INVESTING.COM – At the TD Cowen Conference, Grindr projected 26% revenue growth in 2025. The app continues to show strong user engagement (60+ minutes/day, 31B chats in 2024) and growing payer conversion. Grindr is investing heavily in AI and plans to launch 30-40 new products in 2025. International markets (75% of MAUs) offer expansion potential, though ARPUs remain lower. The company is exploring direct pay systems to reduce App Store fees and is also considering negotiations with Apple. Advertising is expected to stay at 15-16% of revenue, with new formats like rewarded video. Hiring focuses on AI, engineering, and product roles. New monetization features like "Right Now" are being tested, with flexible pricing and bundling strategies under evaluation.
Month: May 2025
LoveJack: New Dating App Limits Profiles to Five Words and Cuts Ghosting
TECH CRUNCH – LoveJack is a new dating app launching next month on iOS in London. Users describe themselves using five words instead of full profiles. To interact, they can either "Bet On" someone by sending a five-word message or "Hold" a profile for later, with a five-match daily limit. Users set a preset goodbye message that's automatically sent when unmatching, to reduce ghosting. Profiles use fake names, but selfie verification is required. Safety features include reporting, blocking, content filtering, and emergency contact options. The app is launching in the USA and India soon.
AI Takes Over Key Features on Dating Apps in India, but Trust Issues Remain
NDTV – AI is becoming increasingly integrated into dating apps in India, with platforms like Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, Happn, and Aisle using it for profile optimization, match suggestions, fraud detection, and user safety. Match Group added AI tools in March 2025 to assist with photos, bios, and match selection. Bumble uses AI for fake profile detection and conversation starters, while Hinge and Tinder rely on AI to personalize user experiences. Challenges include data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, deepfake scams, and lack of emotional intelligence. While Indians use AI for relationship advice and self-reflection, most still prefer human input for matchmaking.
Tinder’s New CEO Revamps App to Win Back Gen Z
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Spencer Rascoff, now CEO of both Match Group and Tinder, is set on transforming Tinder's hookup-centric image to appeal more to Gen Z, who are increasingly disinterested in casual dating and swiping fatigue. His strategy includes faster innovation, AI features, safer experiences, and low-pressure tools like a global "double dating" feature. He emphasizes quality matches over quantity and is willing to prioritize user satisfaction over short-term profits. Rascoff also plans structural changes, shifting Tinder's team to smaller, agile pods to speed up innovation and cut bureaucracy, following Match Group's recent 13% workforce reduction.
Apple Pulls Sniffies From App Store
LBS – In mid-May, Apple removed Sniffies, a queer hookup app known for its real-time cruising map and explicit content, from the App Store, sparking a backlash in the LGBTQ+ community. Though it launched on iOS just two months earlier with a "Safer Work Mode" to comply with Apple's content rules, Apple cited "ongoing content restrictions" for the takedown. Users accused Apple of applying a double standard. The app still works for existing users, and developers are exploring ways to bring it back.
Podcast: Hinge Turns Real Dates Into a Book to Stand out
CAMPAIGN LIVE – Hinge launched No Ordinary Love, a campaign featuring real user love stories rewritten by authors. The stories are published on Substack and will be released as a hardcover book in June. CMO Jackie Jantos says the goal is to promote serious relationships and appeal to Gen Z.
How Money, Stress, and Fear Are Killing Modern Dating
THE ATLANTIC – In the past, people often turned to love during hard times, like during the Great Depression or after the 2008 financial crash. But today, many are avoiding dating due to financial stress. A 2022 survey by Dating.com found that nearly half of singles skipped dates to save money. A 2024 LendingTree poll showed that 65% said inflation affected their dating life. Experts like sociologist Pepper Schwartz and psychologist Johanna Peetz explain that many now see relationships as something to start after becoming financially stable, not as a way to build a life together.
Announcing LTR Edition 43 With Simon Newman (ODDA) and Liam McGregor (Founder of Marriage Pact)
OPW – Edition 43 of the LTR (Love, Tech, Relationships) online experience will be on Wednesday, June 4th, at 1 pm EST (New York time).
In this edition, Mark Brooks will sit down with Simon Newman of ODDA, an expert in online safety and regulatory compliance, for an essential briefing on upcoming legislation that will impact the dating industry. Then, we welcome Liam McGregor, founder of Marriage Pact, an innovative matching platform that has created ~500K connections across 90 universities without spending a cent on advertising.
If you hold a full-time leadership role at an online dating company, you are welcome to join IDEA and LTR events for free.
Why attend LTR?
💰 Free: No registration fees – your budget is no barrier.
🏠 Flexible: Attend from anywhere – no travel required.
⏰ Convenient: Access live. 90 minutes only.
See the LTR Edition 43 speakers and invite page here
Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP.
This LTR is kindly sponsored by Dating Through Curiosity.
Tinder Launches “+1 Fix” to Help UK Singles Cover Wedding Costs
TINDER – Tinder is offering up to £150 to 20 UK-based couples who matched on the app in 2025 and are attending a wedding together this summer. The move responds to rising pressure and costs – 59% of young singles have spent over £200 attending weddings alone, and 34% have declined invites due to cost. Nearly half say bringing a plus-one is more serious than meeting the family. Tinder's research shows 77% feel more comfortable attending weddings with a date, and wedding +1 mentions in bios rose 69% year-on-year.
Therapy Becomes a Key Factor in Modern Dating, Hily Survey Finds
HILY.COM – A survey by Hily of 2,500 Gen Z and Millennial Americans shows therapy and mental health are increasingly shaping dating norms. Most young people are comfortable dating someone who is or was in therapy, with 87% of women and 85% of men expressing no issue. Around half find it attractive, especially Millennials. Still, 55% of women and 35% of men wouldn't date someone who doesn't believe in therapy. Transparency is trending: over 60% of women and 50% of men think it's important to tell a potential partner about therapy, and about one-third want this info visible on dating profiles.