Online dating apps and websites have had a tumultuous last couple of decades. They have quickly gone the distance from being a completely unknown and unthinkable method for dating to being the dominant way most young people meet their soul mates.
Yet, even as popular as they are today, dating apps and sites still have their issues and blind spots, and are still mistrusted by many people. Fortunately, the technology behind such apps and sites continues to evolve and we continue to see changes in this niche. Here are the main 6 aspects in which we can expect dating apps to continue improving.
What Does the Future of Online Dating Have in Store for Us?
Given current market expectations, the market value of the dating app niche is expected to rise from $2.5bn as of mid-2024 to $3.5bn in 2025. This is a rather stark but not unexpected increase, given how many people rely on dating apps to satisfy their dating needs. However, the market is both generous and demanding, and many apps and websites have gone under because they have failed to meet people’s expectations. Given that, and given recent technological advancements, here are the main 6 areas we expect will see improvements in the near future.
1. Better User Profiles
Many dating apps focus on speed and ease-of-use, and make the mistake of thinking this means fewer customization options. However, users are increasingly demanding customization as both a quality-of-life, as well as a safety feature. Being able to better customize your profile, your likes and dislikes, and your preferences isn’t just a matter of presentation – it also means you can better evaluate other people and their profiles.
2. Both Swifter and Safer Log-In Methods
Logging into an online profile sounds like something that should be simple, yet it really isn’t.
In the modern Internet era, log-ins need to be incredibly well-secured, especially in sites and apps where you store your personal information, address, and credit info.
At the same time, a dating app is something you want to be able to quickly log in and out of, without much hassle. This is why modern dating apps look for ways to both allow for quick Facebook and Google log-ins and keep their user data safe.
3. More Diverse Option
The main selling point of dating apps used to be that they connect you with as many people in your vicinity as possible and they let you figure things out from there. However, the easier things have become, people have started demanding for more and more niche dating apps – ones that don’t just let them browse everyone’s dating profiles, but that only focus on people of certain groups.
After all, if you know that you’re only looking for people from a few certain groups, why bother sifting from a general dating app, such as Tinder or Bumble? For example, if you know you’re exclusively looking to date LGBTQ+ people, you can simply try this LGBTQ+ app, instead of sifting through a bunch of straight people on Tinder.
4. Better Matchmaking Algorithms
Matchmaking is often the “make or break” of many dating apps. And this is something virtually every ambitious dating app today is working to improve. Fortunately, this goes hand-in-hand with better profile customization options, as the two features complement each other.
- Safe Geolocation
The very key part of most dating apps is that they show you who are the people in your general vicinity looking for dating. This is also a safety issue for many people, however, especially those from certain minority groups, as it allows for doxing, stalking, and other privacy concerns. So, modern dating apps are working especially hard on protecting people’s geo data while still allowing folks to look for dates in their vicinity.
6. Voice and Video calls
Proper online dating has gone far and beyond mere chatting.
Everyone can chat and everyone can write whatever they want about themselves, however, voice and video calls allow people to really talk with and see each other before they commit to an in-person date.
Plus, even after the first in-person dates, voice and video calls are a very obvious quality-of-life features, that more and more dating apps are expected to adopt in the near future.
