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.

Image: Bumble

Bumble For Friends, the signature dating app’s standalone app that focuses on helping people find friends, has debuted new AI-based features.

The app announced one new feature dubbed “Plans” which helps users organize a meet-up in real life, and lets them invite up to 15 people. They can create public or private plans from the app, according to Tech Crunch, but the private plans require the planner to send invitations to specific members in their network.

The feature resembles the MeetUp app, where you can organize an event and invite members of your group to attend. Bumble offers options to grab coffee, eat out, do a workout together, “something outdoors” or a night out. Then you can make it public or private, and the last step is choosing the friends from your Bumble network to invite.

Grindr has become the most popular dating app in the U.K. among singles aged 54 and older, according to a recent study from Ofcom, the country’s communications regulator.

According to The Pink News, Tinder was still the most-downloaded dating app in the UK, with 2.5 million users, followed by Bumble at 1.7 million U.K. users. Grindr has grown in 2023, but it still captures only about 1.9 percent of the U.K. adult population, or 924,000 users. But as far as time spent on the apps per user, Grindr wins hands-down.

In fact, the average user of the gay dating app spent seven hours on it in May of 2023, according to Ofcom, compared to only one hour on Tinder, and a bit more than two hours for each Bumble and Hinge.

eHarmony has revealed the next chapter in their journey with the introduction of an updated visual identity. The update features a contemporary wordmark, a modern color palette, and a minimalist icon – all designed to elevate the user experience and attract more singles on the dating service.

eHarmony states that "these changes not only underscore our dedication to innovation but also strengthen our commitment to fostering meaningful and enduring connections."

Many of the larger dating apps recently like Tinder, have also revamped the design of their dating apps. These companies feel with the worst of the pandemic behind us now, dating singles are looking for a change. A redesign helps with this transition and keeps many daters on the service they started on, instead of moving to another.

Dating app giants Bumble and Match Group have pulled their ads from Instagram after The Wall Street Journal reported that they were appearing next to inappropriate and explicit content.

According to The Times of India, the Wall Street Journal found that the ads of several major brands were being served next to explicit and sexualized content on the social media app, including those of Disney and Walmart.

The Journal set up Instagram test accounts alongside The Canadian Centre for Child Protection which followed young gymnasts, cheerleaders and influencers. When its investigative team looked through Reels on these test accounts, they discovered that Instagram “served jarring doses of salacious content.”

Renate Nyborg, former CEO of Tinder, is launching new AI-based app Meeno to help people combat loneliness and guide them in their relationships.

According to Euro News, Meeno isn’t a dating app – instead, it acts as a “personal mentor” for navigating relationships. It operates differently from a virtual girlfriend (or boyfriend), therapist, or coach, according to Nyborg. Instead of finding you a date, it will help guide you in understanding relationships, so you can feel more comfortable interacting and connecting in real life.

Nyborg told Euro News that the young people who originally built swipe-based dating apps like Tinder are now moving to build apps that help you return to “real-life connection,” because they find the dating app experience lacking. Recent studies have also pointed to a rise in loneliness since the pandemic, where people were mostly socializing over screens.