MASHABLE – Hinge has released its first audiobook as part of its No Ordinary Love campaign. Five authors wrote and narrated stories about real couples who met on Hinge, with the couples adding their own epilogues. The audiobook is available on Spotify, Apple Audiobooks, Libro.fm, Libby, Barnes & Noble Audiobooks, and Substack. Written versions are also available on Substack.
MATCH GROUP – Match Group reported signs of recovery at Tinder in Q2, with daily active user declines narrowing to 4%, the best result in ten quarters. Hinge revenue grew 22%, while users increased 13%, supported by expansion into ten new countries; the company still expects Hinge to reach $1B in annual revenue in 2027. Match Group’s total revenue slipped 1% to $853M as payer numbers fell 6%, but net income rose 36% to $171M through lower operating costs.
WALL STREET JOURNAL – New AI dating apps are offering alternatives to swiping. Amata, a chatbot-based matchmaking app, interviews users and charges about $20 to arrange a date, while Known, an AI matchmaking service supported by human matchmakers, recommends compatible partners. Volar, a now-closed AI dating app, previously tested virtual versions of users that went on simulated dates for them. Established platforms are also experimenting with AI: Grindr is developing its gAI assistant, Bumble is testing its Bee matchmaker, and Tinder and Hinge are introducing tools that help users improve profiles and start conversations.
LAUREN SHARP – Eliza was a simple chatbot created in the 1960s to imitate a therapist. Although it understood nothing, users shared private information and believed it empathised with them. Its creator, Joseph Weizenbaum, warned that people could easily mistake a computer’s responses for genuine intelligence. This became known as the ELIZA effect. Today’s AI is far more convincing. Replika users reported distress when intimate features were removed, while some users viewed GPT-4o as a friend or romantic partner. Dating-app users may be especially vulnerable. An AI matchmaker could comfort them after rejection, remember personal conversations, and provide unlimited attention. Some users may eventually feel closer to the AI than to the people it recommends. AI may still help lonely or socially anxious users. However, agreeable chatbots could also create unrealistic expectations of human relationships, which involve disagreement and compromise. Bumble is testing Bee, an AI matchmaker that learns about users and recommends partners. Tinder’s Chemistry feature asks personal questions and analyses photos, while Learning Mode adjusts recommendations based on behaviour. Overtone, founded by Hinge founder Justin McLeod, uses voice conversations to select a small number of introductions.
BARRON’S – Investors are looking for progress in Match Group’s Tinder turnaround as the app generates more than half of the company’s revenue. In 2025, Tinder’s monthly active users fell 9% and paying users declined 7%, while Hinge recorded growth of ~50% and 18%, respectively. Match Group is applying lessons from Hinge and introducing new Tinder features, events and AI tools aimed at Gen Z. Tinder’s user decline slowed to 7% in March, while first-quarter revenue grew 2% YOY. Match Group’s Q2 earnings will be released tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4.
IT’S NICE THAT – Hinge CEO Jackie Jantos said the dating app is adapting its products to the changing needs of Gen Z, which now represents more than half of its users. Hinge follows a “designing with, not for” approach, involving people with different lived experiences in product development. One result is Match Note, a private, non-screenshotable screen where users can disclose personal information, such as having ADHD, before beginning a conversation. Jantos, who moved from CMO to CEO in late 2025, said Hinge’s “Designed to Be Deleted” positioning also guides product decisions, including detailed onboarding and limits on simultaneous conversations, with the goal of moving users from the app to in-person dates.
THE NEXT WEB – AI is increasingly writing dating conversations, and dating apps aren’t stopping it. A Match Group/Kinsey Institute report found that 26% of U.S. adults and 49% of Gen Z daters have used AI for dating help, from writing messages to creating profiles. Match CEO Spencer Rascoff said there is little the company can do about off-platform AI coaching, while Hinge and Bumble have no policies banning AI-generated messages. As AI-written conversations become more common, users are raising concerns that matches may be interacting with chatbot-generated personalities rather than the people themselves.
NEW YORK POST – Hinge has introduced Friend’s Take, a feature that lets friends and family add short testimonials, photos, or videos to a user’s dating profile. Users can display up to three approved testimonials, giving potential matches a more authentic view of who they are. The feature is part of Hinge’s broader push to improve trust and appeal to younger users through more thoughtful, relationship-focused dating experiences.
HINGE – Hinge has launched a new European campaign, All We Need Is Us, as part of its ongoing Designed to be Deleted platform. The campaign highlights the small, everyday moments that build relationships, such as cooking, running errands, or spending quiet time together. It features real couples who met on Hinge alongside handcrafted Hingie mascots placed in everyday situations.
YAHOO FINANCE – Hinge CEO Jackie Jantos spoke with Yahoo Finance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity about what sets the app apart from competitors. She said Hinge is built for people seeking serious relationships, with its “designed to be deleted” philosophy focused on getting users off the app and onto successful dates. Hinge measures success through a “great dates” metric based on whether users go on a date and want a second one. She also highlighted the app’s detailed onboarding process, which filters for intentional daters and encourages richer profiles with photos, prompts, voice responses, and date preferences.