The newsroom for the people building the dating industry.
This Week in Dating Business
The Romance Scam Prevention Act Is Now Law. Dating Apps Have Until October 2027.
Match and Grindr Report Next Week. Here Is What to Watch.
States Challenge Character.AI's Sale Process Ahead of October 30 Hearing
Match Group Partners With India's Cybercrime Centre on Romance Scam Warnings
Three Plead Guilty in $9 Million Romance Fraud Case Built on Fake Dating Profiles
ProductGuardian Flame Built the Safety System Big Platforms Refused ToGuardian Flame launched in New Zealand this month with mandatory government ID verification and a risk-scoring system built on previous dates' feedback. The app was directly inspired by the 2018 murde…
The DataLGBTQ+ Users Treat Sex as Wellness. Apps Still Write Romance.35% of homosexual UK adults use sex for period pain relief, more than double the 16% rate among heterosexual respondents, per a Lovehoney survey of 2,000 UK adults. 40% of bisexual respondents use sex…
PlatformsGrindr Takes Its Bus Across Europe Because the App Isn't EnoughGrindr's (GRND) "Bussy" vehicle will tour five European cities during Pride season 2026: London, Cannes, Amsterdam, Brighton, and Madrid. The "Global Gayborhood" activation at Mighty Hoopla 2026 inclu…
PlatformsTinder Borrows Diesel's Queer Cred for Pride Instead of BuildingTinder and Diesel have launched a 17-piece Pride 2026 capsule collection reworking Diesel's "For Successful Living" tagline to "For Successful Loving," with each company donating $100,000 to Outright…
The DataMSU Study Puts Hinge and Bumble's Scarcity Logic on TrialMichigan State University study of 535 participants found users shown 31 profiles reported stronger commitment intentions than those shown only 6 The finding directly challenges the choice overload th…
PlatformsSURF Partners With the WSL. Brand Exposure Won't Build Density.SURF has become the official dating app partner for the World Surf League's US Open in Huntington Beach, running 25 July to 2 August 2025, the WSL's first-ever official dating app partnership. SURF us…
The Data40% of Singles Admit Future Faking. Your Architecture Taught It.92% of dating app users report experiencing "future faking", premature commitment talk that disappears, per a Tawkify survey of 1,023 singles. 40% of those same respondents admit to using future-orien…
The Data14% Now Choose Sexting Over Sex. Dating Apps Built the On-Ramp.14% of adults now choose sexting over physical sex even when in-person intimacy is available. 83% consider sexting outside an exclusive relationship to be cheating, yet 24% do it anyway. 49% find digi…
ProductDatePhotos.AI Scores How Fake Your Profile Photo LooksDatePhotos.AI launched a Realness Score that rates AI-generated dating photos from 1 to 100 based on visual authenticity markers, the same markers platforms use to flag fake images. Tinder updated its…
The DataManual Vetting Works at 3,000 Members. Does It Work at 300,000?47% of British dating app users believe the apps do not work for them; 54% admit to using AI to enhance or alter their profiles, per Sumsub data. Geek Meet Club founder Dennie Smith personally reviews…
The Data51% of Indian Daters Are Replacing Ghosting. Apps Aren't Ready.51% of Indian dating app users aged 23-35 now favor "soft exits" over ghosting, according to a survey of 9,347 daters across Tier 1, 2, and 3 cities. 48% actively practice "kind rejection" by progress…
ProductChunkr Hits 1,500 Users Solving Grindr's Biggest LiabilityChunkr launched on iOS in April 2025, reaching 1,500 users shortly after debut; Android version is pending. The app features a dual-profile system: one identity for grid browsing, a separate time-limi…
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