INC42 – Schmooze, a Bengaluru-based dating app with ~5M users and a meme-led matching format, has launched ‘Riya’, a voice-based AI matchmaker. The feature engages users in conversations to understand their personality and recommend more compatible matches. It has already reached ~300K users and doubled retention.
PARSHIP – A study by Parship finds that singles over 40 are more satisfied with life than Gen Z, despite having smaller social circles. Younger people report higher levels of loneliness, even though they have larger network. The difference comes down to quality over quantity: older singles focus on fewer, deeper relationships and are more confident in meeting new people.
NL TIMES – Four Fingers Management, a Dutch company, is linked to 1,623 fake dating sites across 32 countries. Users chat with employees posing as fake profiles and are led to believe real meetings are possible, while paying per message. In 2018, the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) raided several fake dating companies and imposed fines. The regulator now calls the findings “very concerning,” but has not said whether it will investigate Four Fingers Management.
AD HOC NEWS – Bumble Boost enhances swiping with premium perks like extended likes and rematches. This premium upgrade unlocks features like unlimited swipes, spotlights to boost visibility, and the ability to extend matches before they expire. For a weekly, monthly, or lifetime fee, members get perks like Beeline access to see who liked them first. SuperSwipes to show extra interest, and Incognito mode for private browsing.
BIOMETRIC UPDATE – India is considering mandatory KYC for social media, dating, and gaming platforms, which would require users to verify their identity and reduce anonymity. India is also considering age-based restrictions for social media users under 18. The plan would use age verification tools and apply different rules to groups aged 8–12, 12–16, and 16–18, with a law expected later this year. The proposals aim to improve safety around cybercrime, abuse, and deepfakes, but raise concerns about privacy, enforcement, and overregulation.
TNW – Eight is a Portuguese dating app currently raising €3M, with about €256K secured so far. It is currently available in Portugal and the UK. CEO Afonso Simão previously founded Miofar, a fitness brand he grew to ~$1.2M in revenue. Every night between 8 and 9pm, human-verified users log in, browse 30s video introductions from other members, and unlock 8-minute live video calls with anyone they match with. Chat is only enabled after both sides say yes to a call. Human verification is a core feature.
LIFE AT TINDER – Tinder uses AI to rank profile photos so the ones most likely to perform well are shown first. The system compares photos against each other and learns from real user interactions, such as which images get more likes. Earlier models focused mainly on visual quality. The newer approach uses Vision-Language Models, which also interpret context – things like social cues, setting, and overall impression. This results in more accurate rankings and better outcomes, such as higher engagement and more matches.
PURE – After a US campaign in NYC and LA, the safety-first dating app for Gen Z is launching in Europe. PURE is rolling out a six-week campaign across London and Paris focused on real-world experiences and local activations. Pure closed 2025 with $100M in annual gross revenue, 95% YOY registration growth, and 46% revenue growth. The app now ranks among the top 8 grossing lifestyle apps in the US, the UK, and France. The product positions itself as an alternative to swipe-based apps, focusing on safety, privacy, and more intentional connections, with features like verification tools, disappearing chats, and AI moderation.
STRAITS TIMES – Tinder now requires new users in Singapore to complete a video selfie verification (“Face Check”) to confirm identity and reduce bots, fake profiles, and scams. Existing users are only asked to verify if flagged for suspicious activity. The feature checks that profile photos match the user, detects duplicate or banned accounts, and blocks AI-generated content. In markets where it is live, exposure to bad actors has dropped by 60%, and 80% of banned users in the US are now caught within a day.
RELEVANT MAGAZINE – A 2024 report from the Survey Center on American Life found 44% of Gen Z men reported no relationship experience at all during adolescence. Pew has also found that among never-married single adults under 40, ~42% say they’ve never been in a committed romantic relationship. Debra Fileta, a licensed professional counselor and relationship expert, says part of the problem is that modern dating has trained people to think about relationships less like connection and more like shopping. “The focus is so much on what I can get rather than who am I standing alone? How healthy am I standing alone?,” she says. Debra recommends building a strong and honest community, focusing on emotional and mental health, considering therapy, developing self-awareness, using journaling, and addressing unhealthy patterns.