Sources & research status
Checked September 10, 2026. Articles link evidence directly alongside the claim.
How to read the evidence
Provider statements describe their own platforms. Surveys apply to their sample and collection period. Experiments and theoretical models explain possible mechanisms. None turns chosen simulation values into measured success rates.
Material corrections
Unsupported success benchmarks were removed. FAIR-MATCH is documented only as a withdrawn source. The popularity-bias study was corrected. Privacy wording distinguishes local export analysis from connection data during website visits.
Review schedule
Links are checked technically each week. Provider, financial and privacy sources are scheduled for content review every 30 days; research sources every 90 days. A working link does not verify a claim. Review dates change only after a content review.
- Pew Research Center — The who, where and why of online dating in the U.S.2023-02-02
US survey, July 2022; not a current global market estimate.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Match Group — Second Quarter Results 20262026-08-04
Company report; quarter ended June 30, 2026, group metrics.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Bumble Inc. — Second Quarter 2026 Results2026-08-05
Company report; quarter ended June 30, 2026. Company-specific paying-user definition.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Bruch & Newman — Aspirational pursuit of mates in online dating markets2018-08-08
Observational study of contact patterns in four US cities; historical platform data.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Tan et al. — Endogenous drivers of gender disparity in online dating2026-05-21
Preprint and theoretical model; not measured success rates of current apps.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Pronk & Denissen — A Rejection Mind-Set: Choice Overload in Online Dating2020 (online 2019)
Experimental studies; limited transfer to long-term app use.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Timmermans, Hermans & Opree — Gone with the wind: Exploring mobile daters’ ghosting experiences2021 (online 2020)
328 Dutch-speaking app users; self-selected sample, not population prevalence.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Hinge — How do I request a copy of my personal data?2026-05-04
Provider documentation; export contents can change.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Tinder — Powering Tinder: The Method Behind Our Matching2026-09-01
Current provider account; not an independent algorithm audit.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Hinge — How We Connect DatersStand / accessed 2026-09-10
Provider describes a deep-learning recommendation system introduced in 2025; no open implementation.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Kotecha — FAIR-MATCH: Rückzug / withdrawal2026-01-28
WITHDRAWN due to critical errors. Correction history only, not evidence of effectiveness.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Kawamura, Udagawa & Tateno — Counterfactual Reciprocal Recommender Systems for User-to-User Matching2025-08-03
KDD TSMO workshop paper; DBLP and synthetic data, not a Tinder/Hinge field trial.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Europäische Kommission — Tinder verpflichtet sich zu klaren Verbraucherinformationen über personalisierte Preise2024-03-07
EU consumer-protection action; historical practices and commitments due April 2024.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Celdir, Cho & Hwang — Popularity Bias in Online Dating Platforms: Theory and Empirical Evidence2023
Model and data from one Asian platform; not a universal claim about every app.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Carnegie Mellon University — Popularity Matters More than Compatibility on Dating Apps2023-11-27
Summary by the authors’ university; same study as source 14.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Hutson, Taft, Barocas & Levy — Debiasing Desire: Addressing Bias and Discrimination on Intimate Platforms2018
CSCW research on design and discrimination; not a platform-prevalence measurement.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - FBI / IC3 — 2025 Internet Crime Report2026-04-06
Pages 7–8: reported complaints and losses in Confidence/Romance; not total prevalence.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Pew Research Center — The experiences of U.S. online daters2023-02-02
US survey July 2022; ever experienced, not incidents per year.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Hinge — 2026 LGBTQIA+ D.A.T.E. Report: Clarity Builds Chemistry2026-06-03
Provider survey January 2026, over 31,000 LGBTQIA+ AND heterosexual respondents worldwide.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Hinge — 2025 LGBTQIA+ D.A.T.E. Report2025-05-28
Provider survey January 2025; percentages apply to the specified subgroups.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Relationship experiences of transgender and non-binary adultsOnline 2024; Band / volume 2025
Survey of relationships and minority stress; not limited to dating apps.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Cloudflare — Privacy PolicyStand / accessed 2026-09-10
Processing of end-user and network data; retention depends on purpose.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Cloudflare — Customer Data Processing AddendumStand / accessed 2026-09-10
Public terms including transfer mechanisms; not verification of individual account settings.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Cloudflare — Cloudflare CookiesStand / accessed 2026-09-10
Security cookies depend on enabled features.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde — Datenschutz & CookiesStand / accessed 2026-09-10
Austrian context; distinction between necessary and consent-dependent storage.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Europäische Union — Datenschutz-Grundverordnung / GDPR2016-04-27
Especially Articles 5, 6, 13, 15–22 and 77; legal basis rather than template policy.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 09/12/2026 - Hinge — What is Selfie Verification?2026-07-14
Provider account; an export does not fully establish individual processing or current retention.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Hinge — Face Check Scan2026-07-29
Provider account; an export does not fully establish individual processing or current retention.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026 - Hinge — Automated Decision-Making and Profiling2026-07-27
Provider account; an export does not fully establish individual processing or current retention.
Content reviewed: 2026-09-10 · Next planned review: 10/10/2026