Tracking The Future of Dating Apps Through Emerging Trends

The process of dating has undergone some serious transformations in the past few years due to the creation of dating apps like Tinder, Coffee Meets Bagel, Grindr, and Hinge. Dating apps have altered the way that people pursue dates and interact with one another romantically. With technology constantly evolving, it’s hard to know what the future of dating might hold, but the emergence of trends like live streaming, smart photos, and missed connections suggest that the future holds a much more interactive approach to dating using apps. Below are a few ways that dating apps are changing:

Live streaming will be big

Live streaming has been around for a while on apps like Snapchat, Periscope, Facebook Live, and Instagram, but now it’s coming to dating apps, too. Bumble has already released BumbleVID, which allows users to record a 10 second video that will be posted to their profiles. Pakor, a dating app popular in Asia, was already considering this trend back in October 2016 when CEO Jospeh Phua told TechCrunch that he was interested in following emerging consumer trends, such as live streaming.

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You’ll have help choosing the most flattering photo

In addition to adding video components, dating apps have also updated their photo features. Tinder recently introduced Smart Photos, which uses an algorithm that tracks others’ responses to your photos and reorders them based on how “flattering” each one is. The Swiss dating app Blinq is also experimenting with an algorithm that will inform users which of their photos is the most attractive in their profile.

Updates will make it easier meet people in person

Updates have made it easier for people to meet in real time or in the real world, which can be a difficult feat while using dating apps. Match introduced a location-based feature that allows users to see with whom they have crossed paths, and the app Happn was created solely for missed connections. Recently, Coffee Meets Bagel released apps that will help you with a first date by suggesting locations to meet up and by syncing with Spotify to show you music that you and your date both like.

While curating one’s online presence is still as prevalent as ever, it’s nice to see that strides are being made to ground dating apps in a bit more reality and to make meeting your potential match a little less stressful.