The newsroom for the people building the dating industry.
ProductBumble Is Replacing Swiping With AI Agents. Wrong Problem.Bumble plans to eliminate swiping entirely in a major 2026 app redesign, replacing it with AI-driven matchmaking. The redesign envisions personal AI concierges interacting with other users' AI agents…
EarningsMatch Group's CEO Just Admitted Swipe-Based Dating Has Lost Gen ZTinder shed 7% of monthly active users year-on-year as of March 2026, the platform's most visible contraction in years. Match Group (MTCH) Q1 2026 revenue still grew 4% to $864M despite the user decli…
ProductIndia's 45-Degree Summers Are Forcing a Virtual-First Dating Rethink37% of Indian singles now prefer virtual dates over in-person meetings during summer heatwaves, according to a QuackQuack survey of 8,967 members aged 20 to 35 across Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities. Peak app…
PeopleYoel Roth Joins a Deepfake Board as Scam Losses Hit $652MMatch Group SVP of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth has joined Reality Defender's Ethics Committee to shape guardrails for deepfake detection technology. Romance scams cost victims $652M in 2023, up from $5…
The DataDating.com Says 30% Would Marry Unmet. Build on Your Own Data.30% of adults surveyed say they would consider marrying someone they've never met in person, per new Dating.com research of 1,000 respondents. 60% believe virtual intimacy can be as fulfilling as phys…
ProductReev Makes You Speak Before You Swipe. The Behavior Data Doesn't.Reev, a voice-first dating app founded by May Ku, is launching in Australia with mandatory audio prompts required before users can view photos. 78% of dating app users report burnout according to a 20…
ProductBumble Kills the Swipe After a 21% Payer Drop, No Plan B ReadyBumble (BMBL) will eliminate swiping entirely in Q4 2026, replacing it with an AI-driven matching system featuring "chapter-style" profiles, the first time a major dating platform has completely scrap…
EarningsGrindr Posts 38% Growth and 45% Margins While Match Defends 20sGrindr (GRND) posted $129.94 million in Q1 2026 revenue, up 38% year-on-year, beating analyst estimates by nearly 10%. Adjusted EBITDA reached $58 million at a 45% margin, well above Match Group (MTCH…
PeopleNicky Wake Built Two Widow Dating Apps, Not One. Here's the Logic.Chapter 2 Dating has reached 25,000 users across a dual-platform model targeting bereaved singles Founder Nicky Wake operates two separate apps: Chapter 2 for serious relationships, WidowsFire for cas…
EarningsBumble Beat Revenue, Lost 21% of Payers, and Bet It All on AIBumble (BMBL) Q1 revenue: $212.4M, just above consensus, but paying users fell 21.1% year-over-year to 3.2 million Net earnings surged 165.4% to $52.6M; adjusted EBITDA up 28.3% to $82.6M, driven by a…
Platforms47% of Gen Z Picks Book Clubs Over Dating Apps. Now What?47% of Gen Z say they would prefer to meet a romantic partner at a book club than on a dating app, per ThriftBooks/Talker Research. 78-79% of Gen Z dating app users report burnout, citing lack of mean…
EarningsMatch Group Beats Revenue, Loses Subscribers, Leans on AIMatch Group (MTCH) reported Q1 revenue of $864M, beating analyst estimates of $854.9M, while total paying subscribers fell 5% year-over-year to 13.5 million. Hinge remains the portfolio's standout, gr…
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