> Dating industry glossary | Dating API: https://www.datingapi.io/glossary

[Insights](https://www.datingapi.io/insights) / Glossary

# Dating industry glossary. The terms that run the business.

Short, plain definitions of the metrics, models and rules behind dating apps, from payers and ARPPU to liquidity and age assurance.

[A](#letter-A) [B](#letter-B) [C](#letter-C) [I](#letter-I) [L](#letter-L) [M](#letter-M) [O](#letter-O) [P](#letter-P) [S](#letter-S) [T](#letter-T) [W](#letter-W)

## A

[**Age assurance** Age assurance is the umbrella term for checking that someone is old enough to use a service, from ID document checks to facial age estimation.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/age-assurance) [**Alternative payments** Alternative payments means letting app members pay outside Apple's or Google's in-app billing, for example on the web or through another billing provider, where rules allow it.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/alternative-payments) [**ARPPU** ARPPU (average revenue per paying user) is revenue divided by the number of payers in a period. In this industry it is often called revenue per payer.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/arppu) [**ARPU** ARPU (average revenue per user) is revenue divided by all active members, paying or not. It measures how well an app earns from its whole audience.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/arpu)

## B

[**Backfill** Backfill means showing an app's own members first, then filling gaps with real members from a shared network when the local pool runs thin.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/backfill)

## C

[**Chargeback** A chargeback is when a bank reverses a card payment after the cardholder disputes it. The merchant loses the money and pays a fee unless it wins the dispute.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/chargeback) [**Churn** Churn is the share of members or payers who leave in a period. For subscriptions it usually means payers who cancel or fail to renew.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/churn)

## I

[**ID verification** ID verification confirms that a member is a real person who matches their photos, usually by checking a government ID and a live selfie.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/id-verification)

## L

[**Liquidity** Liquidity is whether members can find enough relevant, active people nearby. A dating app with good liquidity always has someone new to show.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/liquidity)

## M

[**Merchant of record** The merchant of record is the company that legally sells to the customer: it takes the payment, handles tax and refunds, and carries chargeback risk.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/merchant-of-record) [**Monthly active members (MAU)** Monthly active members, often written MAU, is the number of people who open an app or website at least once in a calendar month.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/mau)

## O

[**Online Safety Act** The Online Safety Act is the UK law that requires online services, including dating apps, to protect members from illegal content and keep children off adult services.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/online-safety-act)

## P

[**Payer** A payer is a member who paid for a subscription, feature or virtual item during a period. Listed dating companies report payers alongside active members because payers drive revenue.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/payer) [**Payer conversion** Payer conversion is the share of active members who pay in a period: payers divided by monthly active members.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/payer-conversion)

## S

[**Shared member network** A shared member network is a pool of members that several dating brands can show to each other, with rules on who sees whom.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/shared-member-network)

## T

[**Trust and safety** Trust and safety is the work of keeping members safe and the service honest: moderation, scam and fraud prevention, reporting, ID checks and enforcement.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/trust-and-safety)

## W

[**White label dating platform** A white label dating platform is technology that runs a dating site or app under another company's brand, so the brand owner does not build or run the backend.](https://www.datingapi.io/glossary/white-label-dating-platform)