Category: Reporters – Anna Iovine

Match Group Relaunches Christian Dating App Upward as a Marriage-Focused Dating App

Posted on September 22, 2026
Upward Chivalry moder

MASHABLE – Match Group has repositioned Upward from a Christian dating app to a marriage-focused platform for young singles. Most users are under 35, nearly all want children, and people of all faiths can join. New features include Marriage Timeline, which shows when users hope to marry, and Core Values for priorities such as family, integrity, and community. Its opt-in Chivalry Mode encourages men to send the first message and gives the other person 72 hours to respond. Match said 72% of Gen Z want to marry, while Upward couples who shared their stories took less than a year on average to go from matching to marriage.

See full article at Mashable

Report: One in 10 Young Singles Stopped Dating Because It’s Too Expensive

Posted on September 22, 2026
Report: One in 10 Young Singles Stopped Dating Because it's too Expensive

MASHABLE – A Zelle survey of 1,800 Gen Z and millennial daters found that 84% have changed their dating habits because of rising costs. Nearly one-third are going on fewer dates, while 11% have stopped dating because they cannot afford it. Many are choosing cheaper or free activities, and 38% viewed someone more positively for planning an affordable but thoughtful date. Financial honesty, sensible spending, and avoiding awkward conversations about payment were among the biggest financial green flags.

See full article at Mashable

Sex Recession Is Real, Kinsey Reports

Posted on September 22, 2026
Logo of the Kinsey Institute

MASHABLE – A Kinsey Institute study of 2,373 US adults aged 18 to 29 found that Gen Z is having less sex despite generally strong sexual desire. Some 29% had no sexual partners in the previous three months, 31% were not sexually active, and 19% had never had a partner. Among singles, 74% still reported moderate to very high sexual desire. The main barriers were limited opportunities to meet people, dating fatigue, fear of rejection, and financial pressure. Digital sexual content also played a role, with 31% saying pornography reduced their interest in partnered sex. Despite lower activity, 55% were satisfied with their sex lives.

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Hinge Releases First Audiobook Featuring Real-Life Love Stories

Posted on August 11, 2026
Hinge Audiobooks

MASHABLE – Hinge has released its first audiobook as part of its No Ordinary Love campaign. Five authors wrote and narrated stories about real couples who met on Hinge, with the couples adding their own epilogues. The audiobook is available on Spotify, Apple Audiobooks, Libro.fm, Libby, Barnes & Noble Audiobooks, and Substack. Written versions are also available on Substack.

See full article at Mashable

Singles Turn to Hobby Events for In-Person Connections

Posted on August 4, 2026
Singles Turn to Hobby Events for In-Person Connections

MASHABLE – Singles are increasingly meeting through shared hobbies and activities, according to Eventbrite. Events using “meet cute” language grew 117% year over year. Trivia nights, mahjong, birdwatching, Pilates socials, plant swaps and pottery workshops are gaining popularity. Eventbrite also found that 58% of young adults prefer socializing to be a secondary part of an event rather than its main purpose. This suggests that singles favor relaxed settings over formal dating events.

See full article at Mashable

Ditto Uses AI to Arrange Dates for College Students

Posted on July 31, 2026
Ditto

MASHABLE – Ditto has raised ~$9M for its AI matchmaking service, which operates through iMessage and sends verified college students one match each week. The system analyzes user preferences, conversations, interactions and post-date feedback, with Ditto claiming that 65% of matches lead to dates. Founded by Berkeley dropouts Eric Liu and Allen Wang, the company is expanding through campus marketing and in-person events, including run clubs, reading clubs and planned yacht parties across the U.S.

See full article at Mashable

Match Group to Shut Down Archer Following Sniffies Investment

Posted on June 10, 2026
Archer logo

MASHABLE – Archer, the gay dating app launched by Match Group in 2023, will shut down on June 17. The closure follows Match’s recent $100M investment in gay app Sniffies and signals a shift in focus within its LGBTQ+ portfolio. Archer positioned itself as a more relationship-oriented alternative to hookup apps and reached ~685K downloads in its first year, but struggled to gain meaningful scale in a market dominated by competitors such as Grindr.

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Dating App Hily Rejects AI Trend

Posted on June 3, 2026
Hily HI

MASHABLE – Hily is pushing back against the dating industry’s AI trend by promoting “Human Intelligence” (HI) instead. The move comes as apps like Bumble and Tinder invest more heavily in AI features. According to Hily’s August 2025 survey, 69% of Gen Z and 74% of millennials believe AI makes dating less authentic. More than half said they would be less attracted to someone if they thought AI had been used to create their profile. Despite this, many daters still use AI to write bios or suggest conversation starters. Hily says it will use technology where useful, but does not want AI to replace the human side of dating.

See full article at Mashable

Tinder Requires Facial Scan for New UK Users

Posted on March 27, 2026
Tinder Face Check

MASHABLE – New Tinder users in the UK must complete a facial scan to sign up, using a feature called Face Check. Users take a video selfie, which is checked against their profile photos and used to detect duplicate accounts, after which they receive a verification badge. The requirement is already in place in the U.S., Canada, Australia, India, and other regions. The rollout follows earlier verification steps, including photo, video, and ID checks, and aligns with new UK regulations such as the Online Safety Act.

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Top Challenges for Online Daters, According to Coffee Meets Bagel

Posted on December 18, 2025
Coffee Meets Bagel logo

MASHABLE – Coffee Meets Bagel’s 2025 Dating Realness Report, based on a survey of 1K U.S. daters aged 21–35, finds that most people are serious about relationships. 61% want a spouse and 31% want a long-term partner, but 93% say dating is difficult. The biggest pain points are endless swiping (54%), ghosting or unmatching (47%), and not knowing how to start conversations (43%). 80% are comfortable with AI helping with dating tasks, but 65% would be less likely to engage with someone if they knew that person used AI to write their profile or messages. Emotional connection is a must for 73%, ahead of physical attraction (63%), shared values (59%), and ambition (57%). 

See full article at Mashable