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News

Dating apps change faster than most of the people using them notice. A new button appears on the home screen, a subscription tier moves, a company that once floated at billions is sold for a fraction of that price. This is where we keep track.

REGULATION

New York bans AI chatbots from posing as a child’s friend or partner, and age checks are coming for everyone

Signed on 28 October, New York's new law stops AI chatbots claiming romantic or personal relationships with under-18s and forces companies to check ages before switching those features on. It takes effect on 1 January 2027 and may reach ChatGPT-style assistants as well as companion apps.

By On Dating Journal Editors Published 30.10.20264 min read

Close-up of a hand holding a smartphone in dim light, face not visible

RESEARCH · 28.10.2026

Is an AI romance cheating? More than a third say no, Malwarebytes survey finds

A Malwarebytes survey of 1,500 people in the US, UK and three European countries finds 37% don't see a romance with an AI chatbot as cheating, while two-thirds fear a match could use AI to deceive them. What it means for dating and trust.

Two coffee cups on saucers on a dark wooden café table

RESEARCH · 26.10.2026

Money worries are making Gen Z cancel dates, Barclays survey finds

More than a quarter of Gen Z adults in the UK have cancelled, rearranged or turned down a date because of money, according to a Barclays-commissioned survey of 2,000 people. Cheaper dates are becoming the norm for under-30s.

Two people's hands holding ceramic mugs of coffee across a table

RESEARCH · 25.10.2026

Almost half of UK singles say it has never been harder to connect, Match Group survey finds

A Match Group-commissioned survey of 3,007 UK singles finds 47% say connecting has never been harder and a third met nobody new in person last month. Coffee and walks top the first-date list, and two-thirds reject AI chatting on their behalf.

A white speech bubble icon on a black square, symbolising a chatbot conversation

INDUSTRY · 25.10.2026

Character.AI is for sale in bankruptcy, and 12 million users’ chats are not part of Disney’s deal

Disney has bid $20m for a licence to Character.AI's technology, but not the app or its users' conversations. Now dozens of US states are fighting over the sale rules, and what happens to those chats is still open.

Person holding a smartphone in a dark room lit by glowing computer screens

SAFETY · 25.10.2026

Meta’s Muse: some users call it a girlfriend, and a sharing flaw left 6,800 chats discoverable

Six weeks after launch, Meta's AI agent is being treated as a romantic partner by some adults, and Meta has paused chat sharing after researchers found thousands of shared conversations through public DNS records. What it means for anyone confiding in an AI.

A smartphone with a red screen showing the time, suggesting a subscription renewal reminder

REGULATION · 24.10.2026

UK subscription rules: dating apps must send renewal reminders and allow easy cancellation from 2027

Draft regulations laid on 19 October set out how the UK's crackdown on subscription traps will work from 1 January 2027, from reminders before a free trial ends to a second 14-day cooling-off period after renewals.

A hand holding a smartphone with a cracked screen in low light

REGULATION · 24.10.2026

New US law will make dating apps warn users who chatted with banned scammers

Signed on 20 October, the Romance Scam Prevention Act gives US dating services a year to start alerting anyone who exchanged messages with an account later banned for fraud, usually within 24 hours.

Couple holding hands at a candlelit restaurant table

INDUSTRY · 13.10.2026

Bumble agrees $1.3bn takeover by Ithaca Holdings and will go private

The women-first dating app that floated at a $14bn valuation in 2021 is being bought for $1.3bn, with Whitney Wolfe Herd staying involved and two new co-chief executives arriving.

Couple on a rooftop at dusk surrounded by candles

INDUSTRY · 30.09.2026

Grindr buys PrEP provider Freddie’s parent PurposeMed in $250m health push

In what executives call its first major acquisition, the LGBTQ+ app is betting that its future lies beyond dating, in HIV prevention and healthcare.