United States

Image: Tinder

Dating app Tinder released its annual report The Year in Swipe, and found that while the pandemic dominated the year, dating apps benefitted with an increase in subscriptions and user activity. 

While many singles were stuck at home they chose to connect virtually, with messages and swipes up by double digits compared to back in February, according to Inside Hook.

“Travel” was the most-used term this year, especially around March and April when the first lockdowns began and people had to cancel their plans. Also popular in 2020 were pandemic-related ice breakers, with many using the phrase “quarantine and chill” and discussing mask wearing habits and protocols with their matches.

BLK, a dating app specifically for black daters, has become one of the fastest-growing apps in the Match Group suite of dating apps. Match Group currently owns a substantial portion of the dating app market, including Tinder, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish and Hinge among others.

According to The Grio, during the first two weeks when COVID-19 was spreading and people were sheltering at home, BLK saw an 18% increase in daily activity. Now seven months into the pandemic, there is a 38% increase in activity month over month. BLK launched in 2017, and since has grown to over four million users. 

Online dating service eHarmony announced the launch of its new “Real Love” ad campaign, featuring candid moments of couples finding love in everyday, real life scenarios that will be broadcast on key media outlets across the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

There will be a total of seven ads according to the company’s press release, with the first three launching immediately. 

Each ad is a different scenario of love blossoming, the first of two women laughing after trying a new recipe that doesn’t taste so good, which leads to sharing a carton of ice cream and cozying up on the couch. Another features a young woman on eHarmony’s app who is messaging and sharing silly photos of herself with a love interest, with the narrator explaining that real love is “letting someone see every side of you” and “knowing you could be yourself.” The third ad shows a man surprising his date with a romantic setting of glowing red lanterns lining a patio, with a narrator saying “real love is making moments that last forever.”

Dating app Hinge has partnered with popular taco chain Chipotle as well as Uber Eats to offer a new “Cuffing Season” menu and delivery service for daters. 

According to CNN, the new menu will include three special selections: “Day Date” which includes two entrees and a side of chips and salsa, “Date Night” featuring two entrees, a side of chips and queso and two Tractor drinks, and the “Hinge Date” for the solo riders, with one entrée, one side of chips and salsa, and one Tractor drink. According to Fox Business, these options will be available for free delivery or discounts at certain times during the promotion.

Politically active singles used dating apps to reach out to people in swing state districts and encourage them to vote.

Election Day was November 3rd, though ballots are still being counted and tensions are high as the country remains polarized politically. Activists and organizers got creative in reaching people during a pandemic, in hopes of driving high voter turnout. Connecting with young singles in swing states via dating apps seemed an effective way to engage, rather than with traditional voter outreach methods.

The term “Hinge-banking” became a popular practice according to CNN. It’s a twist on phone banking, a typical tool used to encourage voter participation – but instead using the dating app to reach singles to ask them about their voting plans. 

Image: Match

According to a recent study by Match, a majority of online daters are looking for serious relationships as the coronavirus continues to impact our personal lives. The study also found that different political affiliations can be a dealbreaker for a majority of daters, too. 

The 10th annual Singles in America study was released by Match in early October, and revealed that 59 percent of daters were considering a wider range of potential partners and 55% were fast tracking their new relationships compared to before the coronavirus spread. Moreover, 69% of respondents are “thinking more about who they’re really looking for,” according to a report by The New York Times, and 50% admit they are “no longer chasing after people who aren’t interested in them.”