How secure is your favorite dating app? According to a new study from the Business Digital Index, a staggering 75% of the 24 largest dating apps received a grade of D or F in cybersecurity—a mood-killer you didn’t swipe for.

Dating apps don’t just store your favorite selfies or witty first lines—they often hold deeply personal data: messages, orientation, even payment info. When security systems fail, the fallout can be devastating.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much we actually spend on dating apps? From boosting a profile to subscribing for unlimited swipes, the money adds up quickly. In fact, according to Busines of Apps, global dating app revenues surpassed $6 billion in 2024—with North America responsible for about 50% of that total. By 2030 this total is expected to rise to $8.7 billon.

That $6 billion milestone highlights just how deeply dating apps have become woven into modern life. Analysts note that North America alone accounted for more than $3 billion, making it the single largest driver of global app revenue. Asia-Pacific followed with steady growth, fueled by rising smartphone adoption and shifting cultural openness toward online dating. Europe trailed slightly, contributing just under 20% of total revenues.

“Why chase matches on a screen when your crush might be right beside your desk?” That question is reshaping how many Gen Z daters think about meeting people—offline, at work, and in real life.

Take Caelan, a New Yorker who spent years cycling through dating apps before moving home and heading back into an office. At a holiday party she reconnected with a coworker—friendship first, chemistry next, and suddenly dating felt simple again. For stories like hers, the difference between apps and face-to-face connection can feel astronomical.

Ever had one of those moments where you realize the only way forward is to build something better yourself? That’s the heart of Swiped, the upcoming Hulu film that follows Whitney Wolfe Herd’s journey from co-founding Tinder to creating Bumble, an app that flipped the online dating script by putting women in control.

In the film, Lily James steps into the role of Whitney, a recent college grad stepping into the high-energy, male-dominated tech world. At first, she’s part of the Tinder team—only to find herself navigating toxic workplace politics and misogyny that no one should have to endure. When those walls close in, Whitney doesn’t just walk away. She reimagines what a dating app could be and launches Bumble, building not just a company but a safer, more empowering space for women. The twist? That bold move eventually makes her the youngest female self-made billionaire.

Dating app Hinge is taking payment processing for its app into its own hands, and out of the control of the App Store.

Hinge CEO Justin McLeod was recently interviewed on the Decoder podcast and said the company would like to introduce the new payment system by the end of the year.

This is big news for dating apps, and for developers in general who have litigated to bypass the monopoly-like hold Apple and Google have on their payment platforms. To make their apps available on the iOS App Store for users to download, Hinge has had to agree to giving a percentage of every purchase made by its users to Apple.

Dating app Bumble announced that it was cutting almost 30 percent of its global workforce, shaking up the company while its userbase continues to decline.

According to its new CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, who’s back heading up the struggling company she founded, Bumble will be focused on returning to leaner operations to drive growth, according to The Guardian. The company will be cutting 240 roles globally in efforts to turnaround its sinking stock price.

Bumble shares rallied 24 percent during early trading the day after the announcement.