Kim Harris

Korean dating app APTING requires users to verify apartment residency before joining, using government registration data, according to Seoul Economic Daily.

Tinder's Astrology Mode drove a near-20% rise in likes sent by women to profiles showing astrological details, but Match Group shared little test data.

Hinge is running a European campaign in Germany, France and Sweden that shows couples doing chores, using handmade puppets instead of AI.

AI-first dating app Yeet has passed 10,000 downloads on Google Play. Its assistant Yeeta suggests conversation topics instead of writing messages.

Australian startup Greenhalo offers dating verification that works across apps and platforms, but says early validation is ongoing.

Gay dating app Goose launched in the US on 24 June with 56,000 pre-downloads, using human-reviewed profiles and "waves" in place of swipes.

Meta plans to lift AI moderation of content and ads from 50% to 90% by the end of 2026, raising safety and ad risks for dating apps.

WooPlus says 74% of 100 surveyed participants found its Curvy Cupid moderated video dates significantly less stressful than standard app dating.

PLEEZR has launched a dating app that matches users on "masculine and feminine energy" scores, but it has published no methodology or validation data.

Grindr, with 15 million users, is expanding into health, events and culture under CEO George Arison. The story calls it mission creep, bar health services.

Match Group survey: 64% of U.S. singles aged 18 to 39 used AI for profiles or chats, but 47% view AI negatively in romantic relationships.

Match Group's Chispa launched 'Lucky Losers', a football-defeat dating campaign for Latino singles, with in-app stickers and Alto rides.

Indian media say Gen Z job-hunt on Hinge and date on LinkedIn, but no usage data supports it. Match Group has disclosed no figures on such misuse.

Derek Chadwick is launching Goose, an application-only gay dating app that uses 'waves' instead of swipes, but it has not disclosed membership criteria.

Hornet is expanding its Model Search competition to Turkey and Thailand in 2026, saying the 2025 Thailand edition drew over 1,000 participants.

MAXION, a UAE dating app, has dropped algorithm-heavy matching for in-person dates and launched a YouTube series hosted by founder Christiana Maxion.

New Zealand startup Guardian Flame launched with mandatory government ID verification and risk scores built from previous dates' feedback.

Research highlighted by the BBC links a "cycling on, cycling off" pattern of dating app deleting and reinstalling to worsening mental health.

Michigan State University study of 535 people finds those shown 31 dating profiles reported stronger commitment intentions than those shown 6.

HubPeople's Hubbi 3.0 adds ChatGPT and Claude CoWork agent support and AEO schema markup to its white-label dating site builder.