Bumble Inc

A vast majority of 79 percent of Gen Z singles said they have experienced dating app burnout, according to a new study by Forbes Health.

The study found that in the last six months, 49 percent of those who reported burnout were using Tinder, followed by Plenty of Fish at 38 percent and Bumble at 29 percent. Raya users had the least amount of burnout reported, at only 3 percent.

“People who experience burnout with dating apps are exhausted from constantly meeting new people, failing opportunities and lies,” Dr. Rufus Spann, a sex therapist and Forbes Health Advisory Board member, said in an article about the study. “Over time, the unfortunate misgivings of being on a dating app can cause someone to lose hope in the dating process and finding the right person.”

Bumble has announced a new reporting feature for users to alert the app if they suspect a profile of displaying AI-generated photos and videos.

“Fake Profile” allows users to flag and report accounts that they think are AI-generated and being used to deceive other app users. According to Tech Crunch, people using AI to beef up their profiles is creating a new problem on dating apps (aside from the typical bots, spam accounts, and safety issues that have been around for a while) – and that is whether or not to believe that the person in the profile they are seeing is actually that person, or an AI-enhanced version of them.

For example, someone could generate a photo of themselves to make them look more like Taylor Swift, or alter their bodies to show muscles they don’t have in real life, hoping to attract more matches through deception. In other words, they are gaming the system with AI.

Hinge and Grindr are two standout dating apps as they continue to grow in a tough market; powerhouses Tinder and Bumble are seeing more users leave their platforms.

In general, dating apps have had a rough couple of years, with the coveted Gen Z market looking to other options besides dating apps to meet singles, including in-person events, running clubs, and social media platforms like LinkedIn.

“Online dating trends have continued to decelerate industry-wide, showing minimal relief from the recent struggles,” wrote Morgan Stanley analysts Nathan Feather and Brian Nowak in their research, according to Quartz.

A majority of dating platforms have signed on to a new dating safety code in Australia, in an effort to crack down on dating app users who violate policies.

According to News.com, dating app users who “harass, threaten, or share unwanted explicit photos” could have their accounts terminated across multiple platforms at the same time, intended to create a safer space overall for online dating. Seventy-five percent of companies operating in Australia have signed on to the new industry standard, including Match Group (which operates Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid among others), Bumble and Grindr.

A recurring problem with dating apps is user safety, specifically surrounding the growing number of users who receive unsolicited images. If a perpetrator is banned from one platform, they can easily move on to other platforms, so the new safety standard is intended to prevent this from happening.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble has launched a marketing campaign in India to highlight its new feature Opening Moves, featuring two young Bollywood celebrities.

According to The Times of India, the campaign stars Khushi Kapoor and Vedang Raina in a series of films, where Kushi asks Vedang questions like “what is your guilty pleasure?” and “what is your iconic date idea?” Opening Moves allows women to post a question to potential suitors, so Bumble’s ad is demonstrating the feature in a fun way.

The beloved Bollywood actors share personal anecdotes and talk about the changes Bumble has made, as well as the cultural shift of dating in India, where women are feeling more empowered and more and more people are meeting online.

A new study by Bumble among single LGBTQ+ Filipinos found that a whopping 85 percent said that it’s important to them to find partners who accept them for who they are without pressuring them to change.

According to Adobo Magazine, nearly half (48 percent) of respondents feel that they need to conform to certain physical or personality ideals to be accepted by the LGBTQ+ community. About 28 percent of those surveyed went on to say that they felt pressured to change or conceal their gender expression to fit in or be accepted by the LGBTQ+ community.

The survey was conducted in partnership with Pride PH, the widest national network of Philippine LGBTQ+ organizations. Over 400 people participated in the survey.