Applications
ApnaCircle.com launches app for BlackBerry smartphones
MUMBAI: Business and career networking space ApnaCircle today announced the launch of ApnaCircle for BlackBerry smartphones. The app allows BlackBerry smartphone users to easily connect and manage their professional network while they are on the move.
The new application provides tools that will help them increase their online visibility and give them a convenient way of connecting with their professional network on ApnaCircle.com. The application leverages BlackBerry Push Services to give users instant updates on industry happenings and news, and lets users immediately view, accept or decline requests to connect from other users. BlackBerry users can also easily share links with their ApnaCircle contacts directly from the BlackBerry browser.
ApnaCircle.com founder and CEO Yogesh Bansal said, “With more and more professionals using BlackBerry smartphones, launching our BlackBerry application was quite imperative. This application helps ApnaCircle users conveniently access their professional network while mobile, and we plan to add additional features beyond this first release.”
Research In Motion head of alliances and developer relations in India Annie Mathew said, “Features such as BlackBerry Push Services, and the ability to easily integrate with core BlackBerry applications, give developers the means to create richer and more robust application experiences for customers.”
ApnaCircle.com started with 20 thousand users in 2007 and today consists of more than 3.6 million users in India. Post the merger with Viadeo, ApnaCircle has become a part of the second biggest professional networking site in the world with over 36 million users globally
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
