Dating appdates (Aug ’26): Overtone’s vague ‘elimination’ plan and chatfishing’s rise
Also this month: friends and family get a say on your Hinge profile, South Australia plans a nation-first dating app ban for…
Tag
Dating Apps
Dating appdates (July ‘26): Dodgy AI studs, dating for apartment residents only, and Tinder’s World Cup spike
Beyond the Goose scandal, this month's roundup covers a South Korean app that gatekeeps by apartment ownership, a purple AI wing-girl called…
Dating appdates (June ’26): family vetoes, paid meetups and gold stars for texting back
From an app that puts your relatives in charge of your love life to a private investigator's warning about the iPhone Notes…
Dating appdates (May ‘26): ‘Pixel twins’, Tinder’s iris scans, and a gay hook-up gold rush
While the broader dating app market sheds Millennial users, gay hook-up apps are pulling in serious money. Match Group just put $100…
Dating appdates (Apr’ 26): height verification, AI interventions, and Bumble’s big reinvention
From a tiny app verifying your height via LiDAR to Bumble leaning on an AI assistant to reverse its revenue slide, April…
Dating appdates (Mar ’26): Ashley Madison drops the affairs, Tea posts get scrubbed for $2, and dating apps are officially ‘subscription traps’
Ashley Madison would very much like you to forget about the affairs (and the data breach). Meanwhile, you can pay $2 to…
Dating appdates (Feb ’26): Grindr locks down the Olympic Village, Tinder owes $60M, and Hinge founder bails
From Grindr keeping Olympic athletes safe to Tinder paying out millions for charging over-30s more, plus the Hinge founder's mysterious new AI…
Dating appdates (Jan ’26): Tea’s web return, Partiful’s Crush, Grindr’s retail ambitions
From Tea's controversial web comeback and Partiful's new Crush feature to Grindr's ambitious retail plans and a Japanese corporate matchmaking trend, here's…
Dating appdates (Dec ‘25): Where’s best for twinks and bears? Grindr and Twitter wrapped
Pedro Pascal is Daddy of the Year, Switzerland is twink central, and 76% of Gen Z daters would let AI help them…
Dating appdates (Nov ’25): China removes gay apps, Tinder tests AI matchmaking, and dogs get profiles
This month's dating app news brings a worrying crackdown on LGBTQ+ spaces in China, where Apple removed popular gay dating apps Blued…
London Tech Abuse Conference 2026 to cover deepfakes, cyberstalking and online dating
University College London will bring together researchers, frontline workers and people with lived experience of technology-facilitated abuse at a three-day conference in…
Dating Appdates (Oct ‘25): A ‘no chat’ dating app, ‘vanilla’ Feeld users fuel profits, and Meta’s AI wingman
Dating apps are taking new approaches to help people find connections. Cerca introduces a social circle-based matching system that only shows friends…
Reader favourites
Dating appdates (Jan 2025): MaAvatar’s gamified dating in the metaverse, Hinge’s naggy AI, Thursday closes down & Bumble’s founder returns
50 votesWill metaverse spaces revolutionise online dating and shunt dating apps into internet history? Is Hinge’s new AI function going to eradicate boring…
Blush AI dating lets you flirt with virtual hotties (and get selfies too)
20 votesThe makers of Replika, the popular digital avatar chatbot companion app, has launched a new Tinder-style AI dating app that lets you…
Headero is a hook-up app for people who really like oral sex
20 votesThe steady march through time towards an era in which every sexual act, niche and kink has a dedicated app has been…
Best hookup and casual sex apps for iPhone and Android
15 votesTechnology has made a casual hookup easier than ever to arrange, without needing to go through scam websites that promise no-hassle fun,…
Dating appdates (Jan ’26): Tea’s web return, Partiful’s Crush, Grindr’s retail ambitions
13 votesFrom Tea's controversial web comeback and Partiful's new Crush feature to Grindr's ambitious retail plans and a Japanese corporate matchmaking trend, here's…
Dating appdates (September 2024): Anti-f***boy app, sober dating, Bumble AI, and more
9 votesA new dating app allows you to brand other users “fuckboys” on their profile: a label that can only be removed if…
Earlier in this tag
AI dating apps promised to fix our love lives, but they might be making things worse
Dating appdates (Sep ‘25): Bumble’s AI matchmaker, Japan’s virtual girlfriends, and why psychopaths win at dating apps
Dating appdates (Aug ’25): ‘Male’ rival to Tea app, browser history dating, Grindr’s zionist issue, and more
RAW dating adds iPhone-powered ‘integrated vibrator’ feature to help horny swipers think twice
Dating appdates (July ’25): Dating for Disney park nuts, marriage status verification, double dates, and more
Dating appdates (June ’25): Tinder adds height range, Grindr tests real-time feed, Match Group acquires HER, plus Wordle-style dating app launches
Dating appdates (May ’25): AI meets human matchmaking, Grindr selling drugs, Hinge longform love stories, and more
Dating appdates (April ’25): Big verification push, massive data leak, apps ‘officially’ stressful, and more
Dating appdates (March ’25): AI warnings, Babygirl effect, audio-first dating, and more
Dating appdates (Feb ’25): Instagram is the new Tinder, ‘carouseling’ trend, and meatballs
Dating appdates (Jan 2025): MaAvatar’s gamified dating in the metaverse, Hinge’s naggy AI, Thursday closes down & Bumble’s founder returns
Driving social change: Brazilian football’s unlikely partnership with an escort platform
Dating appdates (Dec 2024): Grindr and Tinder wrap and swipe the year
Dating appdates (Nov 2024): Apps for news junkies and the ‘visual generation’, prizes for the ghosted, and more
Dating appdates (Oct 2024): anti-ghosting features, dating ban on trains, Facebook ads used for dating, and more
Dating appdates (September 2024): Anti-f***boy app, sober dating, Bumble AI, and more
Dating appdates (August 2024): ChatGPT vs ‘fake’ heights, SIMS get catfished, GPS safety concerns, and more
Woohoo! SIMS4 Lovestruck expansion pack brings poly characters, in-game dating app and ‘Romantic Dynamics’
Dating appdates (July 2024): Date AI characters in Japan, Grindr on the up, new safety code, and more
Dating appdates (June 2024): Bumble movie, Apple’s ‘infidelity-friendly’ update, Tinder goes running, and more
4channers’ Duolicious dating app is as ballistic as you’d expect
Dating appdates (May 2024): Feeld gets a new rival, Bumble’s Opening Move, Grindr sued, and more
Dating appdates (April 2024): Bumble drops ‘women first’ messaging, Grindr launches AI chatbot, Cuffing, and more
Dating appdates (Mar 2024): Match goes big on ChatGPT, credit score dating is here, apps connect Israelis and Lebanese, and more
Dating appdates (Feb 2024): Tinder sends a warning, Wizz yanked from app stores, Blush secures funding, and more
Dating appdates (Dec 2023): AI on AI dating, the day kink died (temporarily), Grindr’s AI wingman and more
The best WLW and lesbian dating apps for queer women, trans, and non-binary users looking for love
Dating appdates (Nov 2023): Tinder gets ‘rizzed’, runners hook-up on Strava, Bumble’s new queen bee and more
Dating appdates (Oct 2023): AI ‘face dating’, Tinder’s friend vetting, Boardroom love, and more
The role of voice & sound in forming deeper connections in a digitally-intimate era
