In 2025, a lot of daters want to meet in person instead of on apps (even if they don't know how). This could account for the decline of some dating apps recently, including Bumble, which laid off 30 percent of its employees earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Tinder wants to shed its hookup reputation to appeal more to Gen Z, according to new CEO Spencer Rascoff. Rascoff is also the CEO of Tinder's parent company, Match Group, and took over at the helm of Tinder last month. Match Group also owns other popular dating and hookup apps, including Hinge, Match, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, and OurTime.
At a Tuesday earnings call, Rascoff painted an optimistic picture for Tinder, despite declining revenue.
While Tinder's paying users fell seven percent in the last quarter, Rascoff told the Wall Street Journal that, "Things are moving in the right direction."
Tinder's direct revenue also declined four percent in the second quarter, dropping to $461.2 million. However, revenue per user grew by three percent. Despite the dips, Rascoff told the Journal he's optimistic about the app's momentum because Tinder's team is acting urgently and "shipping more product than ever before." When Rascoff's takeover as CEO was announced, he posted Tinder's new product principles on LinkedIn, one of them being speed and urgency.
About 90 percent of the people who used Tinder's new double date feature are apparently Gen Z, a demographic that Tinder needs to attract. The Journal reported that Tinder plans to launch six new features in the next few weeks, including a new recommendations algorithm and a college mode for students looking to match with each other. Match also plans to pour in $50 million to invest in product testing at Tinder and other apps.
One Match Group property is soaring: Hinge. Paid users grew 18 percent in the second quarter, and revenue per user was up six percent. Hinge's revenue also grew 25 percent to $167.5 million. While dating apps are becoming more and more alike with similar features, daters apparently see a difference.
Topics Apps & Software
Anna Iovine is the associate editor of features at Mashable. Previously, as the sex and relationships reporter, she covered topics ranging from dating apps to pelvic pain. Before Mashable, Anna was a social editor at VICE and freelanced for publications such as Slate and the Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.
