download for gay men across New York. The launch was christened by a stream of Pride parties throughout the city and on Fire Island.

Kaye hit the gay bars across town like a politician mingling with his tipsy constituents. After all, nothing convinces the gays to do something like a free drink ticket. His team wanted to avoid creating a copycat to compete with established gay dating apps, such as Grindr, Sniffies, and Scruff, which dominate most of the “Looking for now?” and anonymity market.

“What it really came down to was both the product and the culture that we wanted to cultivate on the app,” says Kaye. “So, from a product perspective, the biggest differentiator is that we have selfie verification required at sign-up. We wanted to celebrate being out.” 

Any proud gay man suddenly had years added back to his life, able to skip the time-consuming investigative process of deciphering mutual attraction among a sea of torsos. (Of course, anonymity helps to embolden slutiness.)

Archer also allows you to filter for mates who want casual hookups, relationships, friends, or all of the above. 

Still, people who dabbled between apps (Hi!) know you end up seeing all the familiar torsos, faces, and unsolicited dick pics. But Kaye says none of the other apps were fostering community and in-person events and interactions.

“One of our newest features includes ‘communities,’ which are groups of curated community channels that are either event-based, location-based, or focused on general interests—whether that’s fitness, food, or gaming,” says Kaye.

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Michael Kaye, photo courtesy of Archer

In other words, it’s kind of like your explore feed on Instagram, except it’s meant for connection and showcases nearby individuals who could turn into lovers, boyfriends, pals, or a little bit of everything—because gay men know how to do that better than most.

There’s another unexpected, innovative feature Archer offers. 

“We’re talking to gay and queer men every single month, and a lot of them are saying, ‘I won’t send a not-safe-for-work photo unless someone requests it,’ or ‘I don’t want to wake up and look at my phone,’” says Kaye. 

The app has an AI feature that automatically blurs images that may contain nudity. Some older gay men have called this function a part of the “pansiness” of Gen Z, as if there’s bravery in facing a poorly lit chode without warning. 

Most of all, Kaye has ensured that all the subcontracting companies and ambassadors Archer hires for LGBTQ+ outreach, events, and branding encompass the community’s diversity. As seen with Bumble’s colossal billboard blunder—“Abstinence is not the answer”—that destroyed them on social media, a brand’s downfall is just a post away if there isn’t enough representation in decision-making.

According to Sensor Tower, Archer has surpassed 866,000 downloads in the year since its launch. 6 in 10 Archer daters are 18 to 35 years old, while 91% are single and 9% are partnered. 

“An archer always hits their mark,” says Kaye. “And we want to ensure that how the product is designed helps users find exactly what they’re looking for.” Am I still cynical about swiping for mates? Yes. Am I downloading it? Yes.

Learn more about Archer and download the app here.

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