GDI – Mark Brooks, CEO of Courtland Brooks, talks with Inner Circle founder David Vermeulen about the app’s rapid growth in Latin America and its roadmap to 2027. Vermeulen explains how Inner Circle started as a fix for the time-wasting chaos of early online dating. The discussion covers the platform’s “Date Conscious Suite,” designed to reduce ghosting and enforce respectful behavior. Vermeulen says the goal now is to expand Inner Circle into a community and lifestyle platform built around real-world experiences.
Tawkify Launches Arrows.com, a No-Swipe Dating Platform Focused on Real Connection
PRNEWSWIRE – Tawkify, a U.S. matchmaking company, has introduced Arrows.com, a new dating platform aimed at reducing digital dating fatigue. Instead of profiles and swiping, Arrows connects users through short, prearranged video dates after a brief compatibility questionnaire. The platform manages all scheduling and vetting, focusing on efficiency and real-time interaction rather than extended messaging.
Aisle Study Reveals 97% of Women Now Prioritize Serious Relationships
BUSINESS NEWS THIS WEEK – Aisle’s 2025 study, The Commitment Decade, surveyed 3,400 urban Indian singles and found that commitment has made a strong comeback. 97% of women and 80% of men now prioritize serious relationships over casual dating, with 1 in 3 women planning to marry within a year of dating. Mental health has become central to relationships. 67% of Gen Z women would end a relationship over mental health issues, and a third of all respondents have done so. Equality is rising, as 53% of women prefer splitting the bill on dates. In matchmaking, most Indians want AI to assist, not replace humans, with 69% of Gen Z women rejecting AI-only matching. Compatibility now outweighs astrology, though 30% of millennial women still consider it.
Grindr Reports Q3 2025 Results, Revenue up 30%
GRINDR – Grindr delivered a record Q3 2025, with revenue up 30% YOY to $116M, net income rising to $31M, and Adjusted EBITDA reaching $55M. The company reaffirmed its full-year 2025 outlook of 26%+ revenue growth and expects Adjusted EBITDA of $191–$193M. Monthly active users grew 4% to 15.1M, paying users increased 17% to 1.3M, and ARPPU rose 7% to $24.70. Grindr repurchased 25.1M shares for $450M, launched AI-driven product enhancements, and began testing a new premium tier powered by its proprietary gAI platform, positioning the company for continued growth into 2026.
Apple Pulls China’s Top Gay Dating Apps After Government Order
WIRED – Apple has removed China’s two biggest gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from its App Store after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s top internet regulator. The apps are still functional for existing users but cannot be newly downloaded. Most foreign LGBTQ+ apps, including Grindr, are already blocked in China. The move highlights growing pressure on China’s LGBTQ+ community, which has faced mounting censorship and organizational shutdowns under tighter government control. Blued, once boasting 49M users and later merged with Finka under BlueCity, was bought by Newborn Town in 2022 after delisting from Nasdaq. Its founder and many longtime employees have since left. The app’s international version, HeeSay, remains available and popular in South and Southeast Asia. It’s unclear if Blued and Finka’s removal is temporary or permanent.
See full article at Wired
Gen Z and Millennials Feel “Ick” Toward AI in Dating Despite Using It Themselves
FAST COMPANY – AI is increasingly shaping modern dating, with a Hily app survey showing 82% of Gen Z and 87% of millennials already use AI to help with bios or conversations and up to 95% plan to continue. Yet most say they’d be turned off if their match did the same, seeing it as lazy or inauthentic. The trend, dubbed “chatfishing,” reflects burnout from swiping and ghosting, as daters outsource messages to tools like ChatGPT. However, this often backfires: over half of users feel less confident meeting in person after relying on AI. Experts warn that while AI can boost confidence online, it risks erasing the quirks and personality traits that make people truly attractive.
See full article at Fast Company
QuackQuack Launches Rebounce for Divorced and Widowed Singles
MEDIABRIEF – QuackQuack has launched Rebounce, a matchmaking and matrimony platform for divorced, separated, and widowed individuals in India seeking serious relationships or remarriage. The app aims to provide a safe, stigma-free environment for people rebuilding their romantic lives, addressing the growing number of mid-life singles amid rising divorce rates. Rebounce offers detailed profiles, advanced filters, and human matchmaking assistance, allowing users to match based on parenting style, lifestyle, religion, and language. The premium PlusAssist plan provides access to curated matches, personalized messages, and human matchmaker support.
Friends-First Dating: The New Alternative to Swiping Apps
POPSUGAR – Young people are turning away from traditional dating apps and moving toward “friends-first” dating that revives the idea of the meet-cute. Instead of swiping through strangers, they prefer meeting through mutual friends or curated communities that feel safer and more authentic. Apps such as Cerca, which matches users through contacts in their phone books, and Fourplay Social, which focuses on double dates, are leading this shift. The idea is that mutual connections create accountability and reduce the risk of deception or unsafe encounters. Cerca’s founder, Myles Slayton, says users trust their friends’ opinions more than algorithms, though concerns about privacy and data security remain.
Dating Apps Are Doomed, Says Former Hinge Content Lead
FORTUNE – Ilana Dunn, former Hinge content lead and now host of Seeing Other People, says Gen Z and many millennials are abandoning dating apps for real-life encounters. Apps like Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble, she argues, can’t replicate genuine chemistry, and younger users are tired of endless swiping. Dunn believes dating platforms peaked during the pandemic and are now in decline despite new features like double-dating or chat limits. Match Group’s profits and paid usership have fallen, and even its CEO admits apps have become “a numbers game.” Gen Z now favors organic in-person moments that allow people to “vibe” and gauge attraction. Dunn herself now teaches this approach, partnering with brands like Maison Louis Jadot to run wine-and-meet-cute events. She predicts a rise in local singles mixers, workshops, and social events as people move offline again. While she still supports using apps to meet people, she advises turning chats into real-life dates quickly and practicing small, confident social interactions. In her words: dating apps can help, but real connection happens off-screen.
See full article at Fortune
Online Dating Jobs Listing Update – November 2025
OPW – An update to the online dating jobs listing is live here.
Below, see a couple of this month’s most interesting offers:
Bumble – Director, Partnerships, Bumble Date
FFN – General Counsel
Grindr – Product Lead, New Verticals
Hinge – Director, Senior Counsel
Hornet – Country Manager, Turkey
Match Group – Sr. Director, Operations
Matrimony.com – Chief of Staff
Muzz – Head of Growth
Social Discovery Ventures – Deputy CPO (Dating product)
Tinder – Director, Communications
Do you have an idating industry job offer that is not included? Please, send it to tips@onlinepersonalswatch.com and we will add it to the list.