Kim Harris

Google searches for "yearning" are up 102% in two years, but dating apps' time-on-platform revenue models conflict with rewarding vulnerability.

Walnut, a new dating app from ex-Amazon employee Richa Raval, locks matching behind daily emotional intelligence and attachment theory lessons.

Hinge, Bumble and DateGuard add voice features as UK swipe-based dating engagement drops 16%, per app analytics data.

Hily has launched a "manchild-free" profile badge that shows a preference but does not filter matches. The company says 55% of women surveyed had dated one.

Happn has launched Perfect Date, an AI tool using Foursquare data to suggest date venues. The company says 62% of users in India trusted it in early testing.

Grindr is testing AI-to-AI match vetting in its Wingman AI assistant, which is in limited beta with 10,000 users.

Hinge has launched profile prompts redesigned with therapist Esther Perel, but has released no data on whether they improve matches.

Grindr is testing AI chat summaries and smart match lists for 25% of Unlimited subscribers, with users criticising the paywall on Reddit.

Grindr has launched Right Now globally, a feature for one-hour disappearing status updates, with limited weekly sessions for free users.

Tinder is testing a paid height preference tool that weights match recommendations instead of filtering, after losing 700,000 subscribers in Q1 2025.

LoveJack, a London-based dating app, launches next month with five-word profiles and five daily interactions, then plans US cities and India.

One-third of Hinge survey respondents would consider dating outside their usual boundaries, with higher rates among Gen Z.

US dating app users, predominantly women, are spoofing locations to Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal after the 5 November election.

Meetline has launched globally with route-based matching, claiming 7,000 transit systems in 1,200 cities. It has not said how it sources the data.

Hinge CEO Justin McLeod says the app will not use AI to write messages or profiles, only to nudge fuller prompts, as Match Group nears Q1 earnings.

Grindr has launched A-List, a generative AI feature for premium subscribers that summarises past conversations, and opened a Palo Alto AI office.

SlideIn, a new voice-based dating app from Connor Rose, matches users with AI from one recorded answer and launches with a 100-person waitlist.

About 30% of Chinese singles have used livestream matchmaking, according to iiMedia Research, as hosts on Douyin and WeChat draw public audiences.

Zepeel has relaunched after a decade, using facial recognition AI to block edited photos, raising privacy and regulatory questions for dating operators.

Feeld won a Webby Award for a celibacy profile tag it says launched within five days of Bumble's ad campaign that mocked celibacy.