1.4 million people in the UK stopped using dating apps in 2024, according to a recent Ofcom study.
In the last 12 months, Tinder has seen more than half a million of their subscribers deleting the app for good, but not because they’ve found “the one”. Online platforms Hinge, Bumble and Grindr have also continued to lose users.
The industry has seen a ‘swiping fatigue’ epidemic, where people have had enough of the repetitive and unfulfilling nature of online dating.
With more people wanting to meet potential partners in real life, dating agencies like The Ultimate Attraction in Cardiff have seen their matchmaking services become more popular.
Chairman Mike Parker has said that safety is a key reason why people are ditching the apps:
“There’s not enough safety online…our agency carries out stringent background checks and interviews everyone personally to ensure our clients’ safety. This helps us secure 150-200 matches a week”, Mike told CJS News.
Catfishing, a term for when someone goes under a false identity online, has played a key role in people losing trust in online dating. Online safety company ExpressionVPN reported in 2023 that a quarter of Brits had been ‘catfished’.
Mike also told CJS News that the human element of matchmaking is what drives the agency’s success:
Unlike dating apps, we don’t use an algorithm to produce matches, it’s all done individually by each matchmaker to maximise compatibility and safety”.
Studies have found that Gen-Z, made up of people in the 13-27 age bracket, are the driving force behind the decline in online dating. According to Match Group, who own Tinder and Hinge, Gen-Z are the biggest group wanting to find love in-person.
With everyone talking about AI, virtual-reality lovers have also risen in popularity in recent months. Google searches in the UK for AI girlfriends peaked in January this year, with one million Brits using chatbots for dating according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, people may now be ditching the apps and embracing the world of face-to-face dating.