Tinder owner Match admits it fell behind: British singles want more real-life meetings

Dating group Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, is admitting mistakes. The company failed to keep pace with changing dating habits, London business paper City AM reported on 20 October. Head of strategy Chine Mmegwa told the paper there had been frustration that the apps had not evolved with how dating looks today – "Being static is sort of the worst thing to be". According to City AM, Tinder has been grappling with declining usage for almost four years.

The new direction is based on a Match survey of British singles: according to City AM, 61 per cent of the roughly 3,000 respondents want more of their social life to happen face to face, while 43 per cent say most of their socialising currently happens through a screen. Industry site Global Dating Insights gives 3,007 respondents: of those who had been in a relationship, 20 per cent met their most recent partner through a dating app and another 20 per cent through friends. 21 per cent of baby boomers met them in a pub, bar or club – compared with just 4 per cent of Gen Z. Tinder already offers double dates, group activities and events in more than 50 cities worldwide; London is due to follow later this year.

Safety is also an issue: 67 per cent of British women worry about their safety before a first date, according to the survey, compared with 31 per cent of men. Match says face verification has cut interactions with fake accounts by 60 per cent in the markets where it was introduced. For context: the survey was carried out by the company itself, and the reports do not give its fieldwork dates or methodology. Independent data from UK regulator Ofcom also point to a decline: average monthly time spent on dating apps fell from almost four hours in 2023 to three hours in 2025.