Here is the new (surprising) trend in dating apps

Long synonymous with online flirting, dating applications are reinventing themselves. Criticized for their limits and abandoned by some users, they explore new territory: friendship.

Faced with a young generation who favors real interactions, these platforms are redefining their mission by adapting to new social expectations.

Friendly meetings

Industry giants like Bumble and Match Group have taken the lead. Bumble launched “ Bumble For Friends », an application exclusively dedicated to friendly meetings, with dazzling success: 730,000 monthly users, an increase of 540% in one year.

This shift does not stop there, since the company also acquired Geneva, an application that encourages the creation of groups around common interests. Lidiane Jones, CEO of Bumble, describes this strategy as a response to a growing need for “connections in the broadest sense” (a comment echoed by Strategies).

Choosing between friendship and romance

Match Group is following this trend by offering similar features on its platforms. DisonsDemain, dedicated to seniors, and Yuzu, intended for the Asian community, now allow you to choose between friendship and romance. These initiatives target a younger audience, often less enthusiastic about building relationships exclusively online.

At the same time, innovative start-ups are positioning themselves in this niche. Timeleft, for example, reinvents sociability by organizing weekly dinners bringing together six strangers, selected using a personality test. However, these innovations raise the question of their sustainability. While some appreciate these supervised experiences, others prefer spontaneous and free interactions in their daily lives.