Digest: Grindr exits Wall Street | 4 swipes per day — or AI bots flood your matches | China’s 297M singles eye IPO gold rush

Grindr shareholders pitched a $3.46 billion offer to pull the dating app off exchanges, valuing shares at $18 each with a 51% premium. Plateauing growth and valuation pressure have dating companies reconsidering their relationship status with Wall Street—apparently public markets aren’t everyone’s type, and some breakups are mutual. https://www.reuters.com/business/grindr-shareholders-offer-take-dating-app-private-2025-10-24/

China counts 297 million singles (20.7% of population), pushing online dating revenue toward ¥41.2 billion by 2030 at a 17.2% CAGR. With 51.3% of 25-29 year-olds unmarried, AI matching accuracy is projected to jump from 72% to 88% by decade’s end—because nothing says “meet cute” quite like a machine learning model with 88% confidence intervals.https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3515542381042564

Tinder rolled out biometric Face Check for all new US users, requiring a live selfie matching profile photos. Reports of bad actors dropped 40% during testing as Match Group leans into safety—turns out taking dating at face value doesn’t work anymore, especially when that face belongs to someone else’s Instagram from 2019. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tinder-to-expand-facial-verification-feature-across-the-us-setting-a-new-standard-for-dating-safety-302590842.html

In-person meetups and speed-dating events see renewed interest as daters explore alternatives to app-first matchmaking. Experts forecast that hybrid dating, which merges online apps with curated face-to-face events, will lead the dating scene in the future. https://www.mid-day.com/sunday-mid-day/article/tired-of-swiping-and-ghosting-here-is-how-a-new-wave-of-singles-is-bringing-back-90s-style-dating-23600258

Berkeley dropouts launched Cerca with seed funding from ex-CEOs of Match and OkCupid, limiting users to 4 daily matches. The app racked up 85K downloads in three months by treating matches like limited editions—because if Rolex can make waiting desirable, why can’t dating? https://sherwood.news/business/how-insurgent-dating-apps-like-cerca-are-capitalizing-on-the-anti-swipe

Research warns AI-generated personas now create sophisticated “chatfishing” scams on dating platforms with conversational skills rivaling actual humans. Users struggle to distinguish bots from humans as large language models blur the line between authentic connection and synthetic small talk—at least the robots reply promptly. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-rise-of-ai-chatfishing-in-online-dating-poses-a-modern-turing-test/

Indian startup Knot.dating reached operational profitability within half a year by requiring ₹50 lakh+ annual income for male users. Women comprise 70% of premium subscribers as income-gated matchmaking delivers faster monetization than swipe-first democracy—turns out nightclub economics translate beautifully to dating apps. https://news.startupro.in/viral-matchmaking-startup-knot-dating-becomes-profitable-in-under-6-months-of-launch/

Yi Dui operator Milian Technology submitted IPO paperwork after generating ¥1.9 billion revenue in H1 2025. Live-stream dating and virtual gifting drive the bulk of income in China’s video-first market, where watching someone else’s first date is apparently as riveting as your own—minus the awkward silences. https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3515542381042564

Bumble expanded its Opening Moves feature from one conversation starter to three, and chat initiation climbed 29%. Turns out people are more likely to make the first move when they’re not staring at a blank text box like it’s the SAT essay section—choice architecture beats blank canvas every time. https://www.findarticles.com/bumble-widens-opening-moves-feature-across-app/

Dating platform Haevn debuts January 15 in Austin with mandatory profile verification and no swiping mechanism. The app bets quality over volume will work in Texas, where everything’s supposed to be bigger—except, apparently, the number of people you’re allowed to ignore per minute. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/haevn-announces-austin-launch–the-end-of-swipe-culture-302585177.html

India’s first voice-driven AI dating app launches mid-November using conversational AI to match users without text-based profiles. Audio-first dating surfaces personality faster than photos and bios, or so the pitch goes—assuming your personality sounds better than it reads. https://www.openpr.com/news/4229384/nexuus-india-s-first-voice-ai-matchmaking-app-redefines

Dating app Frolly arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina, connecting singles through their dogs with a $12/month subscription after a free six-month trial. Pet-centric niches demonstrate higher affinity and lower churn—because if the dogs get along during the first playdate, the humans might actually stand a chance at date number two. https://www.axios.com/local/charlotte/2025/08/11/charlotte-dating-app-for-dog-lovers-frolly-pet-owners

Wable introduced features tailored to neurodivergent users, including sensory-friendly interfaces and communication preferences. The platform addresses a previously overlooked segment as mainstream apps finally realize not everyone enjoys notification barrage and neon color schemes. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ycjMxbrsy1on8v27DNBXW?si=petPSpxhSraG64vslGPdYw&nd=1&dlsi=1a627ce16cf848f5

Cray launched with AI-powered screening that detects red flags in dating profiles before users match. Users burned by catfishing gravitate toward pre-screened matches as trust becomes the product—because sometimes you need a bouncer for your match queue. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tired-of-red-flags-cray-app-turns-dating-chaos-into-clarity-302590264.html

Faith-based dating app SacredSpark reported 12 marriages since launch while targeting Catholic singles with matchmaker features. Niche-faith platforms monetize through higher ARPU as user intent outweighs sheer numbers—when you’re matching for “till death do us part,” casual browsers need not apply. https://www.ncregister.com/features/sacredspark-new-catholic-dating-app

Gen Z users drive Tinder’s cultural shift as the platform adapts to relationship-first mindset and authenticity demands. Younger daters prioritize genuine connection over gamification mechanics, forcing incumbents to rethink engagement systems designed when casual hookups didn’t require a pitch deck and three-year projections. https://www.businessinsider.com/tinder-cultural-reset-gen-z-2025-10

Match Group publicly challenged Apple’s commission structure in India, warning the 30% fee will suppress expansion in the $1.42B market. Platform economics collide with app store policies as dating companies discover that finding love through iOS requires paying Apple’s cut—call it a matchmaking toll for accessing the garden. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/tinder-owner-match-says-apple-fee-will-stifle-growth-india-2025-10-24/

Research shows 95% of American couples use location-sharing apps to maintain connection and trust. Real-time tracking extends from dating into relationships, reshaping digital intimacy norms one ping at a time—because nothing says “I love you” like voluntarily surrendering your GPS coordinates. https://www.life360.com/en-gb/learn/couples-and-location-sharing

Hinge crossed 15 million monthly active users worldwide, crediting its relationship-focused positioning. Retention through successful exits challenges conventional engagement metrics—turns out the ultimate KPI is getting people to uninstall your app and never come back. https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/news/hinge-reaches-15-million-monthly-active-users-worldwide/

Pure dating app implemented mandatory age verification in the UK to comply with updated online safety regulations. Regulatory compliance becomes table stakes as governments crack down on platform accountability—even casual encounters now require more documentation than a British pub quiz. https://press.pure.app/255419-pure-dating-app-launches-age-verification-to-set-new-industry-standard-for-user-safety/

Specialized dating platforms targeting specific communities outpace general-market apps in engagement and monetization. Founders capture underserved segments with tailored features, proving that “dating for everyone” works about as well as “food for everyone”—especially when Tinder and Bumble already built the grocery store. https://www.datingpro.com/blog/niche-dating-apps-why-theyre-booming-and-how-to-claim-your-space/