I think back to freshman year, when my friends and I would cram onto a lumpy dorm-issue twin bed and huddle around one phone, collectively cringing as we swiped through Hinge.
That was my first foray into dating apps. It took me a week—and a handful of dead-end chats—before I deleted it.
As it turns out, I’m far from alone.
According to mobile app analytics company AppsFlyer, 65% of dating apps downloaded in 2024 were deleted within a month. This year, that number has climbed to 69%, AppsFlyer told Fast Company.
During the pandemic, dating apps were a lifeline. Gen Z spent much of their formative years—high school and early college—on Zoom, and online dating was a natural extension of a life in lockdown.
Now, many young people want their love lives off-screen again.
Wendy Walsh, the in-house dating and relationship expert for DatingAdvice.com and a psychology professor at California State University Channel Islands, explains that this generation lost at least two years of social learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They’re often terrified of talking on the phone or meeting in person, and dating apps—designed to connect strangers—essentially translate to their worst fear.
Yet younger adults continue to lead the way in online dating. According to Pew Research data from 2023, 53% of those younger than 30 have used a dating site or app, compared with 37% of adults ages 30 to 49, 20% of those 50 to 64, and 13% of adults 65 and older.
Digital natives are swiping left on dating apps
Last week, I conducted an informal poll of six Syracuse University students in their 20s who requested anonymity—largely because, as I noticed, they seemed embarrassed to be on dating apps in the first place.
When I asked them about their experiences more broadly, disappointment came through. One pointed out that conversations on the apps rarely progressed beyond the texting stage. Another said they preferred meeting people in person and mostly used the apps for casual flings.
Dating coach Grace Lee explained that college students often feel self-conscious about these platforms. “If you have any kind of social life, you’re ‘not supposed’ to need one,” Lee says. She added that college life comes with high expectations to be “out and about,” which dilates the feeling that there’s something “wrong” with you if you rely on a dating app.
Most students I talked to seemed reluctant to discuss how often they engaged with the apps, while those who admitted to regular use did so with visible mortification.
window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
This frustration is far from isolated. A 2024 Forbes Health survey found that 79% of Gen Z users experience some degree of fatigue with dating apps like Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble—they’re investing tons of time without finding genuine connections.
Walsh says the burnout comes from the “paradox of choice.” Having too many options leads the brain to value each one less. People swipe endlessly, believing something better is always one swipe away, which leaves them stuck in an algorithmic loophole.
window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
And the numbers back it up: A nationwide Kinsey Institute and DatingAdvice.com survey found that most Gen Zers would rather meet someone offline, with 90.24% of respondents saying they prefer social gatherings, bookstores, classes, and clubs.
With a focus on self-care and authenticity, this generation feels that apps just don’t deliver the kind of natural, low-effort spark they’re looking for.
It’s a flop era for online dating
Dating app burnout isn’t just a Gen Z thing—the “swiping fatigue” is hitting the whole online dating scene.
Match Group’s recent financial results underline the shift. The parent company of Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish posted a fourth-quarter revenue forecast below expectations, signaling trouble converting casual users into paid subscribers.
The company’s latest quarterly numbers show revenue at $914.3 million, up 2% compared with the same period last year, while “payers” declined by 5%.
Match Group stock (Nasdaq: MTCH) has struggled this year. As of Friday, it’s down roughly 1.11% year to date, compared with the Nasdaq composite index’s growth of more than 15% during the same period.
Tinder, once the company’s crown jewel, is wobbling: Revenue slid 3% year over year, and the number of paying users dropped by 7%, to 9.3 million.
Half of Tinder’s monthly active users are Gen Zers, but with subscribers declining, the company is scrambling to find new ways to keep younger users engaged.
Students I spoke with had similar thoughts on Tinder: “[It’s more for] hookup culture—fine for freshman year, but now I’m looking for something more serious.”
Match Group’s competitor Bumble isn’t faring any better, reporting a 10% revenue decline and laying off 30% of its staff earlier this year.
And yet, against all odds, Hinge is holding on tight. Gen Z accounts for 56% of its user base, and the app reported a 17% increase in paying users. Strong prompts and a focus on intentional dating seem to be working.
As Match Group COO Spencer Rascoff echoed at the Goldman Sachs conference: “There’s this misconception that Gen Z doesn’t use dating apps. They do. Just look at Hinge.”
Is betting on AI the right move?
New nonautomated modes, like Tinder’s Double Date and College Mode, are resonating—especially with younger users.
Double Date has taken off: 92% of its users are under 30, and women who pair up are three times more likely to send a “like” and four times more likely to match than when swiping solo, while College Mode is now used by 1 in 4 eligible student users.
Dating companies are now betting that AI features will lure Gen Z back—but there’s a catch: Gen Z is actually more uncomfortable with AI than older generations.
Several students I spoke with expressed discomfort with AI, noting that when it’s imposed in platforms, it feels unnatural and undermines the sense of authenticity.
Social psychologist Justin Lehmiller, senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, told Fast Company that his research shows most single adults don’t want AI anywhere near their intimate lives.
“That’s the potential pitfall for some apps,” Lehmiller says. “[If] they’re incorporating more of this technology that a lot of people don’t really trust, is that going to draw more folks in, or is it just going to keep pushing them away?”
A Bloomberg survey mirrors this sentiment, revealing that Gen Z is hesitant about AI-generated bios or messages and favors authenticity.
How the big players are trying to win over Gen Z
Tinder appears to recognize the tension surrounding high-tech features. In a statement to Fast Company, the company said it’s shifting toward “low-pressure, authentic experiences,” and moving away from “transactional” connections.
The app uses AI for security, photo selection, and safety prompts—without turning conversations into “my bot texting your bot,” as Match Group leaders emphasize.
Similarly, Bumble CTO Vivek Sagi stated, “We want to harness the power of AI. Our goal is not to replace love or dating with technology; it’s to make human connection better and more compatible.”
Hinge is also leaning into AI, focusing on tools that help users without impersonating them. This includes features like prompt feedback, a built-in AI tool called “Top Photo,” and the “Are You Sure?” message filter.
And the subtlety seems to be working. The students I spoke with didn’t even realize AI was involved in their daily swiping, and when I pointed it out, one gasped: “I didn’t put two and two together!”
Hinge CEO Justin McLeod recently explained that generative AI is meant to support—not replace—people. “Authenticity deeply matters,” he said.
And Gen Z seems to agree.