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The founder of Hinge, the fastest-growing app in parent company Match Group’s portfolio, says AI will change the game for dating apps.

McLeod spoke to the Financial Times about a range of topics, including Hinge’s success and where he sees it going, and the advances with generative AI. He noted that the key with AI and dating apps is continually “dialing up the sophistication of our matching algorithms” so that it continues learning about the nuances of preferences and delivering better results, according to The Financial Times.

“Every single time someone goes on a great date, we can look at all the information that led up to it, “ McLeod told the Times. “Everything from their profile information to their behavior on the app, to how many matches they had at the time that they met.”

Image: TInder

Dating app Tinder has released its new dating trends report for 2023, and one of the main findings of the Year in Swipe point to singles wanting a range of dating experiences, rather than being so focused on finding “the one.”

In other words, more singles were interested in their own dating journeys rather than the destination, with Tinder noting that there was a 5.5 times increase in users adding statements in their bios like: “Everything I do is for the plot.” NATO dating was also a big phrase – “not being attached to an outcome.”

Singles also said they embraced “main character energy” in 2023, alluding to stories they can share about their dating lives with their friends (and followers on social media). They said they looked at the dating process as a way of building a roster of new experiences and memories (to add to their personal stories), which took the pressure off outcomes. It also left room for “self-exploration through dating,” according to Match Group’s release.

Tinder and Hinge have recently released new ultra-premium subscriptions for what they called “motivated daters,” but a significant population of singles would rather not pay the steep price for a dating app experience. In fact, the more companies try to monetize dating app features, the more it seems to turn off daters altogether.

A recent report from Bloomberg found that people are gravitating back to in-person events like speed dating, which saw a 63 percent increase in participation this past year according to Eventbrite. And they are reluctant to pay the $500 subscription for Tinder or $60 subscription for Hinge, though Match Group has noticed an uptick in revenue since releasing the premium services.

According to Bloomberg, third-quarter downloads for Hinge were the app’s best ever and that 1.3 million of its users pay for a subscription. Bumble will be offering short term subscriptions as well as its own high-priced premium service in the coming months.

Tinder just announced a host of new features for its app, along with its “Rizz-First” redesign, an obvious move to court the coveted Gen Z market.

While adopting the popular Gen Z slang for “charisma” was widely seen as a cringeworthy move for the dating app company, experts also agree that trying to appeal to the Gen Z market is important for dating apps, especially as subscriber bases and revenue are falling. The new Rizz-First look includes enhanced and updated animations, a new “It’s a Match!” screen, and prompts and quizzes that younger daters prefer when getting to know someone over an app.

According to the company’s announcement, the team saw a growing need to provide a more engaging experience. In fact, Tinder’s recent Future of Dating Report found that 69 percent of Gen Z daters say that dating standards need “refreshing” to fit a modern and diverse society. Overall, daters need a bit more than a photo, a brief bio, and a swipe to feel connected to someone.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble conducted a new study to understand what daters are seeking in 2024 and discovered some interesting results, including that they are more open to dating someone older or younger. Also, a majority of daters are trying to be happy with where they are now instead of constantly trying to improve themselves.

According to Mashable, Bumble found that for 63 percent of respondents, age doesn’t matter, including 59 percent of women who say they are more open to dating younger men. About 35 percent of women say they’ve become less judgmental of age gaps in relationships.

There has also been a trend in recent years, especially among younger daters, to prioritize mental health and take steps to “better” oneself - and expect the same from their dates. A key difference now, according to Mashable, is that a majority of daters – 68 percent - are trying to be happy with who they are now.

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will be expanded to include a dating app feature.

According to Fox Business, Musk recently held a company-wide meeting on the anniversary of his acquisition of Twitter to announce where he sees the platform headed. At the meeting, employees report that he said that X will become a “fully fledged” dating app in 2024, according to Business Insider.

At the meeting, he also mentioned that banking and transaction features will be added to the app in the near future, referring to these two major moves as being part of the new “everything app” he envisions for X.