Tinder downloads have declined despite Generation Z being ‘twice as likely’ to use dating apps to meet prospective lovers.
A study by Pew Research Center found that 46 percent of online daters said they’ve used the app, which is down more than a third from Tinder’s annual download peak in 2014.
However, as Gen Z’ers join the dating pool, the number using dating apps continues to dwindle.
Match Group, the company that owns Tinder, has reported that paying users fell by 8 percent last year, or just under 10million people.
The app, which was first launched in 2012, has fallen behind other popular apps like Bumble, Hinge, Grindr and OkCupid, which have seen more than twice the number of downloads in 2023.
Since Tinder was released, it has long been known as the dating app geared more towards hook-ups, and though that peaked people’s interest over a decade ago, it has since turned people off.
A study by Pew Research Center found that 46 percent of online daters said they’ve used Tinder, which is down more than a third from Tinder’s annual download peak in 2014
According to a recent quarterly earnings report from Match Group, the company found that Gen Z users were seeking ‘a lower pressure, more authentic way to find connections.’
‘Gen Z is not the hook-up generation everyone expected us to be and marketed to us,’ one TikToker said as she added that the entire Generation is pushing to get off dating apps as a whole.
Singles in that age range who are seeking meaningful and long-lasting connections have instead turned to Hinge, according to data.ai.
Others have gone on to utilize apps such as Grindr and HER, which are dedicated to the LGBTQ communities. All three apps have managed to maintain a steady user base over the past couple of years.
Though Tinder has slowed down for Generation Z, it has remained the largest app for Match Group in the US.
‘Since its launch, it has garnered more than 530 million downloads, with over half of its users falling within the 18-to-25 age range, including Gen Z,’ a Tinder spokesperson told CNN.
Match Group also owns other popular dating apps like OKCupid, Plenty of Fish, Hinge, BlackPeopleMeet, Match.com and over 30 other applications.
The company, with a market value of $10.43billion, has surpassed Bumble, which is owned by The Blackstone Group, at $2.58billion.
However, as Gen Z’ers join the dating pool, the number using dating apps continues to dwindle
Tinder, which was first launched in 2012, has fallen behind other popular apps like Bumble , Hinge, Grindr and OkCupid, which have seen more than twice the number of downloads in 2023
According to the Pew report, adults under 30 years old are almost twice as likely as Millennials over 30 to be recent or current dating app users.
A total of 40 percent of Americans reported they are on the apps with intentions of meeting a spouse or long-time partner, the report concluded.
Another study from the Survey Center on American Life reported more Gen Z’ers have had better luck forming relationships with people that they meet offline.
Roughly 40 percent of young adults said that they were friends with their partner prior to their romantic relationship.
Last year, Tinder took the growing change into its own hands and launched a marketing campaign across college campuses in the US specifically for Generation Z.
The campaign, known as ‘Tinder U’ is an in-app feature that allows users to better connect with one another across their universities.
Bumble has also shifted its priorities as they saw the same trend in its users who are more into the ‘low-pressure dating’ scene.
‘One in three US Bumble users say they are “slow dating” and actively going on fewer dates to protect their mental health when it comes to dating,’ a spokesperson from the dating app said in their 2024 dating trends report.
‘This number was slightly higher for Gen Z and Millennials, and lower for Gen X and Boomers.’
Users on social media who have been directly impacted by this online dating shift for their generation have not shied away from their personal views on the dwindling trend.
‘I guess we’re starting to realize that these apps are just trying to retain you as a customer and not help you fall in love,’ TikTok use Isabel Brown said in a recent video.
Another user, Taylor Reynolds, gave advice for the Gen Z population who are on dating apps like Raya, Hinge and Bumble.
Reynolds explained how she decided to change her bio to ‘Invite me to coffee, not drinks, please’ after she decided to give up alcohol.
‘The quality of men and conversation that I have had since I’ve done this– astonishing.’
‘I’ve had ten times more engaging and interesting conversations than I’ve ever had on the apps, and I’ve been out her for a minute,’ Reynolds added.
Another user confessed that she has gone on to use dating apps as her ‘social calendar’ as she questions the people she meets about what’s happening in the area.