Singapore: Government dating app FirstDate raises its age limit to 45

In Singapore, the state is lending a hand in the search for a partner. The dating app FirstDate, launched on 29 September 2026 as a pilot by the government digital agency GovTech, is widening its age range from 21–35 to 21–45, Malay Mail reported on 21 October. Access remains limited to public service employees. Sign-ups for the first cycle closed on 5 October; applications for the second cycle are open until 26 October. The narrower initial range was chosen because GovTech expected that group to be the most actively dating, and a smaller pool also makes the product easier to assess.

FirstDate works differently from commercial apps: instead of swiping through endless profiles, users receive one suggestion at a time, which GovTech says is meant to "end swipe fatigue", according to Malay Mail. Pairs are formed with the Gale-Shapley stable matching algorithm, based on a questionnaire about interests, habits, values and preferences. Both sides have three days to decide; contact details are shared only if both agree. Identity is verified through the government login system Singpass. The algorithm cannot, however, "guarantee chemistry or a match leading to a relationship", GovTech concedes, according to The Register.

The project comes against a backdrop of record-low births. According to figures presented to parliament by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, Singapore's total fertility rate fell to 0.87 in 2025 from 0.97 in 2024, Bloomberg reported in February. State incentives under the Made for Families programme include housing purchase grants and tax rebates for parents, The Register writes. Whether the app will later open to a wider public remains unclear.