Disillusioned love-seekers are swiping left on dating apps in droves, leaving industry giants scrambling for solutions. Their answer? If romance isn’t working, perhaps friendship will. Bumble and Match Group, which owns Tinder, are exploring the “friend zone” with apps designed for platonic connections, tapping into a growing trend that could redefine how people connect, Agence France-Presse reported.
Swiping right for friends
Bumble For Friends, launched in July last year, now boasts 730,000 monthly active users as of the third quarter, according to Sensor Tower. Building on this success, Bumble recently acquired Geneva, a platform focused on group-based interest communities. “It’s just the beginning of our vision to expand the company’s footprint and help people find connections broadly,” Bumble Chief Executive Officer Lidiane Jones said at the Web Summit in Lisbon on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Match Group has entered the platonic space with Yuzu, launched in February for the Asian community in the United States, offering both friendship and romance options. In France, its dating app DisonsDemain, aimed at older users, is testing a friendship feature.
The post-Covid reality
During the Covid-19 pandemic, dating apps thrived as lockdowns kept people apart. But with the return to normalcy, users have gravitated back to in-person interactions, leading to a decline in engagement. Sensor Tower data shows Bumble’s dating app lost 8 per cent of its monthly active users over the past year, now standing at 21 million. Tinder, the market leader with 53 million monthly users, saw a sharper drop of 16 per cent. “App fatigue is real, especially for dating apps,” said Seema Shah, Sensor Tower’s head of research. “Younger users, particularly those aged 18 to 22, prefer connecting in person.”
Financial struggles
The decline in user engagement has taken a toll on the industry’s finances. Match Group has lost over $40 billion in value in the past three years. Bumble, once valued at over $20 billion during its 2021 initial public offering, is now worth $1.3 billion. In February, it announced layoffs impacting a third of its workforce.
Can friendship apps flourish?
While friendship apps are gaining traction, their long-term viability remains uncertain. Specialised platforms like WeRoad and TripBFF cater to solo travellers, Wink and Plura match users based on interests, and France’s Timeleft organises dinner gatherings for strangers, hosting events in 280 cities across 62 countries. Timeleft cofounder Maxime Barbier credited the app’s success to its algorithm-driven personality matchups, which have attracted users like translator Arthur Czubinski, who attended 12 dinners in a few months. “Some of the tables have been incredible,” he said. However, Shah warned that the novelty might wear off. “It’s probably easier to find friends in your area by joining an activity or through your job,” she noted.
Beyond the swipe
As dating apps pivot to friendship, their success will depend on offering unique value. Whether they can carve out a sustainable niche in the crowded friend-making market remains to be seen. For now, they’re banking on this: love isn’t all you need—sometimes, you just need a mate.