Dating App Users Reached an All-Time High in July

Dating app users flocked to dating apps during the month of July, setting a new record for activity and engagement, according to a recent study from Apptopia.

The app research firm has been collecting data since 2015 and found that active daily users on the most popular dating apps – including Tinder and Bumble – jumped to almost 15 million in July, an all-time high, as reported by Bloomberg. 

This follows news from media outlets anticipating a “hot vax summer,” where singles were getting ready to meet dates in person again after a series of lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the distribution of vaccines on the rise, especially in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, dating app users were getting vaccinated and flocking to apps to connect and schedule dates. 

Daily Average Active Dating Users

In fact, many apps including Tinder and Bumble began to offer “vaccine badges” to help people advertise the fact that they were now vaccinated, or at least partially vaccinated, and found this boosted the number of matches they received. With so many daters looking to connect after over a year of virtual dating, the vaccine badges helped nudge people forward.

However, the rise of the delta variant has put a potential dent in the “hot vax summer” momentum. Once again, cases and hospitalizations are rising – with unvaccinated people driving the numbers. There are no early reports of dating app usage and whether or not activity has gone down, but likely some people are reconsidering meeting in person until they get to know each other better.

Dating apps have clamored over the past year to offer new features like video chats, as daters have had to rely on virtual dating. Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd has said she expects video chats to continue to be popular, regardless of lockdown restrictions.

Match Group just unveiled its Q2 earnings report, with revenues increasing 27.7 percent since this time last year, up to $707.8 million. The total number of subscribers also rose 15% year over year, with users in the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific increasing 16%, 13% and 17 percent respectively, according to NASDAQ.  

Despite the increases, second quarter earnings fell to $.46 per share, down 14.8 percent from last year, signaling that investors might be hesitant about future revenue growth predictions in this sector. The numbers of active users during the beginning of the third quarter however, indicates things are on the upswing overall.