Hayley Birkin

WedKnott, an Indian matchmaking platform, has secured undisclosed investment from Pratik Gauri to expand into Dubai and London.

Aisle Network's Better Because of Love campaign rejects swipe culture, citing company research that 97% of Indian women prioritise commitment.

TikTok is FIFA's first-ever 'Preferred Platform' for the 2026 World Cup, from 11 June to 19 July, which could raise ad costs for dating apps.

X's Grok generated more than 6,700 sexually suggestive or non-consensual images per hour in early January, Bloomberg-commissioned research found.

WhatsApp added role tags, text-based stickers and enhanced event reminders to group chats, which analysis says challenges dating apps after the match.

Opinion: Match Group's AI push is a response to a declining business, not a breakthrough, as apps profit from engagement and users want efficiency.

UK dating apps must now prevent cyberflashing under the Online Safety Act or face penalties up to 10% of global turnover, with Ofcom codes to follow.

TikTok will phase out anonymous Custom Identity ads in early 2026, forcing dating apps to advertise through verified public accounts or withdraw.

TikTok's new region-specific 2026 marketing calendars are a sales pitch for dating app ad spend, and operators should test them against their own data.

Known raised $9.7M from Forerunner, NFX, Pear VC and Coelius Capital to charge $30 per date, and claims an 80% match-to-meetup rate.

TikTok removed 143 million videos for counterfeit violations between January and June 2024, a warning on trust and safety for dating apps.

SugarDaddyMeet now requires photo verification, blocking unverified users from messaging, video and voice, as it cites AI-generated images as a threat.

Chinese state media says the TikTok deal is only a "basic framework consensus", raising risk for dating apps' Valentine's Day marketing spend.

Match Group and Bumble's Asia push looks defensive, the analysis argues, as India's 200 million 2025 downloads bring lower ARPU than North America.

Matrimony.com shares jumped 14% as its board prepares to consider a third share buyback on 29 January, after earlier premiums of 27% to 71%.

Match Group's paying users fell 6% to 10.3 million while Replika's subscribers grew 35%, according to Sensor Tower.

Grindr has backed the App Store Accountability Act, which would require Apple and Google to verify ages in their app stores. LGBTQ+ groups oppose it.

GoodDate, a US nonprofit dating app, has launched with no ads or paywalls. Founder Drew Harding has not said how it will be funded.

TikTok launched its Nearby Feed in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Norway, showing local public posts and challenging dating apps' venue discovery role.

Bethenny Frankel launched The Core, a screened dating community charging members between $700 and $1,200, with success measured by matches made.